Whether within the walls or outside of the church building, God intends for us to serve. And, He also instructs us to encourage, or prod, each other to serve.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (Heb. 10:24)
We are still the Church, whether meeting together or not. We’re members of one another who benefit from each other’s use of their spiritual gifts.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Cor. 12:7)
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. (1 Cor. 12:26-27)
It only stands to reason that we would “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” in accordance with the gift(s) God has given us.
Examples of Using our Spiritual Gifts to Spur Others on to Serve
Since the last couple of posts have looked at the seven gifts in Romans 12, we’ll continue using those spiritual gifts for examples.
1) prophecy
People with the spiritual gift of prophecy will tend to be the ones to give warning to God’s people not to be slack or idle (1 Thess. 5:14), pointing them to exhortations in God’s Word like Romans 12:11. – “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
2) service
By doing tasks that need to be done, people with the spiritual gift of service can free others up to devote their time in serving more in accordance with how God gifted them.
3) teaching
Someone with the spiritual gift of teaching could provide training for new or different ways of serving to better equip people for ministry. Or, taking a step back, they may begin with teaching about spiritual gifting and God’s design for the Body.
4) exhortation
People with the spiritual gift of exhortation will tend to “encourage the disheartened” (1 Thess. 5:14) who need to see their potential and believe God truly does have purpose for them no matter what the circumstances might be.
5) giving
Serving can require money or other kinds of resources people don’t have so someone with the spiritual gift of giving can bless them with the finances or supplies needed to do the work.
6) leadership
Many people want to serve but don’t know how to begin. Someone with the spiritual gift of leadership can help them see the possibilities and work with them to set goals for getting started.
7) mercy
People with the spiritual gift of mercy want to “help the weak” (1 Thess. 5:14). They can provide the added support someone with some sort of disability, sickness, or age-related issue, need to be able to serve.
This is the kind of impact we can have on each other, to spur each other on in serving, whether inside or outside of the church building walls.
Not sure which gift(s) you might have? – Online Spiritual Gifts Test