The Divine Spark Series

4. Use Your Gift in Service

While it's important to identify your gifts, it's not enough. Gifts are given to be used. Verses 12-30 describe how the church is like the human body, with each part playing a critical role in the functioning of the body. You've been given gifts and a key role to play in this church. Until each of us implement our gifts, our church will not mature in faith. Look at verse 14: "Now the body is not made up of one part but of many." The foot needs the hand, and the ear needs the eye. Likewise, we all need each other. If you're hoarding your gifts and not using them, the entire body is handicapped.

The church at Corinth had elevated some of the sign gifts and had relegated the "lesser" gifts to second-class status

1 Peter 4:10: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

1 Timothy 4:14 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

Paul's concern for young Timothy was that he not only be able to identify his gift, but that he would implement it: "Do not neglect your gift...I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God"

Do you need to allow the Spirit to fan your gift into full flame? Are you burning bright for Him, or are you just flickering or smoldering?

A well-known conductor was holding a rehearsal one night with a vast array of musicians and a hundred-voice choir. While the mighty chorus sang out, the horns blared and the cymbals clashed. Sitting far back in the orchestra, the piccolo player thought to herself, "With all these loud instruments, it doesn't matter what I do. They don't need me." And so she stopped playing. Suddenly the conductor stopped the music and looked right at the piccolo player and said, "It doesn't sound right without you. If you don't play, the concert's off. We need you."

You're needed in this church! God has gifted you and now He wants to use you. Don't allow yourself to think you don't matter. Nobody is a "nobody" in the body of Christ. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

Conclusion

Remember that we talked about how static electricity is generated whenever two materials are in contact with each other. All materials are made of electrical charges in the material atoms. In the universe there are equal amounts of negative electrical charge (electrons) and positive charge (protons). These generally try to stay in balance of equal amounts at every location.

However, when two materials are in contact, some of the charges redistribute by moving from one material to the other.

The Holy Spirit and the gifts are received by laying of hands of people in Spiritual authority

"And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses" (Deuteronomy 34:9).

"Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money" (Acts 8:17-18).