Living Empowered: Use Your Spiritual Gifts for Good

Jesus didn't hold back his life in order to rescue and redeem us and the issue of our value will be reaffirmed over and over again in the new heavens and the new earth as we get to enjoy life in all of its fullness for all of eternity. We flourish and we bless as we grow in seeing ourselves as god sees us. The value that we have is not based on the gifts that we are given or on the things that we have done. Our value is rooted in god's very self. It is unchanging and unshakable. [00:14:37] (36 seconds)  #ValueRootedInGod

We believe we've believed a lie that we can't call on others if there's even the remote possibility that we might be able to do it ourselves. Some of you know that this is true about you. I want you to hear me say very clearly, that is a lie. That is a lie. Now this is not a rant against learning. This is not a rant against growing in skill. But interdependence as a last resort is not what we were made for, even though that's how many of us live. Think of our bodies. [00:23:31] (36 seconds)  #InterdependenceOverIsolation

What the scriptures tell us is that you and I were already made with intrinsic value and worth. And then nothing that we do can add or take away from that and no gift that we may receive, skill we may develop, ability that we may have, adds or subtracts to that. We are already we already have all the value and worth that we need. The issue of our value was established when we were made. God thought enough of us to bring us to life. If there was any question about our value, it was settled at the cross. [00:14:02] (36 seconds)  #IntrinsicWorth

As we all grow in doing that and using the gifts we've been given, we are not just empowered individuals. We operate as a spirit empowered community. The spirit empowered community flourishes and blesses when each of us thinks rightly of ourselves, thinks rightly of the community around us, and uses the gifts given out of love for god and love for others. This is the life that we were made to live and it is how we will fulfill the call god has placed upon our life. Meet the mission that has been set before us and make an impact that brings flourishing and blessing in abundance to Chatham County and everywhere we are to go after that and beyond. Folks, the world desperately needs a spirit empowered community. [00:33:34] (52 seconds)  #SpiritEmpoweredCommunity

Think of our bodies. There are instances where if some parts of the body are missing or not functioning well, other parts of the body can make up the difference so that things can still get done. But we know that that's less than ideal. If we have access to every part of the body, we expect every part of the body to do its job in order to function in an ideal way. Well, we have access to every part of the body of Christ. Why would we function in a less than ideal way? Why wouldn't we lean in to what every part of the body has to offer? We flourish and we bless as we grow in seeing and valuing others as god does. [00:24:08] (42 seconds)  #EveryPartMatters

We grow in seeing ourselves as god sees us. When we look to the source of everything and see, how do you see this? How do you understand this? And how do you understand me? And here's what the scriptures tell us. They tell us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. They tell us that god made us in his image and his likeness. That god's posture, that god's disposition towards us is love And it's the kind of love that wouldn't hold back his only son for the sake of saving us, for the sake of opening the door to a life that is lived to the fullest for all time. [00:13:22] (40 seconds)  #FearfullyWonderfullyMade

You'll note that here and in other parts of the passage, Paul mentions the word grace and Paul mentions the word faith and there is a thread that connects those two words. At least in this passage, the source of grace and the source of faith. In fact, not just in this passage but overall, the source of grace and the source of faith is god and grace and faith are connected to the gifts. The source of the gifts is god. God's the one that has breathed life into us. God's the one who has given grace. God's the one who has given faith. God's the one who has loved us. God's the one who has saved us. God's the one who has sent the gifts and given the gifts. [00:12:28] (41 seconds)  #GraceAndFaithFromGod

All those things together are not necessarily a spiritual gift or signs of a spiritual gift. But while we were there, he also talked to the person that we're serving. He asked questions. He walked her through what we were going to do. And as he did, you could see a calm and a peace come over this woman. It was like she knew that this need that she had, that this need that she didn't know how it was gonna be met was going to take care of, was going to be taken care of. [00:28:16] (35 seconds)  #ServiceBringsPeace