Judges 1-3; 1 Cor. 12

4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 1 Cor. 12:4-6

All followers of Christ have been given gifts for the body of Christ the church. The challenge of the pastor is the same challenge that Paul had with the Corinthian church and that is to convince people three things. One you have been given a spiritual gift. You might not know what it is yet but it is your responsibility to find out. You discover your spiritual gift by serving the church family. It is in the service itself that your gift rise to the top and are discovered by yourself and God. Second of all we all need to realize that our gift is extremely valuable otherwise God would not have given it to us. Every task in the body is important and we need them all. Saying that the church doesn’t need you is like saying your body doesn’t need your liver. Your liver might not be very visible and when it is functioning properly it goes unnoticed but without it the body dies. You might think well the body of Christ won’t die with out me. That is true but it also won’t function properly without you either. Thirdly we all need to recognize that we need the gifts and ministry of the other parts of the body. Isolated parts of the body die. Remove a finger from the hand and it dies. Connectivity is essential for survival and it is especially true spiritually. I believe this is more than attending church once a week. It takes being a part of the church, were you are fully engaged in the life of the Church and are both a giver and a receiver. That is why small groups are so important and getting involved in a ministry is a must. You are needed and you need the church family. The more who get this the more healthy the church and the individual lives connected to her.

God Bless,

Pastor Rick