InSync 4
When God Says GO, Don't Say NO
by Andy Borero
The past blog entries have
been focused on the third aspect of God: the Holy Spirit. We’ve learned that
the Spirit is not a mere fog or ghost that haunts us. He serves as our guide,
God in the Spirit, our Spiritual mentor who helps us in our everyday life. We’ve also learned the importance of keeping
in step with the Spirit in order to be assured of straightforward life.
Now that we’re informed of the
real purpose of the Holy Spirit, it’s about time that we respond.
Imagine a full to the brim
glass of mango shake. Obviously, the glass is full and doesn’t need a refill
for another five minutes. But what if your friend suddenly decides to pour
another pitcher into the glass? It’s a no-brainer: the glass will overflow. The
excess shake will spill from the glass unto the table cloth.
In the same way, when you’re
filled with the Holy Spirit, there’s this feeling that you just can’t contain
it and you gotta share it with someone else. SERVICE of others is the response
that we’re looking at.
If you were asked “What gift
would you like most in the world?” what would be your response?
An IPhone 5C?
Your crush in a box with
matching ribbons?
The cutest puppy that makes
you wanna squish it?
This blog entry plans on
discussing a different type of gift. It’s not a tangible, material type of
gift. The gift we’re talking about is the type that only our God can give and
they’re called SPIRITUAL GIFTS.
So, what are they supposed to
be?
Spiritual Gifts are considered
vital when it comes to serving God in the most effective manner. Their purpose
is to serve others but sometimes, our hesitation in serving gets in the way.
When we’re asked to do something that requires a step of faith, we find
ourselves backing away and the word NO just screams aloud in our heads.
Today, it’s about time to step
it up a notch.
When God says GO, don’t say
NO.
I. What are Spiritual Gifts?
These are divine abilities
given by distributed by the Holy Spirit to every believer, according to God’s
design and for the common good of every one.
There are 4 important
highlights about them:
- It is given to every believer
A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the
entire church
1 Corinthians 12:7
The moment we genuinely
surrendered our lives to Christ, God bestowed upon us these spiritual gifts to
be used in service of His church. It’s good to know that no one is exempted from
being given these gifts because it’s an automatic occurrence once we give
ourselves to Jesus.
- It is determined by God
It is the one and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts. He
alone decides which gift each person should have
1 Corinthians 12:11
We can’t choose our gifts. God
is the one who determines this, based on His grace and purpose. Therefore, we
have no right to demand the gift we want from God. He is God after all and He
knows what’s best.
- It is to be used to serve others
As 1 Corinthians 12:7 says,
the gifts we have are to be used in service of others. They cannot satisfy
selfish motives and self-seeking ambitions. When we serve in ministries, we
should always aim for the betterment of our fellowmen first before our own
wants.
- It’s not something we can brag about
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one
body. So it is with the body of the Christ
1 Corinthians 12:12
One can never claim he has a
superior gift compared to the others. There’s no such thing as a least important gift nor is there a more important gift. Every function in
the ministry is VITAL. There should be humility when we serve.
II. What is the fruit of the Holy Spirit?
We should use our Spiritual
Gifts as means for showing love to others. However, this is an impossible task
on our own cause let’s face it: we are selfish beings. By default, we don’t
want to share our candy. We want all the attention to ourselves. That’s why
it’s important to be aware of the Holy Spirit and it’s fruit.
22 But the
fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness
and self-control. Against
such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
We can’t produce this Fruit by
ourselves. Nope, we need the aid of a supernatural being.
Notice also that the Bible
used the word FRUIT instead of FRUITS. No, it’s not a grammatical error. All
the nine fruits are boiled down into one big fruit. It’s impossible to have all
the other eight fruits when we don’t have LOVE.
The fruit can be compared to
GRAPES. They are all connected to one vine. If one is growing, so will the
others.
What’s the difference between
the fruit and the gifts?
Fruit – refers
to the character of a Christian,
which is an inward evidence of the Holy Spirit working in him.
Gift – refers
to the service of a Christian, which
is an outward result of the inner transformation.
You might be asking: “Is there
a difference between spiritual gifts and talent?”
There are times when we
mistaken our talents such as singing, dancing, acting, etc. for spiritual
gifts. Here’s what differs one from the other:
Talents
-These are abilities given at birth.
-These are already possessed, whether or not you have a
relationship with Christ.
-These are merely used for performances.
Spiritual Gifts
-These are abilities given at spiritual birth.
-These can only be possessed once a person genuinely
starts a relationship with Christ.
-These are used for the common good.
There are numerous types of
spiritual gifts which can be bestowed on you upon your acceptance of Christ.
Wanna know them all?
Faith
This is the ability to envision what needs to be done,
and to trust God to accomplish it despite its impossibility to most people.
Administration
This is the ability to give direction and make decisions
on behalf of others that result in efficient operation and accomplishment of
goals. This includes the ability to organize people, things,
information, finances, etc.
Helps
This is the ability to joyfully work alongside another
and help that person complete the task God has given them.
Hospitality
This is the ability to welcome strangers and entertain
guests, with great joy and kindness so that they become friends.
Teaching
This is the ability to understand and communicate
biblical truth in a clear and relevant manner, so that there is understanding
and application.
Exhortation
This is the ability to motivate, encourage, and console
others, so they mature in their walk with Jesus.
Wisdom
This is the ability to have insight into people and
situations, which is not obvious to an average person.
Now that we know the
definition of the spiritual gifts, it’s about time we figure out how we could
discover them on our own.
First step would be to PRAY.
Let the Lord show you where you belong.
Second step would be to KNOW
WHERE YOUR PASSION LIES.
Third step: GET FEEDBACK FROM
FELLOW CHRISTIANS. See what they think!
Final step: ASSESS YOURSELF.
Is this where God really wants you to be?
Serving others should be
considered as an honor. It’s amazing to be a channel of God’s goodess. In a
ministry, we are God’s instruments and it should feel great that He is using us
to fulfil His work. It’s also an opportunity to experience God when we are
faced with challenges when we serve. Temptations are always there and it’s good
to know that the Lord has our back when we choose to fight off Satan and keep
on fixing our eyes on Him.
Finally, it’s a blessing to
witness changed lives. Our service is worth it when a soul comes to the Good
Lord. All that hard work- priceless!
Be eager in discovering your Spiritual Gifts, and after which, ask God
to give you the desire to serve. Intentionally pray about where you can serve,
seek His Word, and listen to His voice, because when God says “Go,” you cannot
say “No.”
Written by Ashley Bernadette Petallano (c)
