What are you good at?

On the surface that may seem like an arrogant question for us to ask of ourselves, but when it’s asked in light of the Scriptures it can become a gateway into a deeper love and involvement inside the body of Christ. After all, the body of Christ is just that – a body. It’s made up of arms, legs, eyes, lungs, liver, and so much more. Each one of these parts is necessary for the full function of the body, and often the parts that are not seen (like the liver) are of greater value to the life and health of the body itself. 

So, I’ll ask again, what are you good at? 

We often overcomplicate the gifts found in the church. The reality is that those who are in Christ have the Holy Spirit and are therefore walking in His gifts each and every day. In Romans 12:6-8 we read a brief list of gifts that include things like prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, generosity, leadership, and mercy. While the gift of prophecy gets the most attention, when we understand it to be akin to sharing of the Scriptures with others we see that this list is not a mystery to be solved but very practical actions that are ultimately empowered by the Spirit for the benefit of the church.

Have you ever thought about your talents and abilities as tools for edifying the people of God? Have you ever considered that your desire to financially support important causes may reveal a gift of generosity? Do you realize that your love of serving behind the scenes may be an expression of the Spirit’s work in your life? Are you one of those people who can step into a situation and help bring clarity and direction? Do you find yourself constantly seeking people to encourage in life and in their walk with Jesus? All of these things, and many more, are evidence of what we read in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7.

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4–7

Your talents and abilities are not for your own personal exaltation. They are given to us for the “common good” of the church. A common good that unifies the body, stirs one another up to love and good works, and ultimately leads to Jesus being exalted among the nations. 

The late 90’s and early 2000’s brought with it a host of heist movies like Mission Impossible, Oceans 11, and The Italian Job. I think the appeal of those movies is not just the action sequences, but the way a team of people with varying personalities and skills work together to pull off some of the most ridiculous stuff. Whether it’s hanging by wires above a computer terminal or driving a Mini Cooper through drainage pipes, each element of the heists took a unified team.

Likewise, the church is a collection of people with varying backgrounds, personalities, skill sets, passions, and education who have been commissioned to do the impossible – reconcile the world to God. 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17–19

Do you see what God is doing? He made us new creations through Christ so that we could be ambassadors for Christ. Our desires, motivations, talents, and abilities have been transformed so that they can be used for God’s purposes of reconciliation. God is forming a team, not for something as foolish as a heist, but so that rebellious sinners may be reconciled with our loving God. This is truly an impossible task, if it were not for our mighty God who equips his people for the impossible.

For some, God has redeemed your math skills so that you can help people in the church find freedom from the bondage of debt. For others, He has transformed your creative abilities so that your art can point people to the Creator of all things. Maybe He has placed within you the power to show mercy to people who have hurt you, in order that the love of Christ may be clearly seen. Finally, it could be that God has given you the ability to simplify biblical truth so that the youngest among us can know more about Jesus.

What about you? How has God equipped you and are you using those gifts for Him?

All of this actually starts with Paul’s admonition in Romans 12:1-2. I taught on this a few weeks ago but it begs to be mentioned here because it’s foundational to this discussion.

Pauls writes in verse one, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers,by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Rom 12:1)” While Paul spends most of the chapter describing what life inside the church should look like, he begins with an appeal to remember the mercies of God as seen in the gospel. We are to first remember what Jesus has done for us, because it’s the love of Christ that compels us to obedience. The Apostle then writes that we are to “be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God. (Rom 12:2)” Therefore, we not only must surrender our lives and desires to Christ, but we also must grow in wisdom by way of the Scriptures. As we grow in love and understanding of Jesus through the Bible we will be able to better discern what our gifts are and how they can be used in our local church.

That leads to a final encouragement and challenge.

Most likely there are two camps of people reading this right now. The first camp knows how best they can serve the body and is already thinking through ways to do so. The second camp is not sure where to start. I would encourage both camps to start here. Our volunteer page has an up-to-date document of all the areas of service and a link for signing up. 

For those who are still unsure, let me encourage you to find one that peaks your interest and jump in. Decision paralysis is real but it’s no excuse for inaction. Just as the body of Christ has been given to you for your edification, you have also been given to the body so that your time and abilities can be used to bless others. Over 15 years ago, I began serving in a 2 year old class with my wife while waiting for something “better” to come along – only to fall in love with serving in kids ministry. I realized while serving that I had a gift for engaging kids, which led to years of joy-filled service in that area of ministry. That would never have happened if I had not stepped out in faith. 

God will be faithful to both lead and to equip you for the task at hand. Will you be faithful to use your talents for Him?

As Dr. David Croteau recently challenged us, let’s hold fast to our hope in Christ and then “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Heb 10:24–25

Mike Crump

Pastor of Church Communications

In his role as Pastor of Church Communications, Mike works to promote and resource ongoing ministry/events connected with the body here at Heritage. He also creates & distributes gospel-centered content (both physical & digital) among our wider congregation.