SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to the FBC El Doredo Sermon Podcast.
SPEAKER_00: My name is Taylor Gere, and I have the privilege of being the pastor here at First Baptist.
SPEAKER_00: And I want to thank you for listening into our sermon this week.
SPEAKER_00: And I want to tell you this if you're in our area and you don't have a church home, we would love to see you any Sunday morning at First Baptist El Doredo.
SPEAKER_00: Would you join me now in listening to our sermon from this week?
SPEAKER_00: Open with me to Romans chapter 12.
SPEAKER_00: Romans chapter 12.
SPEAKER_00: Today we'll begin in verse 3, looking through verse 8.
SPEAKER_00: 3 through 8.
SPEAKER_00: For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
SPEAKER_00: For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one another.
SPEAKER_00: Having gifts that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them, if prophecy in proportion to our faith, if service in our serving, the one who teaches in his teaching, the one who exhorts in his exhortation, the one who contributes in generosity, the one who leads with zeal, the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness.
SPEAKER_00: Pray with me.
SPEAKER_00: Lord Jesus, by your Spirit, would you speak to us now, Lord?
SPEAKER_00: Lord, give us the freedom to hear from you, to be transformed by your word, and Lord, through this word you have for us, Lord, let us understand so well that we are members of the family of God, and that means something.
SPEAKER_00: And that means something to the church, and we mean so much as individuals to the church as we help this church fulfill its God-given purpose, Lord.
SPEAKER_00: We pray this now.
SPEAKER_00: Teach us, Lord, in Christ's name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: The ghosts will show up eventually.
SPEAKER_00: That may be the greatest quote in the history of the New York Yankees.
SPEAKER_00: And that's saying something because there's a lot of great quotes, but it was October of 2001.
SPEAKER_00: The New York Yankees were in the World Series.
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, if you think of a team from New York in the World Series in October of 2001, emotions were very high for many reasons.
SPEAKER_00: But on the baseball field, they were coming from uh Phoenix to New York down two games to nothing.
SPEAKER_00: And Derek Jeter was asked, What do you do now?
SPEAKER_00: You've kind of backed yourself into a corner here.
SPEAKER_00: What do you do?
SPEAKER_00: And Derek Jeter said this the ghosts will show up eventually.
SPEAKER_00: What did he mean by that?
SPEAKER_00: He meant this that every member of this team is critical, but in the New York Yankees, there's even some members from the past that are critical.
SPEAKER_00: That in the Bronx in October, Joe DiMaggio and Roger Maris and Mickey Mann and Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, these men just have a way of showing up at the stadium.
SPEAKER_00: It may be a warning track pop fly that turns into a short porch home run.
SPEAKER_00: It may be a single that turns into a double because the ball takes a funky hop.
SPEAKER_00: But the ghosts will show up eventually.
SPEAKER_00: Every member of this team, past and present, is critical.
SPEAKER_00: Now, there's not really any ghost of Yankee Stadium.
SPEAKER_00: I don't believe there's any ghosts of First Baptist.
SPEAKER_00: There's been a time or two I've been shutting down late at night where I've wondered, but the point is still true that every member of this team is critical.
SPEAKER_00: Every member of this team that at this time is this collection of believers called First Baptist Church of El Doredo.
SPEAKER_00: Certainly we could spread this wider and just say the church universal, but certainly here, First Baptist Church of El Doredo, every member of the team is critical.
SPEAKER_00: If you are a believer in Christ Jesus who is a member of First Baptist Church of El Doredo, you are critical.
SPEAKER_00: And what I want us to see today is the body of Christ is strengthened by every member's presence.
SPEAKER_00: And that's what Paul wants us to see today as we begin in verse 3.
SPEAKER_00: For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
SPEAKER_00: What Paul wants us to see from the start, as we think about what it means to be a member here and using our Holy Spirit-given gifts to serve the church and to be a part of this church family, from the start, he does want to give us a warning, something to think seriously about, and that is this that nothing will destroy a Christian and destroy a church quicker than pride.
SPEAKER_00: Nothing can destroy a believer or a church quicker than pride.
SPEAKER_00: Now, certainly as we walk down the road of thinking about spiritual gifts, nothing can hurt us more than a pride that says, well, one gift is better than the other.
SPEAKER_00: One member surely has more value than the other.
SPEAKER_00: Well, certainly this group is more important.
SPEAKER_00: And hey, I'm glad that group's here, but you know, do they make a big no, no.
SPEAKER_00: Pride can kill everything we're going to talk about today.
SPEAKER_00: C.S.
SPEAKER_00: Lewis calls pride the great sin.
SPEAKER_00: Why does he do that?
SPEAKER_00: He says this, because it seems like every sin flows from that one great sin, pride.
SPEAKER_00: And you think about that, it does feel like every sin flows from pride.
SPEAKER_00: If I uh am in the sin of gossip, I would argue pride's all behind that.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because there's something in me that must think I'm a little bit better than you, and therefore I'm gonna tell somebody else just how much better I may be than you.
SPEAKER_00: There's pride behind that.
SPEAKER_00: If if I sin in anger, there's probably pride behind that.
SPEAKER_00: I'm angry, why?
SPEAKER_00: Because I didn't get my way.
SPEAKER_00: I'm angry because things didn't turn out exactly how I intended.
SPEAKER_00: Pride can destroy the believer, it can destroy the church.
SPEAKER_00: And so that's why Paul wants us to see don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think.
SPEAKER_00: Now, it's also important for us to realize as believers, that doesn't mean we're we're supposed to look at ourselves and think of ourselves as worthless, that I don't add a thing.
SPEAKER_00: It's not supposed to be that we look just so lowly at ourselves that we say, I'm worth nothing.
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely not.
SPEAKER_00: Uh it's probably a quote that's been attributed to many.
SPEAKER_00: Uh who said it first, I don't know, but humility is not thinking uh less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.
SPEAKER_00: It's not just putting yourself down, it's just putting others, uh putting others up.
SPEAKER_00: And so don't think more highly than you ought, but think with sober judgment, as Paul says.
SPEAKER_00: Just think accurately, uh, reflect accurately about you and your gifts and your part within this church family, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
SPEAKER_00: Now, what does Paul mean by that?
SPEAKER_00: According to the measure of faith that Paul has assigned.
SPEAKER_00: What he doesn't mean is this an idea that depending on just how strong your faith is, will be just how uh, you know, impressive or how many spiritual gifts you get.
SPEAKER_00: No, no, what we need to see is this that first of all, our salvation is simply given by the grace of God.
SPEAKER_00: The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives is given by the grace of God.
SPEAKER_00: What we also need to see is this, that even the faith that you and I are given so that we can live out the spiritual gifts and live out our part in the family of God, that's simply given by the grace of God.
SPEAKER_00: Even the faith to live out the Christian life is just a gift from God, and praise God He's given.
SPEAKER_00: And so, according to the faith he's given you that measure of faith, uh, live out into your gifting.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 4, for as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, verse five, though many are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
SPEAKER_00: Paul loves this idea.
SPEAKER_00: He talks about this very idea multiple times throughout the New Testament.
SPEAKER_00: It may remind you of uh 1 Corinthians chapter 12, when Paul says the same idea.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, for just as the body is one, this is verse 12 of 12, and has many members, and all are members of the body, though many, they are one body, so it is in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that sounds identical to what we've read in Romans.
SPEAKER_00: In 1 Corinthians, Paul even takes the illustration further, if you remember, when he talks about the idea that the eye can't say to the hand, I don't need you, the hand can't look at the eye and say, I don't need you.
SPEAKER_00: No, in the family of faith, every person brings their gifts to the table, and we live out these gifts in community with one another.
SPEAKER_00: Paul loves this idea of a family of God that has many members in this room.
SPEAKER_00: Let's say there's 300 people, 250, 300 people.
SPEAKER_00: Well, if if we were to say right now, and and and all are believers, if we were to say 90% are believers, and every believer in this room, uh, you have a gift that you bring to the table that your church needs.
SPEAKER_00: And the church needs you, and and you need the church, so we can live this out together.
SPEAKER_00: Now, let's talk more about these gifts.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 6, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.
SPEAKER_00: Now you may be saying, spiritual gifts.
SPEAKER_00: What in the world are you talking about?
SPEAKER_00: The reality is that sounds like a great thing.
SPEAKER_00: We love a good gift.
SPEAKER_00: No one in this room doesn't like a gift.
SPEAKER_00: James and I last night went to the great event here in town, the Hank Parker event.
SPEAKER_00: We just had the best time there, and it was really neat.
SPEAKER_00: We we walked in and James found out that they were giving away a uh there was a gift last night, they were giving away a four-wheeler.
SPEAKER_00: And James found that out.
SPEAKER_00: And now he needed this four-wheeler with everything in him.
SPEAKER_00: He wanted this.
SPEAKER_00: But even still, he didn't know what a four-wheeler was.
SPEAKER_00: He he asked me, and I had to Google and show him a picture of what a four-wheeler is, and yet, even still, he knew that is the thing I need most in my life.
SPEAKER_00: And we we had we're getting close to bedtime, and so we had to leave a little early, and and he was so upset by the fact that he wouldn't be around to figure out who would win this gift, this four-wheeler.
SPEAKER_00: And I didn't have the heart to tell him, buddy, even if they called our name, we'd have to pass that ticket around because at an evangelistic event, when the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church walks out of there with the four-wheeler, things look bad there.
SPEAKER_00: Some insider trading has gone on, it's not a good look.
SPEAKER_00: So we didn't go home with the gift.
SPEAKER_00: But what are the spiritual gifts?
SPEAKER_00: What does this mean?
SPEAKER_00: That the Holy Spirit, as you have come to know Christ, if you are in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit now dwells within you, and that means many things, but one thing it means is this, that you now have received one or more spiritual gifts.
SPEAKER_00: Certain things, certain gifts in your life, and we'll talk, there's multiple lists in the New Testament of these gifts.
SPEAKER_00: We'll talk about one of our lists this morning, but what it means is this, that you just have a particular uh affinity, uh, ability, we'll talk more about that in a minute.
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit has given you that you can carry out these gifts, not for the sake of building yourself up, but for the sake of building up the church of Jesus Christ and expanding the kingdom.
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit has gifted you.
SPEAKER_00: Now, what does it not mean?
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean this that if we have not been given a certain spiritual gift, uh that we just kind of get to sit out of that event in the life of the church.
SPEAKER_00: What do I mean by that?
SPEAKER_00: I believe there are some people that have the spiritual gift of evangelism.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've seen these people that just have this unbelievable ability within a conversation.
SPEAKER_00: They'll be talking about the ballgame last night, and not 10 seconds later they found a way to turn it to where they're talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: That they have this ability and this clarity in speaking the gospel in such a way that the Lord uses that and and minds are open to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: They just have this gift of evangelism.
SPEAKER_00: I praise God for individuals that have the gift of evangelism.
SPEAKER_00: But here's the question: does that mean that if I take a spiritual gift assessment and see that I don't have the spiritual gift of evangelism, does that mean as a Christian I don't evangelize?
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely not.
SPEAKER_00: We're we are all evangelizing, sharing our faith.
SPEAKER_00: And the gift of generosity.
SPEAKER_00: Some have the gift of generosity.
SPEAKER_00: It's amazing to watch.
SPEAKER_00: If you don't, if I don't, does that mean we just don't have to be generous in any way?
SPEAKER_00: Uh no, we better be.
SPEAKER_00: And so these gifts, though, are given by the Spirit, given to us as believers, to do this, to build up the church and make much of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And let me just repeat again, excuse me, I want you to hear it again.
SPEAKER_00: If you are in Christ Jesus, if you have a relationship with the Lord, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, and you have one or more spiritual gifts that you should use, you are called to use to build up the kingdom of God, the church of God, and to make much of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Now, the question we're all asking, how can I know my gift?
SPEAKER_00: Isn't that what we want to know?
SPEAKER_00: How do I know in what ways I'm gifted?
SPEAKER_00: I'll give us three ways this morning, and I want to give us two right now and one a little later.
SPEAKER_00: Number one way is this I would argue by living out Romans 12, 1 through 2.
SPEAKER_00: We talked about these verses last week, Romans 12, 1 through 2.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine if, uh, and you will have to use your imagination in a big way, but imagine if I just had the natural, just I was born with this natural talent that I was on a trajectory to be an Olympic athlete.
SPEAKER_00: Again, imagination is critical.
SPEAKER_00: But I just had this trajectory of an Olympic athlete, and yet I spent all my days just sitting back on the lazy boy watching videos of other Olympic athletes do what they do very well.
SPEAKER_00: Guess what that natural ability would amount to?
SPEAKER_00: Not very much.
SPEAKER_00: You know, some of us want to know and want to say, where am I gifted?
SPEAKER_00: How has the Holy Spirit gifted me?
SPEAKER_00: And yet, we've yet to really dive all into Romans 12, 1 through 2.
SPEAKER_00: We've yet to fully dive into this moment where we say, like last week, Lord Jesus, my blank check is on the table.
SPEAKER_00: I want to run away from the things of this world, and I want to be transformed by the renewal of my mind.
SPEAKER_00: I want to live life as you've called me to live.
SPEAKER_00: If you want to know in what ways you're gifted, uh, grow closer to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Remember how verse 2 ended last week that uh by this you may discern what the will of God is, his good, acceptable, and perfect will.
SPEAKER_00: If you want to know what God is up to in your life, how he can use you in your life, how you're gifted in your life, uh run towards Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Don't sit on the sideline of your faith, but dive all into who he is and being transformed so that you can see where you're gifted and how he may want to use you in a mighty way.
SPEAKER_00: A second way I can think about how I know my spiritual gifts is I want to put a uh a Venn diagram.
SPEAKER_00: You can put this slide up, these three circles.
SPEAKER_00: Uh and and uh I didn't create this, I don't know who created this.
SPEAKER_00: If that person reaches out to me, I'll give you credit next week.
SPEAKER_00: But you've got these three circles of affinity, ability, and affirmation.
SPEAKER_00: And right in the middle of that, you can probably have a good idea of where your spiritual gift lies.
SPEAKER_00: And again, we'll give you a list in just a second, but think about something.
SPEAKER_00: Think first of all about affinity.
SPEAKER_00: What are you naturally drawn to?
SPEAKER_00: As we look at this spiritual gift list in a moment, is there just one area that you naturally say, that just feels right, that just feels like something I'm drawn to?
SPEAKER_00: Ability.
SPEAKER_00: As you feel like that's you have this natural drawn to that thing.
SPEAKER_00: Well, am I able to do this?
SPEAKER_00: Does it feel like God has gifted me in this way?
SPEAKER_00: Am I able?
SPEAKER_00: And lastly, affirmation.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've heard from others as they've encouraged you and they've said that, you know what, I see this in you.
SPEAKER_00: I see the way you have a generous heart or a heart for mercy, or I see the way you share your faith.
SPEAKER_00: I I've watched you teach, and you just have an ability to teach God's word.
SPEAKER_00: When those three things align in your life, I I can bet pretty well that that's where your spiritual gift lies.
SPEAKER_00: You gotta look no further than my wife, Katie.
SPEAKER_00: Think about something for a minute.
SPEAKER_00: I I believe with my whole heart that she has the spiritual gift of hospitality.
SPEAKER_00: The spiritual gift of hospitality.
SPEAKER_00: Affinity.
SPEAKER_00: She likes being hospitable.
SPEAKER_00: She enjoys uh you know, baking you something.
SPEAKER_00: She enjoys making you feel welcome.
SPEAKER_00: Is there an ability?
SPEAKER_00: Praise God.
SPEAKER_00: I've I've tasted the blueberry muffins and the cookies, and and I know what it is to feel at home in my home because she makes you feel at home.
SPEAKER_00: Affirmation, uh, I've told her many times.
SPEAKER_00: Uh many in the congregation, I'm praise God, even some of you have affirmed this in her own heart and life.
SPEAKER_00: I just believe she has that gift of hospitality, and I see it because those three things come together.
SPEAKER_00: And for you in your life, what is that?
SPEAKER_00: As we look at that list, and you'll even take home a list today, where does the affinity, the ability, and the affirmation come together for you?
SPEAKER_00: And as you're living out Romans 12, 1 through 2, and you see where these three things come together, I've got good news.
SPEAKER_00: You've probably found a place where a spiritual gift lies in your own life.
SPEAKER_00: And so we need every gift and we need them working together.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 6 continues, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.
SPEAKER_00: Let us use them.
SPEAKER_00: Number one on the list, if prophecy in proportion to our faith, the spiritual gift of prophecy.
SPEAKER_00: You probably hear the word prophecy, and I think I've mentioned this before.
SPEAKER_00: Your mind goes to telling the future and crystal balls.
SPEAKER_00: That's what prophecy sounds like.
SPEAKER_00: That's not what it is.
SPEAKER_00: Prophecy literally just means this proclaiming forth truth.
SPEAKER_00: That that person you know in your life that just has an ability to speak the truth with clarity.
SPEAKER_00: The truth from the word of God.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you know, even in your own life, they've had to give that word of truth to you in the form of some tough love, some love that was much needed to build you up, but they may have had to tell you the truth, or you've had to tell someone else the truth in love about uh maybe a way they're they're not walking towards Jesus, but they're able to just tell that truth with clarity.
SPEAKER_00: There was a young man, uh, he and his mom, we were meeting the other day, and they live close by, so they just came over to the house and we sat at the dining room table and chatted for 40 minutes or so, and uh this young man asked some of the greatest questions.
SPEAKER_00: He was asking questions about uh God's creation and you know God uh always existing and all these deep, deep questions.
SPEAKER_00: And I was so proud of him for asking these questions, and you could tell his head and his heart were all in trying to get answers to these questions.
SPEAKER_00: And I've just got a feeling that throughout this young man's life he's gonna find that he has the spiritual gift of prophecy.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because he's someone that is so committed to seeking the truth, to asking hard questions and finding those answers so that he can know the truth for himself, and I would argue if he doesn't know it yet, eventually so that he can proclaim that very truth to others.
SPEAKER_00: If it's prophecy in proportion to our faith, verse 7 if service in our serving.
SPEAKER_00: Service.
SPEAKER_00: Again, this is uh another one like we name that if you don't have the spiritual gift of service, that doesn't mean we get to be off the hook of serving.
SPEAKER_00: No, as the church, we all serve, but maybe you know those people in your own life that are just gifted in service.
SPEAKER_00: Have you seen these people that see a need and address the need?
SPEAKER_00: They see a need and and it's interesting.
SPEAKER_00: They they they they they're they're quick to pray about it, and then I'll find this interesting, and then they're also quick on the backside of that to just be the answer to their prayer.
SPEAKER_00: That they will step up and serve.
SPEAKER_00: We were sitting in a missions meeting the other night, and there was a missionary that we all know well, and and their family just needed a car.
SPEAKER_00: They needed a car.
SPEAKER_00: Um and ten minutes later, they were halfway to the car, and seven days after that, they were all the way to the car.
SPEAKER_00: Because there were people paired with the gift of generosity, praise God, that just said, I see a need, and let's not go through the cycle, let's not uh ask a hundred people and and and you know, do the uh the whole thing.
SPEAKER_00: Let's just address this right here, right now.
SPEAKER_00: The the gift of service, they see a need and they run to meet the need.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, the one who teaches in his teaching, that's the end of verse 7.
SPEAKER_00: I praise God for many of the teachers in our congregation.
SPEAKER_00: You probably benefited this morning from a teacher that just takes time to study and takes time to present the word of God.
SPEAKER_00: There are those that are just gifted to teach, that just have a mind of not only to think through the word and the theology of it, but also even further of how it applies to my life.
SPEAKER_00: That you can you can read something in scripture and they'll not only let you know about it, but what does that mean on a Monday morning?
SPEAKER_00: What does that mean every day of your life?
SPEAKER_00: Verse 8 The one who exhorts in his exhortation.
SPEAKER_00: As we think about exhortation, we think about encouragement.
SPEAKER_00: The one who is able to encourage, the one who is able to just give someone, a little bit like prophecy, but give someone the word they very much mean or very much need.
SPEAKER_00: It could be like prophecy.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes that might even be I I exhort you, I'm I'm I'm gonna call you up.
SPEAKER_00: Uh I'm gonna tell you something maybe you you need to put on and you need to do, but exhortation.
SPEAKER_00: That person with the gift of encouragement.
SPEAKER_00: You can probably think of someone in your own life that when you needed a word the most, they came and they encouraged you.
SPEAKER_00: Quite honestly, you may be that person and you've encouraged me in so many ways.
SPEAKER_00: You have the spiritual gift of exhortation.
SPEAKER_00: I remember when I got here 15 months ago, there wasn't a thing in my office except for when I sat down at my desk for the first time, there was a note right there in the center of my desk, and I opened that note, and it was the most encouraging note of exhortation from one of our members.
SPEAKER_00: And now I don't want to embarrass, I won't name names.
SPEAKER_00: I will say we're gonna celebrate her 100th birthday next year.
SPEAKER_00: But the spiritual gift of exhortation.
SPEAKER_00: Next we see this the one who contributes in generosity, the spiritual gift of generosity.
SPEAKER_00: There are those, and we just talked about a little bit a second ago, there are those who are just generous.
SPEAKER_00: And guess what?
SPEAKER_00: That doesn't just mean financially.
SPEAKER_00: They're generous with their their treasure, sure, but also with their time, also with their talents, generosity.
SPEAKER_00: And I want to be clear, generosity has nothing to do, uh I'll speak financially, it has nothing to do with an amount, it has everything to do with a heart.
SPEAKER_00: That's exactly what Jesus said in Mark chapter 12.
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of rich people giving their offerings one uh Sunday morning, or I guess it may have been a Saturday morning.
SPEAKER_00: There were a lot of rich people giving their offerings, and they wanted nothing more than to let you know just how much they were giving.
SPEAKER_00: They probably brought one of those golf tournament checks, the big ones.
SPEAKER_00: They wanted you to know what they were giving, but then uh this widow comes in and she gives Jesus' words, she gives these two little coins.
SPEAKER_00: And what does Jesus say about that?
SPEAKER_00: That this woman has given more than any other.
SPEAKER_00: Because generosity is not about an amount, it's about a heart.
SPEAKER_00: There are those among us in this room that you just have a generous heart with your time, with your talent, with your abilities, with your finances.
SPEAKER_00: In all kinds of ways, there is generosity.
SPEAKER_00: I love that we serve a generous church.
SPEAKER_00: That I get to serve a generous church.
SPEAKER_00: I I praise God for that.
SPEAKER_00: The way that you give, the way that you serve, you are a generous, generous church.
SPEAKER_00: I'm thankful for those who have that gift of generosity.
SPEAKER_00: We continue, the one who leads with zeal.
SPEAKER_00: The spiritual gift of leadership.
SPEAKER_00: Those that are just able, just gifted from above to be able to lead.
SPEAKER_00: We know from scripture that that means not a leadership of this world, but a servant leadership.
SPEAKER_00: But through the eyes of Christ, they are able to take leadership and they are able to allow others to come behind them, and they will lead them to where Christ Jesus is taking us as a church.
SPEAKER_00: And that spiritual gift of leadership, it also doesn't have to have anything to do with a position.
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean you have to be on staff, it doesn't mean you have to be on this specific committee, or you better be a deacon, or you better be a trustee, or you better be this, that, or the other.
SPEAKER_00: It has everything to do with your ability and how the Spirit has gifted you to be a servant hearted leader that desires to take people closer to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Lastly, the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you think of those in your life.
SPEAKER_00: That surely have the spiritual gift of mercy.
SPEAKER_00: That they just have a heart for the lowly.
SPEAKER_00: They just have a heart for those that are down and out.
SPEAKER_00: And maybe they're down and out because they've made every decision in the book they shouldn't have made.
SPEAKER_00: And yet this person looks at them with dignity, with honor, with respect, loves them, points them to the forgiveness of Christ, points them to the mercy of Christ, lets them know that they have every right to be part of the family of God as anyone else.
SPEAKER_00: The gift of mercy.
SPEAKER_00: Those people in your life that you just look at them, and quite literally, you look at them and you say, you know, I bet that's a little bit of what Jesus looked like when he walked around town.
SPEAKER_00: I look at all of this list here.
SPEAKER_00: And again, we don't do it in pride.
SPEAKER_00: We don't look at it and say, you know, I'm that one.
SPEAKER_00: Paul listed prophecy first.
SPEAKER_00: Paul listed, you know, immersy last.
SPEAKER_00: He really wanted the good one to bring up the rear.
SPEAKER_00: No, no, no.
SPEAKER_00: We look at it and we say, hey, I get to be a part.
SPEAKER_00: That no gift is better than the other.
SPEAKER_00: No gift is more needed than the other.
SPEAKER_00: But every one of these gifts come together.
SPEAKER_00: And so the question, if you are a believer, the question is not, am I gifted?
SPEAKER_00: The question is simply this: how will I use my gift to build up the church and make much of Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: And by that, I do mean First Baptist El Doredo, but I also mean the church far outside El Dorado.
SPEAKER_00: How will I build up the kingdom of God?
SPEAKER_00: Every Sunday, when someone joins the church, you'll probably catch me saying this that we are a better church because you're a part of it.
SPEAKER_00: And I mean that in the most literal sense.
SPEAKER_00: That because you just joined the church, our church is now better able to carry out the mission we're called to carry out.
SPEAKER_00: Because guess why?
SPEAKER_00: Because five minutes ago, your Holy Spirit-given giftings were not a part of this body, and now they are.
SPEAKER_00: God knew that we needed exactly what you bring to the table through the Spirit, and God has brought you to our church, and now we can carry out the mission and expand the kingdom of God at a higher level because your gifts are a part of it.
SPEAKER_00: I mean that.
SPEAKER_00: That we're a better church because you are a part of it.
SPEAKER_00: I think about a young girl I baptized just last week.
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, she's been around our church for some time, but last week, uh a few uh weeks ago, she became a follower of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Last week she was baptized, and I want you to know something.
SPEAKER_00: Not only did we gain, uh, through her coming to Christ, did we gain a quote-unquote official member on the membership role of First Baptist El Dorado?
SPEAKER_00: I praise God for that, but I want to tell you something else.
SPEAKER_00: A local elementary school, we sent out a missionary there.
SPEAKER_00: Do you see that?
SPEAKER_00: Like there is an elementary school in town that has one more missionary than it did four weeks ago.
SPEAKER_00: Because she has come to know the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: So I mean this that we're a better church because you're a part of it.
SPEAKER_00: Because not only does this church need your giftings, where you work, where you live, the the sports team you're a part of, the the cheer team you're a part of, the the the places you go, the people you're around, they need your gifting.
SPEAKER_00: You have an important part in the family of God.
SPEAKER_00: And we are a better church because you are a part of it.
SPEAKER_00: And so I just want to encourage you today to no longer ask the question, am I gifted?
SPEAKER_00: Am I able to help?
SPEAKER_00: Am I able to serve?
SPEAKER_00: Ask the question, okay, Holy Spirit, if you've gifted me, number one, uh search me and show me what my gifts are.
SPEAKER_00: And number two, show me how I can make much of the church and the kingdom and make much of Jesus through this gift.
SPEAKER_00: Because we are a better church because you're a part of it.
SPEAKER_00: On the way out, I told you there'd be one way to one other way to find out your spiritual gifts, and and I want to be clear.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've you've done one of these before, but a spiritual gift survey, a spiritual gift assessment.
SPEAKER_00: Just to be clear, none of these are just completely perfect.
SPEAKER_00: Uh none of this is gospel truth.
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I just want to encourage you.
SPEAKER_00: I do think they're very helpful.
SPEAKER_00: And at the uh rear exits and these exits, uh I've got these, and and every believer, I want you to take one with you.
SPEAKER_00: Adults, children, if you know Jesus Christ, take this with you.
SPEAKER_00: And I got bad news, it's on paper.
SPEAKER_00: I got bad news, it's gonna take you some time because you're gonna take a pencil and fill it out.
SPEAKER_00: I got bad news.
SPEAKER_00: You've got to grade it yourself, okay?
SPEAKER_00: It's not a computer program that's gonna just pop it out for you.
SPEAKER_00: Then you can chart it yourself.
SPEAKER_00: And the cool thing is this, what I believe is if you will take time, again, none of these is perfect, but I believe you'll find it probably is gonna line up pretty well, maybe with your affinity, your ability with affirmation.
SPEAKER_00: I want you to take this.
SPEAKER_00: I want you to see for yourself where my gifts lie.
SPEAKER_00: And here's what I want you to do.
SPEAKER_00: I want you to go to the website and find my email address.
SPEAKER_00: I'll save you some time.
SPEAKER_00: Taylor at fbceldoreto.org.
SPEAKER_00: It's not a tricky one.
SPEAKER_00: And I just want you to email me your top three gifts.
SPEAKER_00: Whatever lands in the top three.
SPEAKER_00: That's not it's not a quiz or a test.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna think better or worse of you.
SPEAKER_00: Actually, I'm just gonna think you're unbelievable, no matter what you show me.
SPEAKER_00: But here's why I want you to do that.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, because I want you to tell me your gifts, and I'm gonna take that seriously, and I'm gonna make note of that.
SPEAKER_00: Here's why.
SPEAKER_00: Because when I sit down here soon with a group of people and we start thinking for, you know, how how teams can function in the new years and some ways people can serve, I don't just want to put names on a piece of paper, I want to put gifts on a piece of paper.
SPEAKER_00: I want to put people in a place where they can serve in such a way that fits with their affinity, their ability, their affirmation.
SPEAKER_00: I want to put your gifts to work.
SPEAKER_00: And so if you don't want to build up the church, don't email me.
SPEAKER_00: If you don't want to make much of Jesus here at First Baptist El Dorado, you better not email me your gifts.
SPEAKER_00: But if you'd be willing, as you take this test, find where those affinities might be, and just shoot me an email.
SPEAKER_00: No rush, take the week, whatever you want to do.
SPEAKER_00: I just want to know where your gifts are.
SPEAKER_00: More important than me knowing, I want you to know where your gifts are because I believe we are a better church because you're a part of it.
SPEAKER_00: Now, it may be this morning you say, I want to make this church better.
SPEAKER_00: Well, come on down and join this church this morning.
SPEAKER_00: This may be the place for you, and we need you, and we've been waiting on your gifts.
SPEAKER_00: It may be you want to say, I know Jesus, and I want to, I've given my life to him, or I want to give my life to him, I want to be baptized.
SPEAKER_00: I'll be right down front.
SPEAKER_00: This is the place to do it, and we've got a church family that's ready to celebrate you.
SPEAKER_00: It may be you want myself or another pastor just to pray over you this morning.
SPEAKER_00: However, you might need to respond, now will be the time to do it.
SPEAKER_00: But First Baptist El Dorado, we're a better church because you're part of it.
SPEAKER_00: Let me pray for us.
SPEAKER_00: Lord Jesus, I thank you so much for the truth of your word.
SPEAKER_00: I thank you so much that you allow us to be part of your mission.
SPEAKER_00: And not only do you allow us to be on mission for you, but you equip us with gifts of the Spirit so that we can be on mission for you.
SPEAKER_00: And so, Lord, as a church, would we take this call seriously?
SPEAKER_00: And would every person in this room that knows you, would they be encouraged this week as they really start to explore their gifts?
SPEAKER_00: And would it lead them to courage?
SPEAKER_00: Would it lead them to bravery, knowing uh that they are here for a purpose and you have equipped them for a purpose, and they can do the work of ministry because you've gifted them to do it.
SPEAKER_00: So, Lord, for every heart in this room, would they be encouraged this week?
SPEAKER_00: If there is one that doesn't know you even now, Lord, would today be the day that by your Son Jesus Christ, through his death and resurrection, the forgiveness of sins, that they could know you for the first time.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, however, we need to respond, would we do it now?
SPEAKER_00: We ask this in Christ's name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.