Embracing Our Unique Gifts for God's Mission
Summary
The sermon begins with the pastor emphasizing the importance of using our unique gifts to demonstrate Christ's compassion and serve others. He encourages the congregation to consider their gifts and how they can be employed to serve others, reminding them that their service should be done as unto the Lord Jesus Christ. The pastor then discusses the idea of trusting in God's purposes and recognizing that He is in control of the outcomes and results in our lives. He uses examples of different campuses and churches within their family of churches, each with their own unique gifts and opportunities, to illustrate this point.
The pastor shares personal experiences that highlight the ongoing impact of a significant event in his life. After a trip on an aircraft carrier, the pastor and his wife were invited into the lives of various individuals who were facing challenging situations. They encountered a man with cancer who felt neglected by those around him, another man dealing with a difficult marriage, and a man who was eventually convicted for running a Ponzi scheme. The pastor emphasizes that God used these opportunities to bring restoration and healing. He quotes Colossians 1, explaining that God's expansive nature allows Him to properly fix and fit together all broken and dislocated pieces of the universe.
The pastor encourages the congregation to share with someone else what God has been speaking to them during the service. They are invited to do this through a lunch conversation, a text message, or during dinner. The pastor then leads the congregation in a responsive prayer, which serves as a declaration of commitment to God's mission. The prayer acknowledges God's calling and thanks Him for the opportunity to participate in His orchestrated mission to rescue and restore what is lost and broken.
The pastor emphasizes the importance of identifying the gifts that God has given to each individual. Drawing from 1 Corinthians, the pastor explains that just as a body has multiple parts working together, the body of Christ consists of individuals with different gifts that contribute to the same mission. The pastor uses the analogy of an aircraft carrier, where each person has a unique role but all work towards a singular mission. Every role is equally important, and the captain orchestrates the different roles to achieve the mission.
The pastor concludes by discussing the various gifts that individuals may have, such as leadership, mercy, wisdom, or organizing. He shares examples of individuals who have discovered their unique gifts, like the person with the gift of making roads, which aligns with God's desire to make rough places smooth and create pathways. Another person mentioned having the gift of pulling permits to build on undeveloped property. The pastor highlights the importance of recognizing and utilizing these gifts in God's divine plan for their lives.
Key Takeaways:
- God has given each individual unique gifts that can be used to serve others and demonstrate Christ's compassion. These gifts should be employed in service to others, and the results should be left in God's hands. ([12:45])
- God's expansive nature allows Him to properly fix and fit together all broken and dislocated pieces of the universe. This means that God can use our gifts and opportunities to bring restoration and healing, no matter how small they may seem. ([24:30])
- The body of Christ consists of individuals with different gifts that contribute to the same mission. Just like an aircraft carrier, where each person has a unique role but all work towards a singular mission, every role in the body of Christ is equally important. ([36:15])
- God had a divine purpose for each person long before they were born, and He has poured out His gifts in them so they can be a part of His orchestrated mission in the world. This means that everyone has a unique place and purpose in God's mission, regardless of their occupation or status. ([48:50])
- God can exceed our expectations and bring about things we never thought possible. The pastor's personal experience with making a bucket list and how, through unexpected circumstances, some of the items on his list became a reality, serves as a reminder of this. ([59:30])
Study Guide
Bible Reading:
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1. 1 Peter 2:9 - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
2. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 - "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work."
3. Jeremiah 1:4-7 - "The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.' 'Alas, Sovereign Lord,' I said, 'I do not know how to speak; I am too young.' But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.'"
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Observation Questions:
1. What does 1 Peter 2:9 tell us about our identity and purpose as believers?
2. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, what does it mean that there are different kinds of gifts, service, and workings, but it is the same God at work in all of them?
3. How does Jeremiah 1:4-7 illustrate God's foreknowledge and purpose for our lives?
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does being a "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession" influence our service to others and our declaration of God's praises?
2. How does the diversity of gifts, services, and workings mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 contribute to the unity and mission of the body of Christ?
3. What does Jeremiah 1:4-7 teach us about God's calling and how we should respond to it, especially when we feel inadequate?
Application Questions:
1. Reflecting on 1 Peter 2:9, how can you better declare the praises of God in your daily life? Can you think of a specific situation where you can do this in the coming week?
2. Considering 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, what is one unique gift you have been given, and how can you use it to serve others in your community this week?
3. In light of Jeremiah 1:4-7, is there a task or calling you've been avoiding because you feel inadequate? How can you trust God's purpose and power in this situation?
4. Can you think of a person in your life who is facing a challenging situation? How can you use your unique gifts to serve them and demonstrate Christ's compassion?
5. Reflecting on the analogy of an aircraft carrier, what is one way you can contribute to the mission of your local church or community this week?
Devotional
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Day 1: Embracing Our Unique Gifts for Service
Each of us has been given unique gifts by God, intended to serve others and demonstrate Christ's compassion. These gifts are not for our own glory, but to be used in service to others, with the results entrusted to God's hands. [12:45]
Romans 12:6-8 - "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."
Reflection: What are your unique gifts? How can you use them to serve others and demonstrate Christ's compassion today?
Day 2: Trusting in God's Restorative Power
God's expansive nature allows Him to properly fix and fit together all broken and dislocated pieces of the universe. This means that God can use our gifts and opportunities to bring restoration and healing, no matter how small they may seem. [24:30]
Ezekiel 34:16 - "I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak."
Reflection: Reflect on a situation in your life that seems broken or dislocated. How can you trust God's restorative power in this situation?
Day 3: Valuing Each Role in the Body of Christ
The body of Christ consists of individuals with different gifts that contribute to the same mission. Just like an aircraft carrier, where each person has a unique role but all work towards a singular mission, every role in the body of Christ is equally important. [36:15]
1 Corinthians 12:12-14 - "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many."
Reflection: What is your role in the body of Christ? How can you better contribute to the mission of the church?
Day 4: Recognizing Our Place in God's Mission
God had a divine purpose for each person long before they were born, and He has poured out His gifts in them so they can be a part of His orchestrated mission in the world. This means that everyone has a unique place and purpose in God's mission, regardless of their occupation or status. [48:50]
Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Reflection: What do you believe is your unique place and purpose in God's mission? How can you align your daily actions with this purpose?
Day 5: Expecting God's Surprises
God can exceed our expectations and bring about things we never thought possible. The pastor's personal experience with making a bucket list and how, through unexpected circumstances, some of the items on his list became a reality, serves as a reminder of this. [59:30]
Ephesians 3:20 - "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."
Reflection: What are some things you never thought possible that you would like to see happen in your life? Can you trust God to exceed your expectations?
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Quotes
"God has summoned each of us to be someone and to do something that we otherwise wouldn't if we didn't belong to him... I would not be who I am today, I would not be able to do what I'm able to do today apart from his inviting me into and my belonging to him. The same thing is true for you." [27:25]
"Long before you were born, long before you were in the womb, God had a Divine Purpose and was going to pour out his gifts in you so you would be a part of his orchestrated mission in the world." [34:09]
"We all have different kinds of gifts that are all contributing toward the very same thing... every role is equally important because the captain orchestrates it all together for a singular mission that they're engaged in." [29:12]
"There are different kinds of working but in all of them and in everyone it's the same God that's at work there are different kinds of effects there are different kinds of outcomes there are different kinds of results that happen you and I we not in control of the results or outcome in any part of our life despite what we keep trying to manage it the scripture says God's in charge of all these outcomes so all you and I do is offer up our gift employ them in these opportunities and then leave the results up to God." [46:34]
"Our service no matter what the context no matter what the opportunity it's all done as unto the Lord Jesus Christ that's right so what is your place you have a place in Christ orchestrated mission to the world to rescue and restore all things." [45:55]
"He gives us as a gift to the world around us so we can help him with that same Mission with other people that he's placed in our lives." [53:32]
"Do you know why there was that opportunity? Because Christ cared about the people on that carrier that day. You know why he cares about everything every opportunity represents what he cares about. He cares about banking, he cares about housing, he cares about medical, he cares about education, he cares about sports, he cares about his church." [41:35]
"I can take the gift I have of being able to facilitate meaningful conversations with certain types of leaders and I can use it leading a life group in the church. I can use it on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Pacific." #!!37:47!!#
"Christ right now is conducting and orchestrating an Earthly Orchestra and choir made up of every single one of us in this room and those of you that are watching online, and the song he wants to sing, the song he wants to play through us is a part of his mission to rescue and restore everything that's been lost, stolen, or broken." #!!32:54!!#
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