Category: Spiritual gifts

Sermon: Sunday, 16th June, 2024
Speaker: Alistair Donald
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 and 9:6-11

This morning we continue our series on spiritual gifts. In recent weeks, we’ve looked at serving encouraging, hospitality and administration – all of which are listed in the New Testament as gifts that some of us have.

This morning we come to consider the gift of giving. Now, it may seem strange to say that giving is itself a spiritual gift, but it is in fact true: It’s listed by the apostle Paul his letter to the Romans. ‘If your gift is giving, then give generously.’   (Romans 12:8)

Now we know that not all gifts are for all Christians. For example: not everyone has the gift of administration. And if someone has the gift of administration, they might not have the gift of, say, encouraging, both of which we’ve looked at.

So perhaps you’re thinking, ‘Oh well, I don’t have the gift of administration, so maybe I don’t have the gift of giving either!’   Not so fast! This one is different. What Paul is talking about here is the special gift that some well-off people have of being particularly generous. As Jesus said in Luke’s gospel, in the context of being ready for his return at the end of the age: ‘From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.’   (Luke 12:48) So there are those who may have a particular gift of being able to give more than others. And that gift of giving is a spiritual gift.

But as we’ll see, giving is something that all of us are called to do, and here’s why: because it comes from the nature of God himself. God is a generous, giving, God. And as the Holy Spirit transforms the believer into a greater and greater likeness of God himself, it’s obvious that the generous nature of God as a giving God will – or should – be increasingly reflected in the life of his followers.

One further point of introduction: you may well be thinking that what I’ve said up till now concerns the giving of money. Well, we will be looking at the giving of money in due course. But the point is this: giving isn’t only about money; it’s also about how we use our time and other individual skills.

So let’s begin by looking at the grace of giving in general, founded in God’s grace to us. And look at these 3 points: Grace of God, gratitude and giving. The Christian’s motivation for giving is out of gratitude to God for his grace to us in Christ. One measure of how grateful we actually are for all he’s done is how we respond in giving.

William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, asked how the ministry had been so successful. His reply? ‘Jesus Christ has all of me.’ And that’s the key for us!

Psalm 24 opens with these words : ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it…’   (Psalm 24:1) So you and I, and all we have – our time, our motivations, our skills and our money: all belong to God! As Paul says, ‘You are not your own, you were bought at a price.’   (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

First, let’s look at the gift of time. Time is important to all of us. We use expressions like ‘a waste of time, being ‘short of time, ‘pushed for time’ and so on. And some of us are very poor in the availability of our time. You might be thinking, well I don’t have any more spare time. You don’t know how stressed and busy I am! There are no more hours in the day! I’m stressed just thinking about it! Well, that may be true. Some of us experience extreme time-poverty. But even within that busyness, it will be counter-productive if we shut out our time of refreshment with the Lord in prayer and Bible study.

Yet others of us are really quite time-rich. My wife and I are aware of this since we retired. We are much more time-rich than before. What are we to use that time for? Some of you may also be relatively time-rich. How do you use your time? Might it not be a good idea to use that time to visit those of our number who’re sick in hospital, or stuck in the house, or who are sad and down for some reason? Or give some time to regular volunteering? God is God of all of our time; we are accountable to him for how we use it. Just as we’re accountable to him for the time we fritter away online or in from of the TV.

But for the rest of today’s message I’d like to turn to our use of money. Someone has calculated that there are some 2,300 verses on the subject in the Bible! And no less than 11 of the parables that Jesus told concern money. Money is often dearer to our hearts than it should be.

First of all, where should we be directing our giving of money to the work of the Lord? It should definitely start with our regular giving to the local church. After all, it’s here that we get built up in our faith by having a minister who can devote his time to adequate preparation and Bible study. It’s here that we are in a caring fellowship, who will see to our pastoral oversight according to the New Testament pattern.

So our giving starts with giving to the local church with regular giving – but it needn’t end there – we will wish to follow the New Testament pattern of having a care for those near and far who are in poverty – via such ministries as Blytheswood and so on, as the Lord leads us. We will also wish to be generous, as our circumstances permit, in helping particular needs among our fellow-believers as we become aware of them. That might mean an anonymous envelope with cash popped though a letter box late at night, so that the left hand doesn’t know that the right hand is doing, as Jesus himself put it.

Well, before we look at our passage in 2 Corinthians on giving in some detail, here’s a verse from 1 Corinthians. ‘On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income.’   (1 Corinthians 16:2) That’s pretty clear, don’t you think? Regular setting aside in keeping with your income. So those whose income is less will be able to give less than those whose income is more.

How we give is important because it reflects the state of our hearts. Do I give grudgingly because I have to? Or dutifully because it’s expected of me? Or do I give thankfully because I want to, in response to all that God has done for me in Christ. For as one of the verses in our passage says, God loves a cheerful giver.

Grace, gratitude, giving

‘And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.’   (2 Corinthians 8:1)

Note that word ‘grace’. Paul is telling the congregation in Corinth, in the South of Greece, about the generosity of a church in the North of Greece, in Macedonia. And he’s saying that their generous giving is a result of God’s Grace.

‘And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.’   (2 Corinthians 8:1-5)

And here’s the key to generous giving: ‘They gave themselves first to the Lord…’   (2 Corinthians 8:5) If Jesus is truly Lord of my life, he is then Lord of my mind, my affections, my goals, my dreams and my finances.

How much we give to the work of the Lord is a useful indicator of how much we value the work that the Lord has done for us. If our Giving is pretty minimal, then that shows than our appreciation for what Jesus did for us on the cross is also pretty minimal. But look at these early verses of Chapter 8 again: The Macedonian churches gave themselves first to the Lord… and their rich generosity flowed out of that. The grace of God that they knew in having their sins forgiven, of having new life in Christ, also resulted in the grace of giving.

You see why these 3 words are linked: grace / gratitude / giving. I expect that we know that some congregations are much better off than others. We might think of a city congregation, where most members are on a good salary. Well of course, they will be good givers! So that must be the kind of Church that Paul is talking about when he talks about these generous Macedonians up north, right? Not at all! ‘Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.’   (2 Corinthians 8:2-3)

So this is quite a poor church, a persecuted church even. And Paul didn’t even have to raise the issue of finances with them! ‘They gave entirely on their own’ with no urging at all! They were tugging at his sleeve wanting to give even beyond their ability. Think of the widow in the children’s talk earlier. She gave everything she had to the work of the Lord. She knew she could then trust the Lord for her daily needs.

Now Paul isn’t having a go at the congregation at Corinth. He knows it has many good points, and he even lists these in v7: in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in love for Paul and his companions and so on. (verse 7) He marks them as 10/10 in all these things! But he says, just as you excel in these things – see that you also excel in the grace of giving.

We have much to be thankful in our own congregation. I hope you find it a welcoming and caring place, where we’re in the journey of faith together and where we share each other’s joys and sorrows… We have lovely meals together. And the baking! If Paul was visiting us, he might even say we excel in these things! So then let’s then excel in the grace of giving.

Now do notice Paul’s tone here: ‘I am not commanding you…’   (2 Corinthians 8:8) He’s not shouting at them. You can see that in some online Christian channels when it comes to giving – lots of shouting! Lots of commands!

‘I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, how for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (Obviously meaning spiritual riches here). And he goes on in verses 10-12 to say, in effect, follow through on what you promised last year. It’s easy to make a pledge, less easy to follow through!

So how much should we be giving? We’ll see that Paul gives us general principles of generosity, rather than laying down absolute rules. Maybe we sometimes prefer rules? That makes it easier. We want easy answers. But New Testament giving flows from our giving ourselves to the Lord, and then each working out our response to his rich generosity: Grace – gratitude – giving

Look at what Paul says, ‘Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.’   (2 Corinthians 9:6) That’s like the verse in Proverbs; ‘One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.’   (Proverbs 11:24) These sayings that are generally true – but they’re not a rule that will feed our greed. Why do I need to say that? Have you heard of ‘Prosperity Theology’? You get it with some TV evangelists and others.
They’ll take a verse like this and say, ‘Hey, you need to sow generously! So if you send me £50 right now, then God will bless you with much more! It’s guaranteed! It’s in God’s Word.’ But God’s Word is never meant to appeal to our greed. God is not like a big cosmic cash machine, where if you press the right button then out pops loads of money so we can buy what we want! What nonsense! No-one should be deceived by that kind of thing and how tragic that some Christians are.

But it’s generally true that if we sow generously, then we’ll reap generously, since God is generous – and if that happens, then it is so that we can in turn be generous in giving it on!
Look at vv 10 and 11: ‘Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.’   (2 Corinthians 9:10-11) You will be made rich in every way. Why? So that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

You see how wrong this idea of so-called Prosperity Theology is? God’s generosity is not some ‘Get Rich Quick Scheme’. If God is generous to us, then that has one purpose only – so that we can be generous in our giving in turn, and that will result in someone thanking God! It starts with God and his grace. That leads to gratitude. And that leads to giving – which in turn means someone will glorify God for what they receive!

I’ve kept until the end the important question of How much? The principles are given in verse 7: ‘Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’

So there we have it. No compulsion. We each decide in our hearts what to give. We are to set it aside every week. I don’t know about your heart, but my heart can be a bit sneaky sometimes. My sinful heart might lead me to be stingy and mean. I might want to give the minimum I can respectably give. But God isn’t stingy and mean. So then I remember that God is generous, not stingy. I remember that he loves a cheerful giver. So what am I to do? How much should I give to the work of the Lord? ‘On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income.’   (1 Corinthians 16:2)

In keeping with your income. Some people think the answer is easy – we should give 10% of our income: ‘tithing’ as it’s called in the Old Testament. But this isn’t as straightforward as it might seem because there was more than one tithe; there was the tithe for the Levites, the tithe for the poor and so on. Some scholars have calculated that these probably amounted to more like 20% of income, rather than 10%. Another difficulty is that the practice of tithing is not explicitly mentioned in the New Testament, except when Jesus uses it in a negative sense in his parable of the Pharisee and the tax Collector. There, the Pharisee tries unsuccessfully to commend himself to God by saying, among other things, that that he gives a tenth of all he gets.
Yet although tithing isn’t explicitly mentioned, it isn’t explicitly set aside either. So when Paul urges us to set aside a sum of money in keeping with our income, it’s reasonable to assume that he had that figure in mind. But it should be a guide, rather than a hard-and-fast rule.

There may be some of us here today who are living so hand-to-mouth on a low income that giving 10% to the work of the Lord is quite simply not possible if they’re to eat and pay the bills. Yet out of gratitude to God they will want to give what they can – and do so cheerfully!

There may be others among us for whom 10% is all too easy, and not really sacrificial at all – and certainly not near the commitment of the Macedonians who gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. For those in comfortable circumstances, deciding in our hearts what to give may well involve quite a bit more than 10%. For it’s God alone who knows our hearts. God alone knows the level of our gratitude to him, which will be reflected in the level of our giving. And again, we should give not reluctantly, or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And above all, we should remember our generous God, who has freely given us salvation, new life and the promise of eternal life, not through anything that we deserve, but only through his Grace. How can we not in turn respond with gratitude, a good measure of which is our level of giving to the work of the Lord?

How much we give to the work of the Lord is a useful indicator of how much we value the work that the Lord has done for us. And generous giving will, in turn, result in thanksgiving to God, to whom be all the glory.

Sermon: Sunday, 2nd June, 2024
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Ephesians 4

The gifts of teaching and of ministry

Today we’re continuing our mini-series on spiritual gifts. We’ve already seen that all Christians are given at least one spiritual gift by God, and that they are given for a clear purpose – to strengthen others within the church family.

There’s a wide variety of gifts. We’ve already looked at some of them, including serving, encouraging, hospitality and the gift of administration. I hope that you have been praying about this area, asking God’s help to identify your gifts and to develop and use them in our church. Later on, we shall look at the gift of ‘giving’ in terms of money and resources. Today, however, I would like us to focus on the gift of teaching, using a section of Ephesians chapter 4 as our guide.

At the beginning of Ephesians chapter 4, Paul has been speaking about the unity which exists in the Christian church. This unity flows out of the fact that we are united to Jesus through faith, and this means that we are also united to one another. Or to put it another way, God has become our heavenly Father, and this makes us brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called to preserve the unity we have been given: ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.’ (Ephesians 4:3)

We do this through our humility and by seeking the good of others. Wanting our own way and focusing on our own preferences is a recipe for disunity in a church.

But Christian unity does not mean uniformity. In fact, one of the beautiful things about the Christian church is that although we’re united by Jesus, there’s a huge amount of diversity within this unity. The church family is a beautiful mixture of unity and diversity. We are so different in terms of our ages, backgrounds, cultures and temperaments, and yet, we come together in love and fellowship. Another thing which makes us different in the church is that we each have different gifts. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: ‘When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.’ (Ephesians 4:7-8 and Paul is quoting from Psalm 68:18.)

1. The giver of the gifts

In verse 7, we’re again reminded that all Christians have at least one spiritual gift: ‘But to each one of us grace has been given…’   We often associate spiritual gifts with the Holy Spirit alone, but we should not limit our thinking to the Spirit. Here, we’re told that it is Jesus himself who gives gifts to His church. Jesus is the one who has given you whatever gifts you have. In his wisdom, he has given you a certain capacity, in order to serve others in this church. Verse 8 speaks of when Jesus ascended up into Heaven, forty days after his resurrection. What happens next? He gives out gifts to the church. We see this happening on the Day of Pentecost, when Jesus himself pours out his Spirit in order to gift every single member of the church. What a wonderful thing!

In Bible times, victorious generals would make a victory procession through the city, displaying the spoils of war (slaves taken captive, money, horses, other precious goods) Then, after the procession the riches of victory would be given out! Gifts would be given to the people. Here, Jesus is pictured as the great conquering general, and has been victorious in his rising from the dead. He has conquered sin and death. He has ascended to Heaven and now he is giving out gifts. He gives the Holy Spirit to all Christians, and in so doing he gives out gifts to all Christians.

Let’s focus now on verses 11-13: ‘So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.’

God is reminding us here that in his wisdom some Christians are given the gift of teaching in order for the church family to maintain unity and become mature. He speaks of apostles and prophets; I believe these were temporary gifts given to certain men during the foundation stage of the church, but no longer required, as we now have the completed canon of Scripture.

2. What is the point of pastors anyway?

At the end of verse 11, we find a gift which Jesus continues to give to his church and that is the ‘pastor-teacher’. Of course, myself and Geoff and Ali and Elijah have a particular interest in this area, as men who believe we are called as pastor-teachers. Does that mean that the rest of you can just switch off here? Absolutely not. That would be a huge mistake. Instead, we need to ask the question, why has God given pastor-teachers to the church? The answer is that they are given for your benefit. They are given to prepare you: ‘…for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature.’ (Ephesians 4:12-13)

Wow. One of the main reasons Jesus has given you the gift of your ministers is so that all the members of this congregation (every single one) will be prepared and made ready for serving God through the week. God has not called me to be a one-man-band. Pastors are not one-man-bands. Geoff is not meant to be doing the bulk of the work in Leven on his own. That would not be a healthy gospel church but a sick one.

Have you ever seen a one-man-band busking on a high street? The guitar is being strummed, the drums are going, the mouthorgan is attached and there is also singing. You need to be highly skilled. You are doing 4 or 5 jobs at once, perhaps more. Pastors of congregations are not meant to be like that. In fact, it is the very opposite. As preachers preach and teach the Word of God to you, on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings, you as a congregation will be released to into all kinds of different ministries – in the church, at home, and in all the places God has placed you.

This word to equip (verse 12) is very important. It was used in the gospels about fishermen ‘preparing their nets’. After a day’s fishing the nets must be repaired (if torn), cleaned, and must be made ready to be used again. Then, the next day, the net must be put to use. It must be worked. As a congregation, you are a bit like these fishing nets (we all are). Your lives get all clogged up through the week. All pastors have been given a job by Jesus – to take God’s people Sunday by Sunday, with all the mess of our lives, with all our sin and brokenness, our tangles, and through the Word of God, prepare you – get you ready – train you – for working for Jesus. ‘For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ (Ephesians 2:10)

There’s a dangerous and false idea which many Christians have about ministers – they think that because some ministers are paid, then they should do the bulk of the work in the church, because that’s their job. They should do the bulk of not only preaching, but admin and looking after the buildings and visiting the sick and evangelism and that the rest of the church family can sit back. After all, their lives are busy enough with work and family. Leave it to the guy who gets paid to do it.

This raises the question. Biblically speaking, what are ministers paid to do. The main thing is preaching and teaching the Lord’s Word and prayer, in order to prepare the congregation for works of service. Who is meant to be doing the works of service? Of course, the minister shares in these works of service, but it is meant to be a team-effort. You are all part of the team. Again, the image of church is not a bus driven by a minister, with the passengers sitting passively. This is unhealthy. Rather, the picture is a body, each one working hard using the gift the Lord Jesus has specifically given to them. The church is meant to be a mobilised army, where pastor-teachers are called to teach and train this army to serve a lost world.

If minsters drop their God-given focus to prepare the flock for works of service, it is a lose-lose situation. The minister will lose as he’ll end up burning out, perhaps leaving the ministry. And the church family also lose, as their gifts will not develop and they will remain immature. Plus, far less work will be done. However, if we follow this Biblical pattern of Bible teaching, it will be a win-win situation. The minister will be focusing on what he has been called to do and the church family will make a far bigger impact as salt and light in the world through the collective serving of all her members. This is a healthy church!

RC Sproul helpfully describes the church as like both an army and a hospital. We are an army who together must reach a lost world with missionary outreach and evangelism. But we are also a hospital full of wounded Christians, called to care for one another, and ministering to the needs of one another. Yes, we function sometimes as an army and sometimes as a hospital, but we must always to so as a body. All of our gifts must be used.

From time to time, we go back to this sign stuck to our church wall. It says: Minister: Rev John Johnstone. A better sign might be: Pastor: Rev John Johnstone. Ministers: the entire congregation.

3. Practical implications

If God’s method of bringing a church family to maturity greatly includes the work of a pastor-teacher, what are some of the practical implications for you?

3.1 You need to place yourself under the ministry of the Word of God, ensuring you do all you can to be regular in church. You have 2 opportunities to do this every Lord’s Day, 11 am and 530 pm. Supporting the meetings of the church is so basic. But there needs to be more. You must obey what you hear from the pulpit by serving one another. Only then can you be a mature Christian. You might think, ‘I’m a mature Christian’ but if you are not engaged in serving others in this church family then you are not mature.

Let me be a little controversial – I think we put too much focus on how good a minister’s sermons are and not enough on those who are listening.

Westminster larger catechism Question 160: What is required of those who hear the Word preached? It is required of those that hear the Word preached, that they attend upon it with diligence, preparation, and prayer; examine what they hear by the Scriptures; receive the truth with faith, love, meekness, and readiness of mind, as the Word of God; meditate, and confer of it; hide it in their hearts, and bring forth the fruit of it in their lives.

Coming to church is not an optional extra for Christians, but the way in which God wants you to grow and mature. And through this the Lord expects to see transformation and fruit in your lives. If you don’t make much use of the morning and evening services, you are in effect saying to God, I don’t need the pastor-teachers you have given me.

3.2 You need to place yourself beside other Christians in order to serve them. Verse 12 clearly states that we must build one another up in this church. And verse 16 also expresses our responsibility to one another clearly: ‘From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.’

Simon Austen: ‘There is no place in church for the Christian who listens but does not obey, or the individual who professes faith, but does not minister to his fellow believers. And just as it is impossible to be an authentic member of an orchestra without playing an instrument, so it is impossible to be an authentic Christian without serving one another in the local church.’

Now, that’s challenging!

I once had a friend who had an online relationship with someone and told me how good it was. I warned him to slow down and wait until he met the person in real life. They might get on well online, without the everyday pressures of life, but face-to-face is a different thing entirely. The same is true for church. You can attend church online, or listen to sermons by your favourite preacher, but unless you build up proper relationship in your local church, and serve the people God has placed you beside, your discipleship will be truncated at best. Remember those words in Romans 12:5: ‘… we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.’

Let’s end with the words of verse16: ‘From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.’   We can only play our part and use our gifts as we spend time together on the Lord’s Day and through the week, as we get to know each other better, and serve one another.

Sermon: Sunday, 26th May, 2024
Speaker: Geoff Murray
Scripture: 1 Peter 4:7-11

Hospitality & Heaven, Administration & Adoration

1. Serving in light of the end

‘The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.’ (1 Peter 4:7)

Now, in the life of our congregation over the course of the past couple of months this has felt very real and it highlights to us that this is real all the time. We know the end is near either if Jesus comes again or if we pass on, but we always think about it as something far away and not really affecting us today. But for Christians, we are always to let the end affect our present. Living in light of the end is not for your retirement, it’s not for times like these when death is brought into focus, it is for all times.

And how then are we to respond in light of the end? Get ourselves whipped up into a frenzy, running about daft, doing absolutely crazy and extraordinary things, in fact, this passage is just calling us to ordinary Christian living. Be sober minded and alert. Pray. Love one another.

As we live in light of the end, we do so not with a panic, not with being whipped up in a frenzy. We do so going about our Christian duties. As we live in light of the end though it also means we don’t coast our way to death and half live for the world on earth and half live for the world to come. We don’t build our empire here on earth until its clear the empire will come to an end.

So the message is clear: in light of the end, as Christians we are to get on with the day job of living as Christians. Not whipping ourselves up into a frenzy nor coasting along living half for the world on earth and half for the world to come but rather living for Jesus each day at a time.

It shows itself in prayer here but seeing as our focus is spiritual gifts we’re going to look at one listed in our passage. ‘Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.’ (1 peter 4:9)

2. Offering Hospitality Today

Hospitality is a beautiful part of being a Christian. Opening up your home and having people open up their home is a wonderfully tremendous part of being in the family of God. Hospitality perfectly displays the gospel. Hospitality in the Greek is “love of stranger”.

Hospitality demonstrates the gospel, it shows how God:
• Welcomed us in and makes his home with us – John 15
• Loved us when we were strangers – Ephesians 2:13
• Was generous to us – Ephesians 1:3, 6
• His mercy – Romans 5:8

And before we unpack the subject of hospitality, I want to ask, do you know this kind of good news for yourselves?

Lets look then at the call to hospitality. We see it patterned in the life of Jesus.
• The call of Levi – Mark 2
• Cooking his disciples’ breakfast post-resurrection – John 21

We see it in the early church:
• Acts 2:46
• Acts 28:7

We see that it’s commanded:
• 1 Peter 4:9
• Romans 12:13
• Hebrews 13:12
• 1 Timothy 3 & Titus 1 (commanded of leaders in the church)

We will see it in the new Creation:
• Revelation 19:6-9

First of all, we should think, ‘What is hospitality?’ It’s opening up your home to welcome others in. It’s not that common in Scotland today, but hospitality is opening up your home to welcome others in. This often takes the form of sharing a meal or some refreshments. It might be dinner, lunch, brunch, it might be a cuppa and a biscuit. But what is key is that, hospitality isn’t a dinner party, it isn’t entertainment. We might worry that we would have to serve a 3 course meal, or that the house must be in spic and span condition. But hospitality isn’t about you or even your home, it’s about making room for others and in that the goal as we see from this passage is not that people will go on and on about your excellent cooking, but notice how God-centred this passage is. The gifts are from God (see verse 10), serving using these gifts is in the strength God provides and use to the glory of God (See verse 11).

Hospitality is simply making room for others.You don’t have to be an excellent cook, you don’t have to be Michelin star, you just need to love your brother or sister enough to open your home to them.

Cultural application vs biblical principle? In Scotland, we don’t do great with hospitality in or out of the church. So, does our culture of lack of hospitality go or does the biblical principle go? It has to be the cultures lack of hospitality that goes.

The reason I don’t think hospitality was ‘just a cultural thing’ either was at the end of Acts 9, Simon Peter, who wrote this letter, stays with a man called Simon the Tanner in Joppa. Now, we know little about this man. But many of the commentators are convinced he must have been a Christian because it was primarily Christians who practiced hospitality in the 1st century among strangers. And notice, it doesn’t say we’re to offer hospitality to outsiders, it says to one another. Now of course, we can see from elsewhere in Scripture, that’s absolutely what we are to do. We are to offer hospitality to outsiders. But here it emphasises the importance of offering hospitality to one another in the church.

If you’re more evangelistically minded, you might look at that command and think ‘What about the outsider?’ But actually this is something which has an impact on the outsider too. As we love one another, the world is to sit up and take notice. Jesus links our love for one another to others sitting up and taking notice of the love existing in the church for one another. As we have people round, host one another, share with one another, love one another people take notice.

Your loving one another, your showing hospitality to one another is different, its distinct and it has the power to point many to Jesus Christ. Notice too it’s to be done without grumbling. Such as; ‘All these dishes to do, this person never finished their food, having people round adds to the grocery bill.’

There’s a number of ways we could grumble about hospitality. We can grumble about so much. But actually, that’s what makes hospitality Christian is when we open up our home at cost to ourselves, we sacrifice our free time, we welcome others even when we’re exhausted and its done without grumbling.

It’s easy to do hospitality with grumbling, in fact its so easy. And the best part with all your grumbling is you can kinda play the martyr card and do your Christian duty of hospitality. ‘See God I’m doing it.’… meanwhile grumbling.

Actually, that’s why we keep an eye on the end. That helps us to realise actually we’re not living for the here and now anyway. For peace and quiet at home, for more money saved at the end of your weekly shop. We live for our future. Our home isn’t here on earth, our comfort in life and death is not ‘me time’ our home is in heaven, our comfort is that our name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. For whatever cost we may incur financially or with our energy, it’s all worth it for we have an eternal glory to look forward to. Show hospitality in light of heaven.

Also, love is important. ‘Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.’ (1 Peter4:8) If you show hospitality but do it without love, it is for nothing. It allows you to see that the mess of the dishes, the giving up of the ‘me tim’e is all worth it because people are worth it. Anyone is worth it because they are made in God’s image and are valuable but so much more than that if they are your brothers and sisters, they are so used to it. Apart from anything else, if your concern is ‘me time’, I’m afraid in heaven you will have zero ‘me time’; you’ll be spending an awful lot of time with each other.

So two questions:
1. Do you show hospitality? Do you have people in your home, making space and welcoming them in? I understand for some people there are certain reasons why it can’t happen. But anyone, assuming they and their spouse are in good health can do it. One of the great delights of having Frances in our core team is often if there’s a bible study or home meeting she often asks, ‘Can I host it?’ If you don’t, the call of this is clear, show hospitality to one another. Obviously, some have particular gifts in hospitality, but the call is clear, the principle stands for us as Christians to show hospitality. Show hospitality to one another

2. If you do, do you do it without grumbling? How easy it is to grumble. Don’t give in to the cultural lie that your greatest need is ‘me time’. Don’t begrudge the dishes or the mess of opening up your home. Love each other deeply, look to your heavenly joys and practice hospitality without grumbling.
You might have a particular gift for hospitality though, you might be an excellent baker, you might make wonderful meals, are you exercising that gift? There’s nothing that gives joy quite like a good meal, can you be used by God to give joy by opening your home, by making food.

Those with the gift of hospitality have a gift of joy to give to others. If you have that gift, what Peter is saying to you is offer hospitality to others without grumbling.

3. The Gift of Administration

‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.’ (1 Peter 4:10)

Teaching is listed here but will be looked at another time, serving has already been looked at, so we’ll look at administration through the lens of verse 10. Administration is listed as a spiritual gift. (See 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12.) Also, we see it practiced in Acts 6 with the choosing of Deacons, because the Grecian widows were overlooked in the daily distribution of food. You needed people who were able to organise that and distribute that.

I am so thankful to God for people with administrative gifts, often detail people. I’m not a details person. I’m a big picture person, and how the big picture people need details people. An eye for detail, a care for the details of how things work in its minutest details.

The gift of Administration is the God-given ability to understand what makes an organisation function and the special ability to plan and execute procedures that accomplish the goals of the group or organisation.

You might already do this in work or at home with your family and have these particular gifts but never thought about using them. There are a number of administrative roles carried out in the church: what is so striking about the vast majority of these is the amount of work that goes on that nobody knows about. The hours that different people in the congregation put into these various tasks is enormous, much of it unseen, but much of it carried out.

Thank you to all who do these roles, what an incredible role you all play in the Kingdom of God. Where would we be without a safeguarding officer keeping us all safe? Where would we be without someone taking the time to manage the church calendar with bookings for building rental? Where would we be without someone managing the books of the church? Thank you for all your help, service and support.

What is clear though is that many of these people have done these tasks for sometime and they do it joyfully. Is it possible you have a gift of administration, organising, planning details you could use to help aid or even take work off of individuals who are working hard in these ways? If you have those gifts, consider in what way you might help to build God’s kingdom through administration.

4. The Glory of God

‘If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Peter 4:11)
And this is the end of course of all hospitality, of all administration, of any and every gift, it is the glory of God. God is the glorious one, as you serve, may it not be about you, may it not be about your being praised and appreciated, may it all be for God’s glory. And especially with administration, many don’t know the work that goes into all the roles listed above, some may not even know who carries out these roles.
And there’s something glorious about that. That actually, it’s not about any one individual, it’s about God and that’s the way it should be in the church, that he is centre.

Is he at the centre of your serving? Is he at the heart of your hospitality? Is he at the heart of administration? Is he at the heart of anything you do in the church? Serve in the strength he provides so that he may get the glory through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.

Sermon: Sunday, 12th May, 2024
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Romans 12:1-8

Some people who attend church, will come in a few minutes before the service starts, say a few ‘hellos’ and then leave pretty much as soon as the service is over. In they come, and out they go, and there is little meaningful interaction with other Christians in the church. This is not God’s design for the church. This is not what God wants. This is not mature Christian behaviour. Why am I able to say that so confidently? In Romans we’re told something radical about what it means to be a Christian: ‘…each member belongs to all the others…’ (Romans 12:5) That’s a wonderful and yet challenging statement about what the church is. It means that Christianity is not something private between you and Jesus; rather, it’s something between you, Jesus, and the other Christians around you. In a culture of severe individualism, God is reminding us today that I belong to you, and you belong to me, and that we belong to one another. We are a family. We are a body.

We need to think in the opposite way to our individualistic culture. We should not cross the threshold of the church on Sundays focusing on what we get out of church and if our own needs are being met. Instead, of the focus being on what we are getting, it must be on what we are giving. Terry Johnson puts it this way: ‘My experience of the life of the church unavoidably will be unsatisfactory if I am focused on whether I am being served adequately, rather than on whether I am serving adequately.’

‘… whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ (Matthew 10:26-28)

1. Why do we all have to use our gifts in the church?

Here’s the basic theology of belonging to one another – if we are united to Jesus by faith, trusting in his death for us, then God becomes our heavenly Father, and that makes us brothers and sisters in Christ. So, union with Christ through faith transfers us into a new Christian family, with each member belonging to the other. And so, Christians ought to love one another as parts of themselves.

We see something similar in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians . ‘In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church – or we are members of his body.’ (Ephesians 5:28-30)

What is Paul saying? It would be unnatural for husbands not to love their wives sacrificially. Husbands and wives are united as one flesh in bonds of marriage, and so of course with such a strong unity, when a husband is loving his wife, he is really loving a union which he is part of. In the same kind of way, in Romans 12, Paul reminds Christians that they belong to one another, as one body, and so of course they must love each person in that body. It would be unnatural not to love them.

Is this how you think about the people who come to this church? For some of us, it might be a real shock. We become so used to thinking about ourselves and our own needs and wants. But if it ends there, that is not mature Christian thinking. God has designed us as an interdependent body. We need one another. And we actually belong to one another; this is strong language. That’s why the topic of spiritual gifts is not something we can just ignore. The church family has every right to expect that you will use your gifts to serve others in the church because you belong to everyone else.

Is there anything you wouldn’t do for your own children, or your spouse? That’s the kind of attitude we ought to have for our church family too! My friend in Oxford got married and his wife’s family organised the entire wedding, including the food, by themselves. It was incredible to see them working so hard weeks in advance, in order to gather round one family member for her ‘big day’. They all had different gifts, but all their gifts were used for this special day. That’s a fantastic picture of what the church should be like, using gifts for the church’s groom – Jesus Christ.

But there is something else we need to consider. What if several Christians are lazy, and doing little or next to no serving in the church? God has given them a gift to use, but they seldom use it. By doing so, they are robbing other people of blessings which they would otherwise receive.

This is a sobering thought. But we need to understand that if you refuse to help to share the load, that puts far more pressure on everyone else, and actually means you are robbing others of your gift. In his wisdom, God has given you a gift, and not to use this for the good of others is a serious business.

We will never be ‘guilt-tripped’ into using our spiritual gifts more. It must stem from a greater understanding on how much God has done for us. This is the logic of Romans 12:1 ‘Therefore, I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice…’ It is because of God’s mercy to us, giving his one and only Son to die in our place, that we want to live sacrificially for God. We love him because he first loved us. Isaac Watts captures this so well in the hymn ‘When I survey’: Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

Here’s the thing – the more you appreciate how much Christ suffered for you, and how undeserving you are of that love, the more you will want to live for King Jesus. And part of living for King Jesus is to use the gift he has given you for the well-being of the church family.

KFC vision statement: 5. That we should all prayerfully seek to identify the spiritual gifts we have and use them in the church for the benefit of the church family.

Remember our definition of a spiritual gifts: Thomas R Schreiner: ‘Gifts of grace granted by the Holy Spirit which are designed for the edification of the church’.

For the rest of our time this morning, I want us to home-in on 2 of the 7 gifts listed in Romans 12: serving and encouraging.

2. The gift of serving

All Christians are called to serve one another. ‘Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.’ (Mark 9:35) However, some have a particular gifting in this area. God has given them a strong ability to see things which need to be done and then to get on and do them behind-the-scenes. People with this gift are invaluable in any church. Because they have this gift, it makes sense for them to concentrate in this area. That’s what it means in Romans 12:7 when it says: ‘…if it is serving, then serve.’

I can see people with this gift in our church. They intuitively notice things which need to be done, and they are happy to take the initiative and just get on with it. The don’t shout about it or brag about it. They just do it. They are happy to do it. They do it for Christ!

Is this an important gift in the church? The gift of service? Hugely! If you have been helped by such people then you will know this to be true.

Perhaps you have this gift. Do you notice things which need done in the church and try to sort them? But it is much wider than the church building. Do you see other people needing help in certain areas, and you know you can help them. You help them, and you help them cheerfully! You might well have the spiritual gift of service. You see someone is lonely and you go and visit them. You see someone is exhausted and so you go to lend them a hand.

Of course, Jesus is our ultimate example of service. He was willing to do the dirty job no one else was willing to do, and he washes the feet of his disciples. After this memorable illustration of Christian service, he says: ‘Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.’ (John 13:14-15)

Jerry Bridges: It was not in spite of His greatness but because of His greatness that Jesus served His disciples on that evening. Through His own attitude toward servanthood He taught us that true greatness in the Kingdom of God consists not in position or authority but in serving one another.

Jerry Bridges: The reason most of us do not see the opportunities to serve is that we are continually thinking about ourselves instead of others. Whether or not you have a special gift of serving others, may each one of us pray that God would open our eyes to the needs of others.

3. The gift of encouraging

Yes, some people have a special gift of encouragement. However, it is something which we are all commanded to do: ‘Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:11). This is one of the ‘one another’ commands, again reminding us that we belong to one another. Encouragement is one of the gifts listed in Romans chapter 12: ‘… if it is to encourage, then give encouragement.’ (Romans 12:8) Some of you here today are especially good at encouraging others.

Like serving, encouraging is something which God himself does. We see this at Jesus’ baptism. As he commences his public ministry, which will end with humiliating suffering and death, God the Father can be seen encouraging his Son. He says: ‘And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ (Mark 1:11)

‘May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.’ (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

John Stott: ‘This word has a wide spectrum of meanings, ranging from encouraging and exhorting to comforting, conciliating or consoling. This gift may be exercised from a pulpit, or through writing, but more often it is used behind-the-scenes as the gift of counselling, or in offering friendship to the lonely and giving fresh courage to those who have lost heart.’

Barnabas is probably the most famous encourager in the Bible. While others might have been extremely doubtful of Saul’s conversion, Barnabas draws alongside him, and encourages him to remain true to the Lord.

In my early years of ministry here, there were some very tough and isolating times. One of the minsters in Presbytery was an enormous encouragement to me, taking time to talk and pray on a regular basis. This was invaluable to me. He had the gift of encouragement. God used him to encourage me, and it meant so much.

Perhaps you have this gift! Perhaps you have a strong love for people and notice when they are struggling in the faith. You know they aren’t doing so well, even though they say ‘I’m fine.’ They don’t look down on you when you feel like giving up. They understand! But most importantly, they come alongside you, on a regular basis, sometimes just to sit with you, sometimes to share Scripture, or to pray, and they encourage you that God has not given up on you and is still in control.

Why do we serve one another in Kirkcaldy Free Church? Why do we encourage one another? It’s because we belong to one another!

Sermon: Sunday, 5th May, 2024
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12

Most of us now know that our denomination’s vision statement is that we would have ‘a healthy gospel church in every community in Scotland’. That’s a wonderful aspiration to have. It is our prayer. For this vision to become a reality, we need to understand what a healthy church looks like, and make sure that’s the direction of travel for our church. There are different aspects of church health we always need to keep in the foreground, perhaps best summarised in Acts chapter 2. ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.’ (Acts 2:42-45)

God wants you to be devoted to the fellowship of this church. He wants us to know and serve one another in meaningful ways. He wants us to spend time with one another. This must be a top priority. Notice that in the picture of the early church, all the Christians are involved in meeting the needs of one another.

Let me give you a good picture of an unhealthy church. It’s like a bus, with the minister as the driver doing the work, perhaps even a conductor collecting the money (an old-fashioned bus) and everyone else is just a passenger, not involved in the work. That would be an awful church to be in, and the minister wouldn’t last long before burning out. Fortunately, God has given us the picture of a healthy church, and he says it is like a body, where each member is important and each member has an important job to do. What a wonderful picture! ‘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 placed 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!” (1 Corinthians 12:17-20)

God is reminding us that in a healthy church, we need one another. This church needs you and your gift to be used. And you need the gifts of others in this church to be at work in your own life, whether you realise that or not. We are interdependent. We are one body.

That’s why part 5 of our vision statement for our church is: ‘That we should all prayerfully seek to identify the spiritual gifts we have and use them in the church for the benefit of the church family’. To help us to reach this goal, we are going to spend several weeks sharpening our Biblical thinking about spiritual gifts. Today, we want to nail down some of the basics. So, let’s begin at the beginning of this topic. What do we mean by a spiritual gift?

Wayne Grudem: ‘A spiritual gift is any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any ministry of the church.’

Is this topic relevant to all Christians in Kirkcaldy Free Church? Yes. Why?

1. All Christians are given at least one spiritual gift by God.

‘Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.’ (1 Corinthians 12:7) Who receives a spiritual gift? ‘Each one’. That includes you, if you are a follower of Christ. You might not yet know what your gift or gifts are, but you do have one.

‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.’ (1 Peter 4:10 emphasis added)

The gifts the Bible mentions are really varied, including: helping, service, teaching, encouraging, giving, administration and showing mercy. I can see all of these gifts being put to use in our church family. I think it is obvious that if in a church family all the members use their gifts, the blessing will be enormous. The opposite is also true – if many in the church family leave their gift ‘locked away’ as it were, and do little to serve others, then many people will miss out on the support and help they ought to have had.

A healthy church is one where all the members are busy using their gifts. This means that all of us must be thinking about this whole area. We all must make an effort to identify our giftings. We have a responsibility to discover what they are. And we can help one anther to do this.

Timothy had a gift of teaching. Paul says to him: ‘Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. (1 Timothy 4:13-15)

Notice that Paul commands Timothy not to neglect his gift. This means it’s easy for us today to neglect the gift God has given us. They can remain dormant, unused, or underused. God wants us to do the opposite. He wants us to identify and develop our gifts in the local setting of the church family. Paul instructs Timothy: ‘For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.’ (2 Timothy 1:6) That’s fascinating. God gives Timothy a gift, but he himself has a responsibility to develop and use this gift. The same is true for each one of us.

For example, God might have given you a musical gift. That doesn’t mean that it will be easy to serve in this way. It will still require hard work and practice, but this will be done in order to serve the church family and bring glory to God. You might be good with numbers and finance, but to be the treasurer still involves learning how the job is done, and putting in the hours to complete the task. But you do it to serve the church family, for God’s glory. You might have the gift of encouragement, but you still need to spend considerable time with people, listening to them, and time in the Bible, to know how to bring God’s comfort to them. We need to develop our gifts and put them to use.

2. All spiritual gifts have the same purpose – to strengthen others in the church.

‘Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. You should use your gift for the good of others.’ (1 Corinthians 12:7) God hasn’t primarily given you a gift so that you feel better. It’s not about you, but others.

‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others…’ (1 Peter 4:10)

Your gift isn’t about your happiness or self-promotion but it’s about serving others. The focus of gifts is on others. It’s on those whom you serve. So, with music, we don’t want players who draw attention to themselves, but those who aid the singing with the focus on God. It’s not about them. And with preaching, we want people leaving church thinking what a great God we have and never, what a great preacher. And if you are washing dishes after a church lunch, you are doing it to help facilitate the lunch for others. Here’s our challenge from this sermon – over the coming weeks, let’s try and help one another to identify our gifts, develop these gifts, and make sure we are using them in order to edify others, and not to draw attention to ourselves.

3. There is a wide variety of gifts which God gives.

What are some examples of spiritual gifts? There is not an exhaustive list in the Bible. We have 4 key passages which each list some of them:
• 1 Corinthians 12:8-12 and 28-30
• Romans 12:6-8
• Ephesians 4:1
• 1 Peter 4:11
There are 20 gifts listed in those 5 passages and they are often helpfully divided up into 3 different kinds:

Sign Gifts: these are gifts which no longer given out. They were given to the apostles as signs that they were the true apostles of Jesus Christ: gifts such as healing, raising the dead, prophecy, speaking in tongues. There are, of course, groups of Christians who still believe we have apostles and believe that these gifts were not just signs of apostleship, and that these gifts continue today. And in our denomination, we certainly believe the power of God to heal the sick and to guide his people.

Speaking Gifts: such as preaching, teaching and encouraging others.

Serving Gifts: such as helping others, mercy ministries and hospitality.

Think of the person with a gift of encouragement. There will be many times when there are people who are depressed or grieving or have lost their jobs or have fallen into the same pattern of sin again, and those people will need that encouragement.

In order for the church to communicate well, we need people gifted in running the website, and keeping the Facebook group page updated and sending out emails from time to time. We need people with administrative gifts to organise safeguarding, minutes of official church meetings, and to organise rotas. We need people gifted with children to run Sunday School and creche. We need people to wash dishes and clean toilets and to teach people who are confused about parts of the Bible.

I think it’s a beautiful thing that we all need one another. God has designed the church this way. It also means that each one of you has a very important role to play in this church. You might not realise that yet, but it is true nonetheless. You are valuable here. Your gift might be behind-the-scenes, but it is vital. There’s a saying: ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ and there’s much wisdom in that saying. Children need the input of so many in order to develop properly into adults. Here’s another true saying: ‘It takes a church to raise a Christian’. Is that true? Yes, it really is. We need one another. And that’s why God has given such a large variety of gifts.

4. Are you using the gift Jesus has given you?

Why do I say that ‘Jesus’ has given? ‘But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: ‘When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.’ (Ephesians 4:7)

Imagine a child receives a lovely gift from her parents. It is just what she needs. She unwraps it, doesn’t bother to say thanks, and doesn’t even use the gift she’s been given. How would parents feel? You’d be upset. Disappointed.

As Christians, we need to understand that Jesus himself has given us at least one spiritual gift. In fact, Jesus died, not only so that our sins could be forgiven and so we could reflect God’s glory, but also so that he could bestow gifts upon the church for her good.

More personally – Jesus shed his blood for you. And that blood purchased a spiritual gift for you. Have you thought about that seriously? Are you grateful? Are you using the gift? Or is it just like an unappreciated, unvalued gift that we have tossed aside? You (if you are a believer) have been given a spiritual gift by Jesus. Is it locked away? Hardly ever used? Sometimes used? Used quite a lot? Where do you fit in?