A call to all & the gift of hospitality

May 27, 2014 by Julie 6 Comments

When she opened the door to her humble home, warmth flooded into the night. A quick scan revealed simple furnishings and few decorations. Aromas wafted out of a small collection of dishes, exposing the time she spent preparing for our arrival. The only richness was the joy at our arrival, though we were strangers just days before. The scene would never be on glossy magazine pages or a network home show, but I’d never felt more cherished and comfortable in the home of a host. Her life said, “Welcome” as she graciously displayed the gift of hospitality.

What is hospitality?

If spiritual gifts are for the common good of the body of Christ, hospitality is the tray upon which they are served. Like other qualities of Christ followers, an hospitable spirit is not only expected of those so uniquely gifted. All followers of Christ are called on to, “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality,” (Romans 12:13). While the expression of welcome impacts those in the Church, the word for “hospitality” is “philozenia,” a combination of two words that mean: affection + strangers. If only offered to our church, family, and friends, hospitality is incomplete.

How does hospitality look?

Hospitality overflows from a heart of genuine love. We love others because we were first loved by God (1 John 4:19). The Romans 12 passage explains that sincere love results in an enthusiastic desire to serve the Lord, motivation to work hard, and inspiration to practice a lifestyle of hospitality. “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace,” (1 Peter 4:9-10). All believers should practice being open to receive others into their lives and homes, but some are uniquely gifted with a divine measure and ability to host and serve others.

You might have the spiritual gift of hospitality if:

You want to bring people into your home for fellowship and food.
You create an atmosphere where people feel valued and welcomed.
Your home/environment feels comfortable and safe to guests.
You put people at ease when meeting them or hosting them.
You enjoy sharing your home, relationships, food, and resources.
You take initiative to plan events to bring people together.
You extend yourself to others and find they are drawn to you.
You overcome challenges of cleaning, budget limits, or cooking to host.
You use appropriate etiquette and planning as tools to care for people.
You delight in having people in your space, especially your home.

Why we’re starved for hospitality

Sadly, as cultures become more affluent, people tend to raise expectations, retreat in privacy, and to put up invisible barriers around their homes. Images of perfectly coiffed living rooms and camera-ready meals have us believing we need to be professionals before we open our lives and homes to church members, family, friends, or strangers. Let’s not hold back. We are stewards of our homes, to be used for welcome. Hospitality does not pause or cease because we have little or because aren’t winning cooking awards. A life of welcome has nothing to do with riches or comfort. People today are starved for the ministry of hospitality.

I remember the night I discovered pure hospitality.
I don’t remember the food; maybe we ate pizza.
I don’t remember the dishes; maybe we used paper plates.
I don’t remember a centerpiece; maybe there was none.
I don’t remember a seasonal wreath; I only know it was an open door.
I remember the beautiful fragrance of a life that says, “Welcome.”

If you want to cultivate hospitality in your life, do a quick clean up, get some simple food (cheese & crackers & fruit?), and ask the Lord to show you who needs a welcome.

If you’re an introvert and find hospitality challenging, you might like to read this.

If you’d like to read an example of a woman with the spiritual gift of hospitality, and read applications for using it in the workplace, church, and family, you would enjoy this short overview.

Click to TWEET This >> Hospitality is the tray upon which spiritual gifts are served http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Xy #Hospitality #SpiritualGifts via @DoNotDepart

Think you can’t memorize?

May 26, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 5 Comments

If you think you’ve lost your memorizing skills, remember this: We remember what we value and what we repeat.

We’d love to help you exercise your memory skills over the next few months. But for a higher purpose: to abide more fully in the true Vine, Jesus; to better love one another; and to bear more fruit that lasts.

We’ll keep it as simple as 1-2-3.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

One verse at a time
We’ve divided up John 15 into one to two verse segments. Each week from June 2-September 29, we’ll remind you on the blog, in our eNewsletter, and on Facebook what the current week’s verses are. You memorize those verses however you do best: repetition, first letters, praying, audio, Scripture Typer, journaling, flash cards, meditating, reciting aloud, diagramming, etc.
Two breaks
Two week-long breaks are also inserted into the schedule for catch-up or extra review (week of July 4 and first week in September). Print the full schedule as a bookmark here.
Three partners
Not only are the Father, Son, and Spirit all eager for us to spend time with them (and all three are addressed in John 15!), but we provide three ways for you to stay connected online with others participating in the challenge. None are required, but we welcome you to all, at whatever level you prefer and have time for.
- At the blog: We love comments here, so you can share on each week’s Monday post what you’re learning, questions you’re having, encouragement for others, etc.
- With our Facebook group: Hide His Word is an active community of scripture memorizers worldwide who post what they’re memorizing (not only our current challenge but any memory verses), share tips for memorizing specific verses, and overall cheer for each other to stick with it because He’s worth it.
- In our newsletter: Make sure you officially register so you’ll receive the bi-weekly email newsletters. You’ll get a short reminder in your inbox every two weeks of the new verses plus their matching first-letters, bonus tips, and links around the web about scripture memorization.

But even if you don’t memorize with us this time, we pray you’ll still benefit each Monday morning here at the blog by reading the verses and perhaps using them for study or for journaling during the week. (You’re welcome to still register to receive the eNewsletters as well!).

Scripture memory is only one of many ways to help us abide in the Lord. If this is a way you’ve never tried, OR tried unsuccessfully and want to try again, OR tried and know it works for you, please join us.

We’re not aiming for perfection, just abiding.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
John 15:4

Want to tell others? Please share however you’d like. Try a tweet:

“Think you can’t memorize? Let’s try together. Join us for John 15 @DoNotDepart http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Vx #HideHisWord”
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“We’re not aiming for perfection, just abiding. Let’s memorize John 15 @DoNotDepart http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Vx #HideHisWord”
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Comments or questions?

Heart of a Shepherd – the gift of pastoring

May 24, 2014 by Patti Brown Leave a Comment

The gift of pastoring, like all spiritual gifts, is given for the purpose of blessing and growing fellow believers. While this may not be a “flashy” spiritual gift, a pastor is absolutely essential to the health and growth of the body of Christ.

Poimenas Means “Shepherds”

In most versions of the bible, the Greek word poimenas (ποιμένας) in Ephesians 4:11 is translated as “pastors.” But the ESV more accurately translates poimenas as “shepherds.”

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Ephesians 4:11-13

Poimenas is found throughout the New Testament to refer to actual shepherds, including those who visited the infant Jesus. The work of a shepherd – a herder of sheep – is an apt metaphor for the work to which a pastor is called!

A Shepherd’s Job

Shepherds have many responsibilities as they tend their sheep.

A shepherd feeds – Sheep need to eat and drink well to thrive. A pastor is responsible for feeding his sheep with the Word of God.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! – Psalm 119:103

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Deuteronomy 8:3

A shepherd guides – A good pastor will guide his people toward spiritual safety and places of rest, just like a shepherd guides his sheep to safe pasture.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3

A shepherd comforts – When trials arise, pastors bless their flock by bringing comfort through God’s Word and through prayer.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

A shepherd protects – Always keeping watch, a loving pastor will be attentive to encroaching spiritual danger and will warn his flock.

But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.” 1 Samuel 17:34-35

A shepherd seeks the lost – When one of the flock is missing, a caring pastor will be aware and will take the time to seek him out.

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:12-14

A shepherd is employed by the sheep’s owner – A shepherd is accountable to the sheep’s owner, for whom he works. Likewise all those who pastor are ultimately accountable to God Himself.

For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. John 6:38

The Good Shepherd is the Very Best Model

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:14-15

Jesus Himself is our Good Shepherd. In John 10:14-5 we discover two more important aspects to shepherding:

A shepherd knows and is known to the flock – A pastor spends time with those to whom he ministers. Relationships grow, experiences are shared together.

A shepherd makes sacrifices – All believers are called to lay down our selfish desires for the good of those whom we serve, and those pastoring must be willing to be servant leaders.

shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:2-3

It is upon Jesus, our Good Shepherd, that pastors are to model their lives and ministry.

Indeed, while not everyone is called to shepherd a body of believers, most of us do have people for whom we are responsible. The Good Shepherd is the perfect model of godly leadership as any believer guides employees, students, children, or anyone under their care.

Many of us have a beloved pastor who has shepherded our spiritual journey for a season. Who has been influential in your journey of faith? Please share in the comments.

Tweetables:

8 ways a pastor’s job is like a shepherd’s. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Xc #SpiritualGifts via @DoNotDepart and @becomingjoyful tweet this

Heart of a Shepherd – the gift of pastoring. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Xc #SpiritualGifts via @DoNotDepart and @becomingjoyful tweet this

The Good Shepherd is the perfect model of godly leadership http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Xc #SpiritualGifts @DoNotDepart @becomingjoyful tweet this

I want my kids to serve!

May 21, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 12 Comments

Nobody wants a lazy, selfish kid. So we pray, we teach, we assign, we lead. (And sometimes beg, cry, quit—and pray a lot more.)

Teaching kids to be servants is not for the idle. Here are four questions to consider and ideas to try for training your child to better love and serve others.

1. WHAT DOES MY CHILD ENJOY?

Draw on your child’s natural interests and gifts. Is she creative? Let her draw pictures to pass out to the elderly at church, send to grandparents out of town, or take room-to-room at a nursing home. Does your teenager love being outside? Let him mow the lawn for new parents in your neighborhood or be a student chaperone at the middle-schoolers’ campout. A budding musician? My young friend Jamie recorded and sent her song to a young man bedridden with a fatal illness. It was so valuable to his family that Jamie was asked to sing the song at his funeral.

While we all have to serve in ways we don’t like (who longs to clean a toilet?), we usually get hooked on serving by doing what we do like. Discover what your child enjoys and watch them become devoted to serving that way.

2. WHAT ARE MY GIFTS?

Share how you enjoy serving. If you teach Sunday school, let your child assist you for a semester. If photography is your gift, arrange for you and your child to take pictures for families with foster kids. One of my passions is to serve the homeless so I brought my daughter to the simple wedding of some homeless friends. She brought her camera (her passion) and ended up creating a wedding album for them for free, a blending of both our passions.

If you enjoy what you’re doing as a gift, not a duty, your joy is contagious. It might slow you down with a child along, but service isn’t about efficiency; it’s about people.

3. WHERE ARE WE ALREADY SERVING?

Look closer where God is already working in your family. Maybe you don’t need a new venture, but can expand an existing one. If your daughter’s Girl Scout troop plants flowers at a neighborhood park, maybe you and she can follow up with weeding once a month. My kids had an annual service project with their classmates at a soup kitchen. But when we learned they appreciated volunteers any time, we went back as a family more frequently. When my sister-in-law brought her grandson to visit my mother in assisted living, she took him around to brighten the day of other residents as well. Even babies (especially babies!) can serve in that way.

Once you start imagining, many opportunities may unravel out of an existing one.

4. WHO NEEDS HELP?

Watch for needs in your own home, your neighborhood, and your world. Then find age-appropriate ways to help. Maybe you can’t travel overseas with your little ones, but your kids can pray for missionary families and write letters to encourage them. My area had an EF3 tornado rip through last month. While it wasn’t the place for young children to help, I saw many teenagers who were great servants in cleaning up the debris.

God prepares good works for us to do; we just have to see them and respond. (Ephesians 2:10).

WHO BENEFITS WHEN KIDS SERVE?

Obviously others will benefit as your child serves them. But don’t judge the value of the service by how many it reaches or how much appreciation is expressed (or not). Given with the proper attitude, all service is worship to God if it touches another soul with His love. When good works point toward God, He is honored by getting the glory He deserves (Matthew 5:16).

Your child will also be blessed (it is more blessed to give than to receive! Acts 20:35). Maybe they can’t see it immediately, but they will as they grow in compassion, in skills, and in Christ-likeness. When they invest in others, it grows their love for others (Matthew 6:21).

But you, the parent, will also profit! When my youngest wanted to go to Central America on a mission trip, I decided to go just to keep an eye on her. But I ended up being changed by the experience myself. While our serving prompts our children’s serving, their serving also enhances ours, allowing the Lord to work on our hearts and increase our own willingness to initiate service.

Serving together, after all, is how Jesus taught His own disciples to serve. He apprenticed His twelve apostles by living together for three years. They watched, learned, and participated in what He was doing, then learned to do it on their own once He left.

Isn’t that what you want for your children? Let them watch, learn, and participate with you now. Then when they’re on their own, by God’s grace, they’ll keep it up themselves.

Want to share this post? Click to tweet:

“Nobody wants a lazy kid. 4 guidelines for training your child to serve: http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2WG @DoNotDepart” tweet here

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Give us your advice on helping kids serve.
What has worked for you? Not worked? Let’s share with each other.

Teaching… A Spiritual Gift

May 20, 2014 by Ali Shaw 2 Comments

Have you thought of this? God gives each Believer gifts so we can minister to others; therefore, we’re all in the ministry. I remember when that realization was brand new to me. I was quite surprised! Please understand, I don’t say this to diminish the importance of those who work in full-time ministry, but to point out that each of us should be serving The Lord and ministering to others according to the spiritual gifts He’s given. And that, dear friend, makes you a minister.

I love Patti’s words in her introduction to our series this month. “His purpose in giving spiritual gifts is for us to use them for His glory, and for the good of others.” But how does it look to glorify God and benefit others by teaching when you’re not in an official ministerial position?

What about Teaching?

Opportunities abound for teaching others about God, His Word, His love, and grace. We have both a hungry world and a hungry Body of Christ. As Kathy said, “According to the Bible, spiritual gifts are the way the Holy Spirit chooses to work through an individual to accomplish God’s purposes (1 Cor 12:6).” It is God’s desire that Believers follow the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20). As a result, we’re all presented with opportunities to reach out to those around us and teach others about God.

Are you a Teacher?

All Christians may be called to teach at times, but some may have the spiritual gift of teaching. What might that look like?

Do you hunger and thirst to understand God’s Word clearly so that you can explain it to others?
Are you a researcher who loves to dig deeply and can’t help but share what you’ve learned?
Do you get excited about the opportunity to talk with others about what God has shown you?
Are you the kind of person who loves putting together and leading lesson plans or activities?
Have others complimented your ability to communicate and to help them understand?
Do you have a passion for teaching?

If the above questions describe you, you may very well be given the spiritual gift of teaching.

How and When to Teach?

If you have the spiritual gift for teaching, remember that your gifts are not necessarily bound by the walls of a classroom or a church building. Jesus, our Master Teacher, taught in both the Temple and the outdoors. He used any opportunity presented to Him whether it was on a mount, during mealtime, or beside the sea. I believe He was embodying Deut 6:7, our command to teach diligently when sitting “in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” And teaching doesn’t always look like one might think. Remember, Jesus called His disciples with a command to “Follow me.” Teaching is often done by demonstration. Living out your beliefs can be some of the best teaching others will ever encounter. In other words, see every moment as a God-given opportunity to share what He’s taught you. Your disciples may be your children on a walk to the park, the friend curious about your beliefs, or the Sunday school class you’re leading.

Why Teach?

Teaching brings Glory to God by proclaiming His righteous, loving deeds. The results of teaching may range anywhere from salvation to edification. The Bible is also clear that many false teachers have gone out to serve themselves and deceive the innocent. (See 1 John 4:1, Rom 16:17, 18) Those who are called to teach should do so joyfully, remembering the responsibility of teaching accurately. This is why gifted teachers love digging deeply into God’s Word and doing research.

I’ll leave you with the following words from John Piper:

“When it comes to people being saved, it all hangs on what they believe. …Teaching is serious business.”

Click to Tweet This:

“What does the spiritual gift of teaching look like?”

“Opportunities abound for teaching others about God, His Word, His love, and grace.“

“See every moment as a God-given opportunity to share what He’s taught you.”

Resources for memorizing John 15

May 19, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 17 Comments

Let’s memorize John 15 together!

Whether you’re a faithful memorizer or you’ve never memorized a Bible verse before, this memory challenge is for you.

Soaking in these familiar words of Jesus is a great way to spend time with Him and grow in faith, even if your goal isn’t to memorize every word. We’ll concentrate on an average of two verses a week (print your schedule here) with two built-in week breaks, all beginning June 2.

For extra options, we welcome you to join our Facebook community where we actively encourage each other to stick with it. We tweet using #HideHisWord and practice the verses using Scripture Typer.

RESOURCES

Print these free resources now to get prepared. Resources are now in 5 versions! Memorize in the translation of your choice.

Bookmark Schedule
Text Cards
ESV / KJV / NASB / NIV / NKJV
Text One Page
ESV / KJV / NASB / NIV / NKJV
Pocket Text
ESV / KJV / NASB / NIV / NKJV
First Letters
ESV / KJV / NASB / NIV / NKJV
Button

INVITE OTHERS

Will you help us spread the word on your blog or your favorite social media?

“Memorize John 15 with @DoNotDepart. Details here http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Vv #HideHisWord”
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Link-up coming here June 23 for your blog posts on why you’re memorizing John 15 or anything about scripture memory.

Questions? Comments? We’d love to hear you’re joining in!

REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED

Ready for a new memory verse challenge?

May 16, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 9 Comments

How about all red letters? John 15!

We’ll memorize one to two verses a week, treasuring these important words Jesus spoke before He died and rose again: vine and fruit; abiding in His love; full joy; the Spirit of truth; and more.

Registration is now open, beginning May 19, here at the blog. We’ll begin memorizing two weeks later, June 2.

If you’ve never memorized a whole chapter before, it’s easier than you think. Pray now about joining us for this no-pressure, slow-paced, but richly rewarding memory journey.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
John 15:9

Will you help us spread the word? Tweet this:

“Will you memorize John 15 with us? http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2V8 Pray now about registering Monday @DoNotDepart #HideHisWord”
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Questions? Please ask below.

How to Serve Like Jesus

May 15, 2014 by Lindsey 8 Comments

In Romans 12, Paul listed serving as one of the Spiritual Gifts. He said, “If your gift is serving others, serve them well” (Romans 12:7, NLT).

The question, then, is this: what does it mean to serve others well?

I think the answer can be found in John 13:1-17, when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet.

“Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him” (John 13:1-5).

As I studied these verses, God reminded me of three important aspects of Jesus’ service.

1. Jesus served well because he knew who he was.

“Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority…So he…” The word “so” is crucial in this text, because it tells us why Jesus served. Jesus was able to stoop down and wash the grime from his disciples’ feet because he knew who he was. He didn’t need to worry about what his disciples might think of him for stooping down to serve, because he knew who he was in God’s eyes.

For us to serve well, we need to know who we are.

We need to stop worrying about how we look or what others think of us and start recognizing what God thinks of us. We are his beloved children. We are HIS. Yes, we are sinners, but we are sinners saved by grace through Jesus Christ. Who cares if you’re washing a toilet or cleaning up vomit; the God of the universe loves you!

2. Jesus served well because he kept his eyes on what mattered most.

This incident occurred right before Jesus died. If there were ever a time when Jesus deserved to be selfish, it was at this very moment.

But Jesus didn’t think of himself. Instead, he thought of those sitting around him. He thought of how he could spend his final few moments teaching them and equipping them to lead others.

1 Peter 4:11 says this about service: “If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides.” I imagine it took a lot of strength for Jesus to serve his disciples (especially Judas) just hours before his execution. But he was able to do so because he leaned on God for strength and kept his focus heavenward.

We too serve well when we focus our eyes on the things that matter for eternity, rather than on the here-and-now.

3. Jesus served well because of love.

Verse 1 of John 13 says Jesus loved his disciples to the very end. That is why he served them…because of love.

And that is why we serve too…because of our love for God and our love for others.

If we’re motivated by looking good or appearing religious, we’re not serving anyone but ourselves. To serve well-to serve like Jesus served-our actions must be motivated by love.

What other aspects of Jesus’ service stand out to you?

Tweetables:

What does it mean to serve others well? #SpiritualGifts @DoNotDepart http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2UZ Click to Tweet

To serve well-to serve like Jesus served-our actions must be motivated by love. @DoNotDepart #SpiritualGifts http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2UZ Click to Tweet

How to serve like Jesus: http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2UZ #SpiritualGifts @DoNotDepart Click to Tweet

*Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

Why should I encourage you? – 5 reasons

May 8, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 24 Comments

You’ve had a hard day, or maybe a hard season. Maybe I can’t change any of your circumstances, but one thing I can do is encourage you in them.

To encourage—parakaleo in the Greek—literally means “to call near, invite, comfort.” So to encourage you, I deliberately come beside you as an invitation to God. Maybe directly with a prayer of blessing or through a Bible verse. Or indirectly through actions (clean your kitchen, give you a hug), through words (a phone call, a text), or through gifts (a book, a candy bar—it works for me!).

Encouraging others is a true gift of the Spirit. While some are more naturally gifted at it than others, encouraging is one gift we all have opportunity and ability to exercise.

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is . . . to encourage, then give encouragement.”
Romans 12:6,8 (NIV)

But why should I encourage you? The short answer is because I want you to feel better.

But deeper reasons are because I want what’s best for you, what’s best for God, and even what’s best for me.

HERE ARE 5 REASONS TO GIVE GODLY ENCOURAGEMENT.

I encourage you . . .
1. To make you stronger in faith

The best gift I can give you is another reason to trust God and His grace (Colossians 2:2; 1 Thessalonians 2:12). So when I see specific ways He’s working in your life, I should tell you, especially if it will help you stay strong in a difficult situation or make a course correction if needed. The goal of encouragement isn’t to build your self-esteem in what you can do, but to increase your faith in what God can do through you.

I encourage you . . .
2. To make me stronger in faith

The gift of encouragement has a rebounding effect—when we give it to another, we receive it back ourselves (Romans 1:12). When I look for God in you, I see Him clearer myself. That strengthens my own beliefs in His power.

I encourage you . . .
3. To help you rejoice

When you’re discouraged, it’s hard to find reasons to celebrate. But someone else might see things you can’t. While I don’t want to offer empty clichés to simply placate your pain, (those often make us more discouraged!) I do want to offer genuine hope and reasons to be joyful. True encouragement should result in more joy than you started with (Acts 15:31-32).

I encourage you . . .
4. In obedience to God

God wants me to encourage those worthy of praise and exercise my gift of encouragement (Proverbs 31:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:11). If I see godly character in you, but I’m too stingy or proud to commend it, I’m failing to do the good I know to do (James 4:17).

I encourage you . . .
5. For God’s glory

The highest purpose in using any of our gifts is to glorify the Father through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:10-11). I give Him honor when I point out the work He is doing or intends to do in you (1 Corinthians 14:25).

More verses on encouragement

Acts 13:15; Acts 14:22; Acts 18:27; Romans 15:4-5; Ephesians 6:22; Philippians 2:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:14; 1 Timothy 5:1; Hebrews 10:25

Ultimately, I can’t rely on my own words or wisdom to properly encourage you, but I can trust the Holy Spirit to activate the gift I want to give you.

Through Him, you can receive hope, be reminded of God’s goodness, and trust His grace to cover every situation.

For an excellent book on encouraging others, read Sam Crabtree’s [amazon_link id=”1433522438″ target=”_blank” ]Practicing Affirmation[/amazon_link]: God-Centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God. Read a short excerpt here.

Tweetables

“5 reasons to encourage each other http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2UJ @DoNotDepart #SpiritualGifts”
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“Encourage others not for what they can do, but for what God can do in them. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2UJ @DoNotDepart #SpiritualGifts”
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Who can you encourage today? (Hint: Who will you be near?) Who has encouraged you this week? Please share here.

Focus on Spiritual Gifts with a Wide-Angle Lens

May 6, 2014 by Kathy Howard 2 Comments

When I take photos of people I like to get in close, to focus on the face, and cut out much of the surroundings. I’ve gotten some great portraits that way. However, focusing tightly on one subject loses the greater context. We can’t know where they were or what they were doing or if there was anyone else around.

The church treats spiritual gifts that way sometimes. For instance, we might focus on a single gift, its importance, or its function. Or, we might focus on an individual’s set of gifts, what she’s equipped to do or not do, or where she might fit in the church.

While this kind of focus can be helpful, we need to also view spiritual gifts with the wide-angle lens to keep them in the proper context. If we don’t, one or more of these problems, abuses, and limitations will likely pop up:

We might use our “gifts” or “lack of a gift” as justification to disobey God’s call to service or to a specific task.
We might limit what God wants to do through our life.
We might miss out on participating in an amazing work of God.
We might fall into pride over the manifestation of the Spirit in our lives.
We might unconsciously shift the glory God deserves to ourselves.

No one who loves Jesus wants to be out-of-focus when it comes to spiritual gifts. So, before the Do Not Depart team focuses in on specific gifts throughout the month, let’s take a step back, snap on the wide-angle lens, and view them in the larger context.

⁴There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. ⁶God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, NLT

What is the Source of Spiritual Gifts?

The Holy Spirit is the sole source of spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:4). Without the Holy Spirit, there are no spiritual gifts, only the physical talents and natural abilities God gifts to every human.

But, if you are in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, then His Spirit resides within you (Romans 8:9-10). We don’t get a piece of Him. We get the whole kit and caboodle. The entire person of the Holy Spirit lives within believers, working through us to accomplish God’s purposes.

What are Spiritual Gifts?

According to the Bible, spiritual gifts are the way the Holy Spirit chooses to work through an individual to accomplish God’s purposes (1 Cor 12:6). The gifts are the way He reveals His presence in an individual life and uses them to serve the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:5,7).

Therefore, the gifts are the outflow of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. If our relationship is weak, the gifts will be weak. Whatever we’re “doing for God” will simply be in our own strength and power.

In the powerful little book, What’s So Spiritual About Your Gifts?, author Henry and Mel Blackaby elaborate on this truth:

“If we seek the gifts of the Spirit and not the Holy Spirit Himself, we’ll always focus on self. We must learn to understand that there are no gifts apart from an intimate relationship with the Spirit… If you do not walk in the Spirit, you do not have a spiritual gift. Apart from the Spirit, whatever “gifts” we display can only be our natural talents, drawing attention to self.”

What is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts?

God gives individual believers gifts to be used for the good of the church. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Cor 12:7). Not so we can look good or do something great for God or feel useful.

Patti said it so well in her introductory post:

“God does not give us gifts to puff us up, or to make us feel inferior. His purpose in giving spiritual gifts is for us to use them for His glory, and for the good of others. In selfless service using our God-given gifts, we love actively and show Jesus Christ in the world.”

As we each use the gifts God has given us, the members of the body will get what they need and we’ll grow into spiritual maturity together. As each one does her part, the body will be built up in love and increasingly reveal Jesus to the world. (See Ephesians 4:12-16.)

Who Has the Power?

Too often we limit what God may want to do through us because we’re focusing on the gifts instead of the Giver. Have you ever said “no” to God because He asked you to do something that fell outside the realm of your “gifting.”

Believer, the Source of the gifts resides within us! The power He exerts through us to accomplish God’s purposes is the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead! (See Ephesians 1:19-20.) Nothing God asks of us can ever fall outside the realm of His resurrection power!

Oh sweet believer, let’s focus on the Giver and not the gifts. When we do, we will be operating in His power, for His purposes. And He will get all the glory!

How could our understanding and use of spiritual gifts change when we use the wide-angle lens?