A
Healthy, Growing Body
"Instead,
we will lovingly follow the truth at all times - speaking
truly, dealing truly, living truly - and so become more and
more in every way like Christ who is the Head of His body,
the church. Under His direction the whole body is fitted together
perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the
other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing
and full of love" (Ephesians 4:15-16).
I
am concerned, as you no doubt are, that God's ideal church,
in which the whole body is fitted together perfectly, becomes
a reality. And if that is to happen, it will mean that I must
become a part of that perfect fit.
Within
the body of Christ, each of us has a unique function. True,
two people might have similar functions just as a body has
two hands that function similarly. But those two hands are
not identical. Just try to wear a lefthand glove on your right
hand!
The
hands have similar functions, not identical functions. You
and I might have similar abilities, but we are not identical.
We are unique creations of God.
Therefore, we should not look upon our abilities with pride
or be boastful of them. On the other hand, we should not be
envious or look with disdain on others because of their different
abilities.
Spiritual
gifts include (1 Corinthians 12): wisdom, knowledge, faith,
healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues,
interpretation of tongues, apostleship, teaching, helping,
and administration; (Romans 12, additional): leadership, exhortation,
giving and mercy.
Bible
Reading: Ephesians 4:7-14 TODAY'S ACTION POINT: So that I
might fit more perfectly into God's whole body, I will prayerfully
seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit to enable me to make
a maximum contribution to the body of Christ.
(excerpt
from Bill Bright's Today's
Promise) |
S
- Spiritual Gifts
H
- Heart
A
- Abilities
P
- Personality
E
- Experiences
SHAPE
is explained in great detail in Rick Warren's book The
Purpose-Driven Life,
Download Camarillo Community Church Spiritual
Gift's Test and SHAPE to learn
more. Take the online Spiritual Gift Assessment for instant results! Share it with other churches, too.
"We
don't realize how truly unique each of us is. DNA molecules
can unite in an infinite number of ways. The number is 10
to the 2,400,000,000th power. That number is the likelihood
that you'd ever find somebody just like you. If you were to
write out that number with each zero being one inch wide,
you'd need a strip of paper 37,000 miles long! (excerpt from "Understanding
Your Shape" in The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick
Warren).
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