the Church

Our Team

August 4, 2024 by Bill 2 Comments

When we hear the term, “our team” or if someone asks us what our team is, what do we think of? Do we think of a sports team, especially if we’re playing on one, a work team or our family? What about our church team? Do we think of all the folks at our church as a team? Let’s look at this.

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12). I recently saw an FCA statement that said, “There is no “I” in team”. On a sports team, each player has a job to do and the success of the team depends on each player doing their part. Can you imagine the quarterback and center on a football team facing the defense alone? Or what about a point guard in basketball coming down the court by themselves? I also thought, “There’s no “I” in church.” What if a church’s pastor was the only one on the “team”? No teachers, no praise team, no prayer team, no church employees, no givers, no volunteers. Poor pastor! I once got a vision during prayer time of our pastor, up front, trying to pull a large wagon with several church people in it. He couldn’t budge it, too heavy. Then, several people got out of the wagon and helped the pastor pull it. Success!

We are all gifted in some way to help the church, “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” (Romans 12:6 NLT). These gifts are given to us to help the church, the body of Christ. (If you don’t know what your gift is, search, “Spiritual gift assessment” on the Internet and answer the questions.)

We’re all on the “team”, not in the stands, and many of us are “doing” things already. So, what can we do for our team? Here are several things: Pray, join the Prayer Chain or Sunday morning team, give tithes and offerings, volunteer for the food distribution or other projects, offer to be on the Praise Team, assist in Sunday School, be a greeter. God will lead you into one of these or give you another assignment. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Go team!

God Has Work for Us To Do

October 1, 2022 by Bill Leave a Comment

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10).

If you’re saved, you‘ve been put on this earth for a purpose and called into service to make a contribution. We weren’t created to just consume resources. We’re supposed to add to life on earth, to help others. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” (Colossians 3:23).

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; (Jeremiah 1:5). So, who are you, what do you have and what can you do? Good question. We all, every one of us has, at least, one Spiritual gift born into us to do good works. If you don’t know what your gift is, Google, “Spiritual gift assessment”, and find out. Now, you may think being “set apart” means pastors or preachers but God expects every member of His family to be ministers. In the Bible, the words “servant” and “minister” are synonyms, they’re the same. If you’re a servant, you’re a minister and vice versa.

Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t just take His people to Heaven as soon as they’re saved? Why does He leave us in this fallen world? Because He’s got a job for us to do. He wants to use us to fulfill His purpose on earth. God has a ministry for us in the church and a mission for us in the world. Wow!

So I’ll ask again: Who are you, what do you have and what can you do? Remember the boy with the fishes and loaves? (John 6). We all have something to give. Let’s not keep it to ourselves. Let’s get to work for the Kingdom. Pray and ask God to reveal His purpose to you. And, if you already know what it is…do it! “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:16). Let’s get to work!

Spiritual Gifts

August 14, 2021 by Bill Leave a Comment

“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” (1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT)

If you read the teaching of the apostle Paul about Spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, you will see that there are several gifts and each is given at the discretion of Father God. We know He formed us in our mother’s womb, (Psalm 139:13), and had plans for us from before our beginning. God sees us all the way through our lives and He has things for us to do. That’s why He gave us gifts; talents, abilities and desire to help Him on this earth. My question is: Are we using the gifts God gave us? Do we even know what our giftings are? Everyone has at least one gift and some have more than one. Look around your congregation. Paul said that, in the church, there believers, unbelievers and inquirers and we should be using our gifts for each type, (1 Corinthians 14). Are we as “the church” reaching out to these folks? Each of us have been given a gift to do that in some fashion. Are we?

Think about it: If someone gets a valuable gift at Christmas that can be used to help people but they put it away in the closet and never use it, how many people are not helped? And think of a musical instrument. It was made to produce wonderful sounds that are “music to our ears”. But what if no one ever plays that instrument? It’s of no benefit until someone uses it to fulfill its purpose. We are like that. We must use ourselves and our gift. Until we allow the Holy Spirit in us to use us to display and trumpet our gifts, we are little benefit to those around us.

I played all sports in high school and decided that I wanted to be a coach. My attitude was, “I want to be a coach but to do that, I’ll have to be a teacher. So, if I have to, I’ll be a teacher.” I didn’t know at that age anything about Spiritual gifts. But I found out later in life that my #1 gift is teaching. God knew and He led me to that profession. And I still use that gift in many forms.

If you’re reading this and are not sure what your Spiritual gift is/are, this assessment will let you know: Spiritual Gifts Survey . It will take some time, it has 108 questions to answer, but it will be well worth it to get you on the right track to fulfilling your destiny. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10). Let’s get to work.

Our Mission

June 20, 2020 by Bill Leave a Comment

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-5).

As Christians, we all have at least one Spiritual gift. “There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in EVERYONE it is the same God at work. (V. 6). We have all been given a gift to use in serving each other, the Church and to advance the Kingdom of God. Are we using our gifts? Do we even know what they are? If you have never taken a Spiritual Gifts assessment, here is the link to one: https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/spiritual-gifts-survey/. God gave me a phrase to pray years ago for myself and my family: “Lord, make us aware of Who we are, What we have and What we can do for the Kingdom of God.” I still pray this every day.

As I said, we all have God-given gifts to use in service to Him, it’s part of our mission. Imagine if someone gave you a gift that you could use to, say…help a neighbor with something and you put that gift in the closet and never used it. Would God be pleased? Your neighbor would miss out and you would miss the blessing for using that gift. We’re gifted. I once heard a saying: “You won’t have to go out of your way to find someone to help, God will put someone IN your way if you will watch for them.” Be aware and have your gift ready.

Being a former coach, I see a lot of Spiritual things as they relate to athletics. 1 Corinthians 12 also speaks of the Body of Christ being made up of many parts, all having different abilities, gifts, to help the body be successful. “But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” (V. 18). Now think of a coach talking to his football team. He’s got a bunch of willing players there with different abilities and skills to benefit the team and help them win. He assigns the bigger, stronger players who are gifted to be lineman to block. The smaller, faster players are given the job of carrying, passing and catching the football behind the protection of the linemen. Some of the younger players on the sidelines are still in training to develop their gifts but are still part of the team. Can you imagine if the whole team were big, slow but strong linemen trying to advance the ball or smaller, quick athletes trying to block the big, strong opposition? It wouldn’t work very well. Each player has his own skill to use together with his teammates to help the team win. We are that team; we are the Church. We have the gifts to use to advance our cause, God’s cause. Are we using our gifts? As the director said to the team in the 60s TV show, Mission Impossible, “It’s your mission, should you choose to accept it.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).

Our Team

God Has Work for Us To Do

Spiritual Gifts

Our Mission

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