Rediscover Gifts- Service TITLE: Are You Being Served? TEXT: Romans 12:3-8 THEME: You should discover and exercise the gifts God has given you.

Bob Dylan “You Gotta Serve Somebody” You may be an ambassador to England or France, You may like to gamble, you might like to dance, You may be the heavyweight champion of the world, You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls. You may be a construction worker working on a home, You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome, You might own guns and you might even own tanks, You might be somebody’s landlord, you might even own banks.

Bob Dylan “You Gotta Serve Somebody” But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed. You’re gonna have to serve somebody, Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

John 8:34 Jesus said, “Truly, Truly, I say unto you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin.”

Romans 7 Pau: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.”

Conform Literally means “to shape by placing in a container, or mold”. That is exactly what the world or age, desires to do.

Conform Literally means “to shape by placing in a container, or mold”. That is exactly what the world or age, desires to do. God does not desire that you be molded by the world and becoming its slave

How should you demonstrate sacrificial living in the church?

I. By having a realistic assessment of your role (3) 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

I. By having a realistic assessment of your role (3) A. Do not think to highly of yourself.

I. By having a realistic assessment of your role (3) A. Do not think to highly of yourself. B. Think of yourself with sober judgment.

I. By having a realistic assessment of your role (3) A. Do not think to highly of yourself. B. Think of yourself with sober judgment. C. Accordance with the faith God has distributed to you.

Matthew 25 14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey

Matthew 25 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”

Message of the Parable 28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

How should you demonstrate sacrificial living in the church?

II. By accepting the different roles that each believer plays (4-5)

Romans 12:4-5 4. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

II. By accepting the different roles that each believer plays (4-5) A. Like a body- different parts have different functions

II. By accepting the different roles that each believer plays (4-5) A. Like a body- different parts have different functions B. The church is one body:

II. By accepting the different roles that each believer plays (4-5) A. Like a body- different parts have different functions B. The church is one body: Each person has a different function

II. By accepting the different roles that each believer plays (4-5) A. Like a body- different parts have different functions B. The church is one body: Each person has a different function Each person belongs to each other

Nobody is a nobody in the Body of Christ Nobody is a nobody in the Body of Christ. While no one can do everything, everyone can do something.

Rick Warren S-H-A-P-E Spiritual Gifts (what you do)

Rick Warren S-H-A-P-E Spiritual Gifts (what you do) Heart (where you do it)

Rick Warren S-H-A-P-E Spiritual Gifts (what you do) Heart (where you do it) Abilities (talents)

Rick Warren S-H-A-P-E Spiritual Gifts (what you do) Heart (where you do it) Abilities (talents) Personality (how you do it)

Rick Warren S-H-A-P-E Spiritual Gifts (what you do) Heart (where you do it) Abilities (talents) Personality (how you do it) Experiences (our spiritual resume)

How should you demonstrate sacrificial living in the church?

III. By serving others using the specific gift(s) God has given you

Romans 12:6-8 6 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; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach

Romans 12:6-8 8 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.

III. By serving others using the specific gift(s) God has given you A. We all have different gifts

III. By serving others using the specific gift(s) God has given you A. We all have different gifts

A Spiritual Gift is a distinct characteristic given by God, through the Holy Spirit, to every Christian, by God’s grace alone, for the purpose of the entire Body.

Biblical (Greek) words used for “Gifts”. 1. Charisma - Grace (Undeserved Favor). Found in Romans 12.

Biblical (Greek) words used for “Gifts”. 1. Charisma - Grace (Undeserved Favor). Found in Romans 12. 2. Pneumatikos - Spiritual matters [things]. Found in I Corinthians 12.

Biblical (Greek) words used for “Gifts”. 1. Charisma - Grace (Undeserved Favor). Found in Romans 12. 2. Pneumatikos - Spiritual matters [things]. Found in I Corinthians 12. 3. Dorea - Gift (General). Found in Ephesians 4 and I Peter 4.

III. By serving others using the specific gift(s) God has given you A. We all have different gifts B. God distributes the gifts according His grace.

What are these Gifts? 1. Romans 12: (Charisma Gifts) Prophesying, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging, Giving, Leadership, Mercy.

What are these Gifts? 2. I Corinthians 12 (Pneumatikos Gifts) Message of Wisdom, Message of Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miraculous Powers, Prophecy, Discernment, Speaking in Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues.

What are these Gifts? 3. Ephesians 4 (Dorea Gifts- Dorothy and Theodore come from this word meaning gift of God.) Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers.

What are these Gifts? 4. I Peter 4 (Dorea Gfits) Hospitality, Serving, Speaking,

III. By serving others using the specific gift(s) God has given you A. We all have different gifts B. God distributes the gifts according His grace. C. We should all use the gift God has given us for the benefit of the body.

We always learn more by doing because our gifts are given to be given. · Commit to personal growth through fully expressing your surrender to God. · Commit to this local body through a proper estimate of yourself. · Commit to ministry by completely engaging in service. When we do, we’ll tap into the rich reservoir of God’s blessings.

APPLICATION 1. The world desires to shape you and mold you so you serve it, but God desires to transform you so you serve Him and His people. Relinquish yourselves to God, renew your minds in His word, and realign yourself to ministry. We must realign ourselves to following the example of Jesus and be instruments of service for God.

APPLICATION 2. God is calling you to ministry; every one of you has a place and a part to play in the body of Christ. You will never, never reach your full potential, you will never be all that you can and could be, until you learn the importance of service in the body of Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”