08/04/19 - Spiritual Gifts Part 1 - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

I have a confession to make…when I was younger, I mistakenly took pride in the "lone wolf" mentality. I thought I didn't need anyone. I was the one who helped others and could take care of myself. I was strong and ready for anything. Vulnerability meant weakness. I was wrong. Since then, I have learned to share my needs and receive care. God knew this all along. In fact, he created you and I to lean on one another. Not only did he create us for this, but he actually gifted us for it. Paul reminds us that every Christian has been given a special gift. Kind of like a spiritual gift fingerprint unique to you. These gifts are unique for another reason. They are to be shared. It's when we share our Spirit empowered gifts that we create a community unlike any other. The bottom line is that every Christian is in ministry through the church. No one is merely a consumer of services; everyone is a disseminator. The Corinthian Christians were a fractured group because they consumed and didn't give back. They refused to share their lives together in service. So let's learn from their mistake and employ our gifts for the common good!