Members Who Serve
Introduction
The 1980 Olympics were a special time in United States history. Global politics and the conflict of the Cold War had shrouded the United States in gloom for several years. The US Olympic Hockey team was definitely an underdog heading into the Lake Placid games. In fact, the NHL’s best had lost to the Soviets in the final of a three game series, 6-0.
Coach Herb Brooks was selected to choose his players and coach them for the Olympics. He had already spent several months planning, and picked his team before even seeing them try out. He had a brand new play system, combining elements of the North American and Soviet styles. Most who have studied the team and the 1980 Olympics would agree that there were two key elements to their success. Their disciplined grit and the team chemistry.
The Americans played as one team. One unit. They had chemistry. Their collective ability was greater than the sum of its parts. The “Miracle on Ice” didn’t happen on accident. It happened because a group of very young men became one of the truest teams in all of sports history.
Friend, God has not planned for the Christian life to be an individual endeavor. Don’t buy into the lies of our self-obsessed culture. God has planned for each one of us to contribute to the collective ability of the church. We must be a part of a church that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Abilities are given to us by the grace of God.
Paul begins his instruction on gifts to the Romans by highlighting how the only reason he is only writing to them because of God’s grace to him.
Think of the grace in your life. All the wonderful things, and all the painful things. All of your biology and background. Every skill you were born with, and every one you developed. This is all God’s grace. Everything that has brought you to this point in this room is grace.
And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. John 1:16
To know Jesus is to experience grace upon grace upon grace. We can’t get rid of grace. Even our challenges, our sorrows, are all of grace.
There are two people whom I want to strengthen with God’s Truth today:
1) The one who thinks too much of himself by thinking too highly of himself
2) The one who thinks too much of himself by thinking too lowly of himself
You did not earn your gift, and you don’t deserve it because of who you are. It is all of God’s grace.
Christians should trust in God's wisdom and His goodness in choosing people's gifts.
“Diversity, not uniformity, is the mark of God’s handiwork.” F.F. Bruce
The 1980 US Hockey Olympic team had chemistry because of their uniformity. They worked well together because they were so similar. Ten of them were from Minnesota University or Minnesota-Duluth! The coach, Herb Brooks, studied these players for years to find just the right combination, and he based that on their sameness. But God is the ultimate planner, coach, and designer.
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, Ephesians 4:11–12
But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:15–16
Our gifts are given to us to benefit the body, and the other members of the body.
We must measure ourselves according to what God has given to us individually.
Many of us Silicon ones vs. gold, platinum, or titanium. The value is not in the material but in the one who gave it to you.
We must use our gifts.
Discussion Questions
The 1980 Olympics were a special time in United States history. Global politics and the conflict of the Cold War had shrouded the United States in gloom for several years. The US Olympic Hockey team was definitely an underdog heading into the Lake Placid games. In fact, the NHL’s best had lost to the Soviets in the final of a three game series, 6-0.
Coach Herb Brooks was selected to choose his players and coach them for the Olympics. He had already spent several months planning, and picked his team before even seeing them try out. He had a brand new play system, combining elements of the North American and Soviet styles. Most who have studied the team and the 1980 Olympics would agree that there were two key elements to their success. Their disciplined grit and the team chemistry.
The Americans played as one team. One unit. They had chemistry. Their collective ability was greater than the sum of its parts. The “Miracle on Ice” didn’t happen on accident. It happened because a group of very young men became one of the truest teams in all of sports history.
Friend, God has not planned for the Christian life to be an individual endeavor. Don’t buy into the lies of our self-obsessed culture. God has planned for each one of us to contribute to the collective ability of the church. We must be a part of a church that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Abilities are given to us by the grace of God.
Paul begins his instruction on gifts to the Romans by highlighting how the only reason he is only writing to them because of God’s grace to him.
Think of the grace in your life. All the wonderful things, and all the painful things. All of your biology and background. Every skill you were born with, and every one you developed. This is all God’s grace. Everything that has brought you to this point in this room is grace.
And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. John 1:16
To know Jesus is to experience grace upon grace upon grace. We can’t get rid of grace. Even our challenges, our sorrows, are all of grace.
There are two people whom I want to strengthen with God’s Truth today:
1) The one who thinks too much of himself by thinking too highly of himself
2) The one who thinks too much of himself by thinking too lowly of himself
You did not earn your gift, and you don’t deserve it because of who you are. It is all of God’s grace.
Christians should trust in God's wisdom and His goodness in choosing people's gifts.
“Diversity, not uniformity, is the mark of God’s handiwork.” F.F. Bruce
The 1980 US Hockey Olympic team had chemistry because of their uniformity. They worked well together because they were so similar. Ten of them were from Minnesota University or Minnesota-Duluth! The coach, Herb Brooks, studied these players for years to find just the right combination, and he based that on their sameness. But God is the ultimate planner, coach, and designer.
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, Ephesians 4:11–12
But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:15–16
Our gifts are given to us to benefit the body, and the other members of the body.
- The gifts are not for me to make me feel good about myself.
- The gifts are for the benefit of the whole body.
- Members also benefit other members.
- Members must be a part of the body.
We must measure ourselves according to what God has given to us individually.
Many of us Silicon ones vs. gold, platinum, or titanium. The value is not in the material but in the one who gave it to you.
We must use our gifts.
- Prophecy - delivering special revelation
- Though this is not a gift today, in my humble opinion, it teaches us something. The importance of Revelation from God.
- Ministry - serving the needs of the church
- Teaching - instruction from the Scriptures
- Exhortation - encouragement for strengthening
- Giving - sharing with someone
- Leadership - presiding over someone
- Mercy - compassion for the hurting
Discussion Questions
- Can God be gracious in withholding a “gift” for service from someone?
- How can we help people to use their gifts even if we’re not a pastor?
- How do we keep from thinking too much of ourselves by thinking too highly or lowly of ourselves?
- What is true humility?
- What is a gift you have from Paul’s list in Romans 12?
- What is a gift that you have that might not be on that list that God has given you to serve people?
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