The Holy Spirit’s power in richly varied gifts
Daily Scripture
1 Corinthians 12:27-30, Ephesians 4:11-13, Romans 12:6-8
1 Corinthians 12
27 You are the body of Christ and parts of each other. 28 In the church, God has appointed first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, the ability to help others, leadership skills, different kinds of tongues. 29 All aren’t apostles, are they? All aren’t prophets, are they? All aren’t teachers, are they? All don’t perform miracles, do they? 30 All don’t have gifts of healing, do they? All don’t speak in different tongues, do they? All don’t interpret, do they?
Ephesians 4
11 He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. 12 His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ 13 until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.
Romans 12
6 We have different gifts that are consistent with God’s grace that has been given to us. If your gift is prophecy, you should prophesy in proportion to your faith. 7 If your gift is service, devote yourself to serving. If your gift is teaching, devote yourself to teaching. 8 If your gift is encouragement, devote yourself to encouraging. The one giving should do it with no strings attached. The leader should lead with passion. The one showing mercy should be cheerful.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
The apostle Paul wrote the three passages you just read over two thousand years ago, yet they are timeless, applying to each follower of Jesus in 2024. As the body of Christ, each member works together to create the whole. If one person with one gift is missing, the entire body suffers. As the body works together unity and power come into being. We do not acquire or use these gifts on our own strength, but only through the Holy Spirit at work within us.
- Are you clear about which of these gifts the Spirit has given you? If not, ask one or more people who know you well what gifts they see in you. You can also click here to access a short introduction to spiritual gifts discovery that we use at The Church of the Resurrection. Once you have a sense of what your gifts are, how are you using those gifts as a witness to the Good News who helps to build up the body of Christ?
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Tomorrow we’ll focus on the fruit of the Spirit—qualities the Spirit grows in every Christian (cf. Galatians 5:22-23). But your “package” of spiritual gifts won’t be exactly like anyone else’s—note how Paul used words like “some” and “if” in writing about the gifts. And any spiritual gift must be developed. You likely have an aptitude in your area of giftedness but have room to grow in using it well. After finding them, how are you developing your spiritual gifts?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, the Spirit has gifted me in unique ways so that the Kingdom might come to earth. Help me to recognize the joy and responsibility of my giftedness. Amen.
GPS Insights
Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe serves as a Couples Small Group co-leader & Men's Group Leader, while volunteering in a variety of other capacities at Resurrection. He and his wife, Doris, first met in a Resurrection Single Adult Sunday School class in 1997 and were married in what is now the Student Center. They are empty nesters with 2 college-aged sons, Matthew and Jacob.
When reading a passage of Scripture, I sometimes like to compare/contrast various translations like The Message or the classic King James Version. A simple change in wording can help my understanding of a passage. I recently came across an unusual translation called the New TeleVision (NTV) that incorporates television comedies, dramas, & mysteries into the Biblical texts. *
Now, you should be forewarned, the NTV translation is a bit different:
–In addition to Noah’s 3 sons, Shem, Ham, & Japeth, there is also a 1st mate on Noah’s Ark named Gilead, who is described as wearing a long-sleeved red polo & a white bucket hat. Gilead’s mishaps & calamities cause the ark to sail for 40 days & 40 nights instead of the previously scheduled 3-hour tour.1
–The Israelite’s wandering in the desert is introduced this way, “As sand goes through our sandals, so go the Days of our Lives.”2
–The physical description of Moses is oddly similar to the late night television host, David Letterman. The 10 Commandments are referred to as the Top 10 List from the home office in Mount Sinai, Egypt.3
–The beautiful Queen Esther is described as a girl “who can turn the world on with her smile & who can take a nothing day & suddenly make it all worthwhile.”4
–When Abraham is called by God to go to the Promised Land, the NTV version re-tells it like this:
“ …so God said, ‘Abe move away from there.’
Said the Land of Canaan is the place you oughta’ be,
So Abe loaded up the mule & moved to Galilee.
Hills that is. Swimming pools & movie stars.” 5
Needless to say, I was intrigued to read how today’s passages might be translated. Let’s take a look as the NTV utilizes the Mission: Impossible TV show to illustrate Paul’s point:
“Your mission, Jim, should you choose to accept it, is help spread the message of the love of Jesus Christ all over the world. You will have the assistance & inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but you will need your entire Impossible Mission Force to accomplish this objective. This roll of papyrus will self destruct in 5 seconds.”
So, per Paul’s charge Jim Phelps begins to assemble his Impossible Mission Force:
–Jim Phelps: Gift of leadership/administration as he coordinates the team’s make-up & direction. To be effective, every Godly mission needs a vision & an organized plan to accomplish that goal.
–Rollin Hand: Gift of Apostleship – adventurous & adaptable to a wide variety of cultures & circumstances. Sharing the love of Christ requires the ability to meet the audience “where they are,” to be able to make a meaningful connection.
–Cinnamon Carter: Gift of Hospitality – Friendly, gracious, & always inviting new friends to join her circle of companions. It’s tempting to overlook the basics of human interaction, but a smile & a friendly invitation is always a good start.
–Barney Collier: Gift of Helping – “Mr. Fix-it” always available to problem-solve & has a wide variety of skills & knowledge that can be applied in any circumstance. Divine missions need problem-solvers to overcome that rainy day for a church picnic or make sure there are plenty of Russell Stover candy boxes on Mother’s Day.
–Willy Armitage: Gift of Craftsmanship – the ability to minister in a tangible way through handy skills or tasks requiring physical strength. Finally, every heavenly target requires “boots on the ground” of someone actually setting up the tables, vacuuming the carpet, & replacing the lightbulbs. Don’t take for granted the value of the basic niceties.
With an astonishing record (by my unofficial count) of 171 successful missions vs. –0- failures, perhaps we’d be wise to mimic the I.M.F. They recognize that the “team-approach” utilizing people of a wide variety of talents, skills, & passions is the best possible way to stop that counterfeiting ring or that eccentric scientist with his weather machine or even spreading the word of God. Every mission, like sharing God’s love, can seem unachievable at the beginning of an episode &, yet, with the Holy Spirit & a team of talented believers, nothing is impossible with God.
Now, back to my reading of the TNV version of the closing passage of Colossians:
I’m so glad we had this time together,
Just to have a laugh, or sing a song.
Seems we just got started & before you know it
Comes the time we have to say, “So long.” 6
1 Refers to the sit-com, “Gilligan’s Island” which aired 1964-1967.
2 The soap opera, “Days of Our Lives” that started airing in 1965.
3 A comedy bit from the “Late Night with David Letterman” show.
4 This is a snippet of the lyrics to the intro of the “Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
5 This includes a paraphrase of the lyrics to “The Beverly Hillbillies Song.” (Technically the land of Canaan included only the southeast tip of the Sea of Galilee, but considering that motion pictures weren’t invented until 1888, that is the least of our worries – Editor.)
6 This was the closing song for the “The Carol Burnett Show.” (1967-1978)
* (Just for the record, there is no NTV translation. Yet. – Editor.)
