There is a time to talk the talk and there’s a time to walk the walk. Today, it is time to walk the walk. Look at your hands. Look at your feet. Those hands are the hands of God. Those feet are the feet of God. God can use our hands and our feet to show the love of Jesus Christ to others. In fact, he can use our entire body. There’s people hurting right here at home in our neighborhood, our county, and our country.
There’s a family that is in pain right down the road. The father is out of work. The mother is disabled. The kids are discouraged. The roof leaks. The walls have mold. They’ve looked for help, but help hasn’t come. The time is now. If we don’t give help and hope, then who will?
I remember when we visited a grandmother and mother in the slums of Kumasi in West Africa. They were in pain. The mother had lost two sons in a house fire. The grandmother had lost two grandsons and her beautiful daughter was burned over most of her body. A man saw us go. We did not see him or talk to him. He told people later that he saw the love of Jesus Christ in our compassion to visit the grieving family. The man was Muslim. He asked to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior the next Sunday. We were willing to walk the walk. The man hugged me later for showing him the love of God. I told him. It’s not me, it is God. What that man saw was the gift of compassion where we were helping the family who were suffering grief from their loss. The man saw God working through us.
We have one of the biggest prayer lists that I’ve ever seen for a church. Last week, we talked about speaking and praying with boldness. There’s power in the spoken word. There’s power in knowing who needs prayers. There’s also a time for action. We are saved by God’s grace. We don’t earn our way into heaven. Salvation is a free gift that Jesus paid for us. We serve God out of gratitude for his grace and love, not out of fear. We need to take action because of God’s love.
James 2:14-16 says: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?”
It is wonderful that our church is looking to grow and expand with new classroom and activity space. I’m so excited about what it will mean to New Hope United Methodist Church. The new construction is vital and will make a big difference to our ministries. I’ve talked to church leaders at Redwood UMC, Rocky Mount UMC, and other churches about bringing mission teams to help us finish out the building after the roof is done. The building campaign is building God’s kingdom behind the church doors.
We also have to build God’s kingdom by walking out the church doors into the world. There’s a song that talks about seeing with the eyes of your heart. We need to have compassion, love, and empathy for others. Jesus has given us powerful tools through the Holy Spirit called spiritual gifts.
The spiritual gifts from God let us do things that we could never accomplish by ourselves. It is important for us to understand the spiritual gifts that God has given us. There are several scriptures that talk about spiritual gifts. We can do a better job if we know the spiritual gifts that God has given to us.
Romans 12:6-8 tells us “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”
There’s people we know that live to be a servant. God has given them the gift to anticipate one’s needs. The gift of serving is the ability to understand the needs of others and serving others unselfishly. Jesus was a strong example of being a servant. The next gift is that of a teacher. A teacher is empowered by the Holy Spirit to explain the mysteries of the gospel. It is their gift to turn the mysteries of the gospel into clear truths. Others have the gift of encouragement. They have just the right words to say at the right time. They can see the rainbow coming out after the storm. Encouragers bring hope and faith with their words and actions. Others have received the gift of being givers. They believe that God has given them resources to give their time and money as much as they can to others. Leaders are able to guide because they are empowered by the Holy Spirit to lead in an amazing way.
The next scripture that comes to mind is 1 Corinthians 12. It says: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy…. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”
First Corinthians tells us that the Holy Spirit works in us in different ways with different kinds of service, but our work has the same value. It is critical to us to understand and develop the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Let’s discuss the spiritual gifts mentioned in Corinthians so far. The first gift mentioned is wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to translate life experiences into spiritual truth and seeing the application of scripture into everyday life. Knowledge is obtained from faithful study of the Bible and our lives to find the truth. The gift of faith empowers us to hold firm to Jesus in the face of adversity. The gift of faith is more than believing. The gift of faith is being sure that God’s power exists and using that power to serve God. The gifts of healing is the ability and belief that if we pray to God with faith that God will heal with the power of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:12 continues: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.”
It takes times to understand the spiritual gifts that God has given us. It also takes time to discern and to discover those gifts within us. For example, God has enabled me to preach and teach. Those skills aren’t mine. I stuttered as a child. People didn’t want to wait to listen to my words. Now, I am able speak with the power of God working within me. Through my weakness of speech, I am made strong through the power of God working within me. Preaching and Teaching are gifts that God has given me to share God’s word with you. It is a mistake to think that your job and your spiritual gifts are the same. It is possible that a school teacher does not have the spiritual gift of teaching.
There’s a wonderful freedom when we understand our spiritual gifts. There are surveys that we can take to understand our potential gifts. There are classes that we can take to teach us about our spiritual gifts. Friends and family can recognize our gifts many times before we know our own gifts. A big factor is to start looking for our spiritual gifts. We have to go on a personal journey to understand the tools that God has given us to serve him better.
Let’s find a way to help our families that are out of work, out of hope, or out of faith. Now, let’s walk out those church doors and serve God using the spiritual gifts that he has given us. We are more effective and happier if we are using the gifts that God has given us to use. We are able to do so much more because we have God inside of us which enables us to serve in ways we can only imagine today. God has used me when I didn’t know how to “do it.” I just trusted that God would provide the right spiritual gifts and tools for me to do the job. I don’t have the answer of how we can help those families in need. We just need to start on the journey to make a difference in people’s lives today and God will do the rest.
Walter Hughes WalterKHughes@gmail.com
Scriptures: Romans 12:3-13, 1 Corinthians 12:1-31
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