Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: Job 36-37; 1 Corinthians 12
Devotional Thought:
This chapter emphasizes the importance of spiritual gifts. There are two philosophies that I have about the local church. (1) It is a body that has been put together by God in such a way that the body is dependent upon every organ and part. When someone misses church because they are sick, the whole church should feel the effects of the body trying to function without a necessary part. When someone misses because of vacation, the whole body should notice. It is necessary to miss church when you are sick, and it is right and healthy to get away on vacation; however, they body (the church as a whole) should not function normally or without noticing when parts are missing. (2) It is a family. A biblically functioning family cares for one another, supports one another, protects one another, and truly loves one another. In the local church there should be this type of care, support, protection and love that is noticeable and consistent. The way that God designed this to happen is by giving to each person in the body a spiritual gift. The gifting is given so that the body is benefited, not the person. Your spiritual gift has been entrusted to you in order that the body as a whole will mature. It is NOT given to you so you are happy, your friends are impressed, or that the church becomes solely dependent upon you. Your gift is given for the sake of the church and ultimately for God’s glory. When we are gone, we sometimes think that the church should miss our personality, charisma, talents, or presence. However, God’s design is that they would miss the use of our spiritual gift. How sad is it when someone has a spiritual gift and are present in church, but just not using their gift. These gifts as I understand them are: The prophet – quickly notices and points out inconsistencies to the Bible. The teacher – expounds the unsearchable riches of the Bible. The administrator – organizes ministries and meetings to be done decently and orderly according to the Bible. The giver – gives of his resources to further the ministry as God has taught us in the Bible. The server – sees all the details and desires to meet every need so that nothing distracts from obedience to the Bible. The exhorter – seeks to look for opportunities to encourage the saints, motivate through trials, and bear burdens according to the Bible. The mercy giver – The God-given balance to the prophet. Where the prophet wants to point out the sin, the mercy giver wants to sympathize with the person. The mercy giver identifies and personalizes the struggles of their surrounding saints. God teaches us that His mercy is new for us every morning according to the Bible.
Personal Requests:
• Lord, please help me to better understand your plan for the local church. I want to be a tool to enhance your program and never distract from it.
• Lord, thank you for being so gracious to give me a gift. Please help me to never be selfish with it or self-serving with it.
• Lord, thank you for Faith Baptist Church. It is growing to wonderfully reflect this design and beautifully functions according to your word. Continue to help all of us to remember this teaching and obediently play their part.