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The Gift of Grace: How to Serve Others with Joy
The focus of this week’s podcast is on the concept of spiritual gifts, specifically emphasizing that every believer is endowed with at least one unique gift through the Holy Spirit. Pastor Josh Massaro highlights that these gifts are not for personal gain or recognition, but rather for the purpose of serving others and glorifying God. The discussion delves into the distinction between natural talents and spiritual gifts, illustrating how God desires us to use our abilities in service to the community of faith. As the podcast unfolds, listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own gifts and consider how they can actively contribute to the body of Christ. Join Pastor Josh as he explores the biblical foundation of service and the importance of using our gifts to foster love and support within the church.
The podcast delves into the profound significance of spiritual gifts within the Christian faith, emphasizing the notion that every believer is endowed with unique gifts through the Holy Spirit. Pastor Josh Massaro initiates the discussion by revisiting the concept of gifts, particularly focusing on the ultimate gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. He articulates that the essence of these gifts is not merely for personal benefit but is intended for communal service and glorifying God. Each individual is called to be a steward of the diverse gifts bestowed upon them, encouraging listeners to understand that these gifts are not natural talents but divine empowerments meant to enhance the body of Christ. The conversation extends to the importance of recognizing one's spiritual gifts and using them effectively within a church community, highlighting how such service reflects one’s love for God and others. As the dialogue unfolds, the podcast invites listeners to explore their spiritual gifts while reflecting on the joy and responsibility of serving in the name of Christ, ultimately aiming to foster a deeper understanding of one's role in the Christian mission.
The episode brings attention to the concept of stewardship as it relates to spiritual gifts, explaining that believers are entrusted with these gifts not for selfish gain but to serve one another. Pastor Josh references 1 Peter 4:10, which underscores the call to minister to others as good stewards of God’s grace. He contrasts natural talents with spiritual gifts, asserting that while talents can be cultivated, spiritual gifts are divinely appointed for service in the body of Christ. This distinction is crucial for believers to recognize their unique contributions to their church and community. The discussion highlights various service gifts mentioned in Scripture, encouraging listeners to embrace their spiritual gifts with enthusiasm and gratitude. Through practical examples and theological insights, the podcast seeks to inspire believers to actively engage in service, fostering an environment of mutual support and love within their congregations.
The podcast episode intricately weaves together themes of gifting, grace, and service, inviting listeners into a deeper exploration of their spiritual journey. Pastor Josh articulates a compelling narrative that positions spiritual gifts as essential instruments for building up the church and advancing the Gospel. He stresses that these gifts are not just personal accolades but tools for communal growth and outreach. The episode also emphasizes the relational aspect of service, urging believers to foster a spirit of love and charity among themselves, as highlighted in 1 Peter 4:8. The call to use gifts in service is portrayed as a reflection of one’s faith and commitment to God's purposes, framing service not as a burden but as a joyful privilege. Pastor Josh encourages listeners to seek God’s guidance in identifying their gifts and to approach their service with a heart aligned to God’s glory. The episode serves as both an invitation and a challenge to live out one’s faith actively, emphasizing the transformative power of serving others in the name of Christ.
Takeaways:
- The greatest gift we have received is the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
- Every believer has been given at least one spiritual gift to serve others.
- Spiritual gifts are different from natural talents; they are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
- Using our gifts as good stewards reflects our love for God and others.
- Service in the church is a joyful opportunity to glorify God through our gifts.
- We are called to minister to one another with the gifts we have received.
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This podcast is produced by Ralph Estep, Jr., host of the Ask Ralph Podcast, a daily podcast on Christian Finance you can find it at https://www.askralphpodcast.com/
Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.
Host:In this podcast series, we're going to be looking into biblical words that have great significance to our faith.
Host:The name of this series is called the Word of the Week, where once a week we will dive deeper into these words that we are familiar with in Scripture.
Host:So come along with me.
Pastor Josh:Let's study the Word of the week.
Pastor Josh:Pastor Josh here with another word of the week.
Pastor Josh:The word of the week is gift.
Pastor Josh:We talked about gifts last week, and we specifically talked about the greatest gift that was ever given to us, and that is the gift of Jesus Christ, the gift of salvation, the gift of the Gospel.
Pastor Josh:The Bible says, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
Pastor Josh:It is a gift of God, not.
Speaker C:Of works, lest any man should boast.
Pastor Josh:And so the Bible tells us that.
Speaker C:We as believers have received and believed in the gift of grace.
Pastor Josh:But you know what?
Speaker C:As a believer, the Bible tells us that as we have received that gift.
Pastor Josh:Of grace in our salvation, we also have received a gift of the Holy Spirit, meaning we have been given something supernaturally so that we can use that gift for a purpose.
Pastor Josh:And so that's what we're going to be looking at here this week.
Pastor Josh:At least that's what we're going to be starting with here this week.
Pastor Josh:We will be looking at this for the next few weeks.
Pastor Josh:And that is the idea of service within our Christian walk.
Pastor Josh:What does it mean to use our spiritual gift or spiritual gifts?
Pastor Josh:The Bible says in First Peter, Chapter 4, Verse 10, as every man hath received the gift.
Pastor Josh:So the Bible tells us here in First Peter, Chapter 4, that every believer has received at least one gift, one spiritual gift.
Pastor Josh:Now, I want to be clear that this isn't talking about natural talent.
Pastor Josh:This isn't talking about something that we're inclined to be like.
Pastor Josh:This is specifically talking about a gift.
Speaker C:That'S given to us through the Holy Spirit, through the indwelling of the Spirit.
Pastor Josh:So give you an example of this.
Pastor Josh:The Bible does not say that a spiritual gift in this case, in this definition would be like singing talent or building something or being able to cook really well.
Pastor Josh:That's not necessarily what the Bible defines as a spiritual gift.
Pastor Josh:Now, God does give individuals gifts within their life, or we could call them talents.
Pastor Josh:That would be musical talent or a gift of cooking or the opportunity to.
Speaker C:Maybe use their hands to build something.
Pastor Josh:But the Bible says that we use those natural talents for these supernatural gifts.
Pastor Josh:So we'll talk a little bit about.
Speaker C:That here in a few moments.
Pastor Josh:But it says that everyone has received this.
Pastor Josh:And so if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, if you have trusted in him in faith to save you from your sins, you are indwelled by the Spirit.
Pastor Josh:And in that indwelling of the Spirit, we have been given a gift from God.
Pastor Josh:We're going to see what that looks.
Speaker C:Like here in a few moments.
Pastor Josh:But it says that everyone has received a gift, and then it tells us what we are to do with that gift.
Pastor Josh:You know, I think a lot of times in our life we think of a gift is something that we take.
Speaker C:And we hold to ourselves.
Pastor Josh:But actually it says here what we are supposed to do with that gift.
Pastor Josh:It says, even so, minister the same one to another as good stewards of.
Speaker C:The manifold grace of God.
Pastor Josh:Now what does that mean?
Pastor Josh:That means this.
Pastor Josh:The gift was given to us to use to serve God, to give to other people.
Pastor Josh:So says, minister or serve the same one to another.
Pastor Josh:And so the gift is not given to us to keep to ourselves.
Pastor Josh:The gift is not given to us so that we can get attention or that we can get praise.
Pastor Josh:It says, no, we are given the gift so that we would minister or.
Speaker C:Serve one another as good stewards.
Pastor Josh:And we've talked about stewardship on this podcast before.
Pastor Josh:But stewardship is essentially using what has been given to us for the cause of the person that has given it to us.
Pastor Josh:So we've been entrusted with something.
Pastor Josh:It's not ours to own, it's ours.
Speaker C:To steward over, to manage over.
Pastor Josh:So God has given you, pure believer.
Pastor Josh:God has given me a gift or gifts so that we would serve one another.
Pastor Josh:And that is the proof of our love for God.
Pastor Josh:That is the proof for us demonstrating our stewardship to God.
Pastor Josh:So it says, do that as good.
Speaker C:Stewards of the manifold or the varied grace of God.
Pastor Josh:Which means that there's different gifts.
Pastor Josh:You know, you might have three people.
Speaker C:Sitting next to you in church, and.
Pastor Josh:All three of those people might have been gifted differently by the Lord.
Pastor Josh:Maybe some have been gifted in hospitality.
Pastor Josh:Verse 9 of First Peter, chapter 4 says, Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
Pastor Josh:So?
Speaker C:So we also will see in Romans.
Pastor Josh:Chapter 12 that one of the spiritual gifts is hospitality.
Pastor Josh:Now going back to that analogy before, between the natural talents, or you could even say the God given talents and the spiritual gift.
Pastor Josh:Let's say, for example, somebody was given the talent that they can cook really well.
Pastor Josh:That's not the spiritual gift, because an unsafe person can cook really well.
Pastor Josh:But what we can see is that as God has gifted us with those talents, we can use those talents in.
Speaker C:The area of our spiritual gift.
Pastor Josh:So in that analogy, God has given me the talent of cooking, and he's given me the spiritual gift of hospitality.
Pastor Josh:Therefore, I can use that talent of cooking with the gift of hospitality.
Pastor Josh:And so there's that ultimate purpose behind it, right?
Pastor Josh:The purpose behind that cooking would be to be hospitable to someone in the name of Jesus Christ, so that they can know him or they can grow in him.
Pastor Josh:So it says there, every person has received the gift, so minister the same one to another as good stewards of.
Speaker C:The manifold or the varied grace of God.
Pastor Josh:That word manifold just means different.
Pastor Josh:And so that's the beauty of God's.
Speaker C:Gifting when it comes to these spiritual.
Pastor Josh:Gifts is that not everybody is gifted the same way.
Pastor Josh:Some people are gifted in the same way, but other people are gifted in a very different way.
Pastor Josh:Some people have been gifted in multiple areas.
Pastor Josh:Maybe another person isn't.
Pastor Josh:But nonetheless, we are called to exercise, to live out those things in our life so that we can be good stewards of the grace of God, the gift of God.
Pastor Josh:Now, I have heard people say, well, you know what?
Pastor Josh:I haven't been gifted in this area.
Speaker C:So therefore, I don't need to think about this.
Speaker C:I don't need to grow in this.
Pastor Josh:No, the Bible says that we're to grow in all these areas.
Pastor Josh:But it does very clearly say that we are gifted in certain areas so that it comes more naturally to us in our lives.
Pastor Josh:And then we see verse number 11 in First Peter, chapter 4.
Pastor Josh:It kind of speaks of two different categories of these service gifts.
Pastor Josh:It says, if any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.
Pastor Josh:So we see that there is an element of a more public ministry, a more public gift.
Pastor Josh:So speaking that that could be someone.
Speaker C:Who'S maybe preaching at your church.
Pastor Josh:You know that individual has that gift of preaching, right?
Pastor Josh:The gift of.
Pastor Josh:And we'll look at Romans, chapter 12 about these gifts, teaching, maybe.
Pastor Josh:But it says that there is a category of these spiritual gifts that are.
Speaker C:More public, more of the public speaking element.
Pastor Josh:So let him speak as the oracles of God, Meaning he's going to use this gift of public speech.
Pastor Josh:It is going to be done in the name of God.
Pastor Josh:It needs to be done in the power of God.
Pastor Josh:It needs to be done in the will of God.
Pastor Josh:So there is a stipulation to that.
Pastor Josh:I'm not just using this gift for my own glory, but for the glory of God.
Pastor Josh:Then it says if any man minister.
Pastor Josh:So this is, this is the idea of service.
Pastor Josh:This would be the category of things behind the scenes.
Pastor Josh:Maybe not a public display of this gift, but maybe a, a private display or maybe a display to only a few people.
Pastor Josh:Says, if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth.
Pastor Josh:Meaning we can't serve unless we are trusting in the power of God, trusting in the strength as God supplies it.
Pastor Josh:You know that verse, Philippians, chapter 4, verse 13, I can do all things through Christ.
Pastor Josh:That verse is talking specifically in context about things that God has allowed to come up into my life, opportunities that God has brought into my life or allowed into my life.
Pastor Josh:He's going to give me the strength to do that.
Pastor Josh:So let him do that as the ability which God hath given him, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh:And so we see that the ultimate goal for these spiritual gifts would be to give glory to God through Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh:And so we will explore this thought a little bit more next week.
Pastor Josh:But the understanding about this is that the wrong way to go about these spiritual gifts would be to be doing it for ourselves, be doing it for.
Speaker C:Our own cause, be doing it for our own glory.
Pastor Josh:But the right way, the spiritual way, the biblical way, would be to do these gifts, to live out these gifts, I should say, in a way that glorifies God.
Pastor Josh:And then it goes on to say.
Speaker C:To whom be praise and dominion forever and ever.
Pastor Josh:So the motive behind these gifts would be to give honor and glory to God.
Pastor Josh:So let me summarize it this way.
Pastor Josh:If you are a believer, you are gifted.
Pastor Josh:You are gifted with the grace of God.
Pastor Josh:So it's not something that you have earned.
Pastor Josh:And God in his discretion, God in his love has given you a specific gift or gifts.
Pastor Josh:Now, as he has given that gift, he has also given you a reason to have that gift first and foremost.
Speaker C:That is to serve others.
Pastor Josh:But to serve others in the name of the glory of God.
Pastor Josh:And so we use our gifts to the point where we help people, yes, we encourage people, we educate people, we challenge people.
Speaker C:But we do that in the name of service.
Pastor Josh:But we do that also in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God.
Pastor Josh:And so that is the overall principle.
Speaker C:Of the spiritual gifts.
Speaker C:Now, next week we will look more.
Pastor Josh:Into those specific spiritual gifts, specifically in the book of Romans, Romans chapter 12.
Speaker C:We call them the ministering gifts, the service gifts.
Pastor Josh:And there's a list of gifts given there in Romans chapter 12 that explains.
Speaker C:These different gifts and how we are.
Pastor Josh:To go about living out these gifts to other people around us.
Pastor Josh:Now, there's a lot of debate about.
Speaker C:The different list of gifts in Scripture.
Pastor Josh:There's three different lists.
Pastor Josh:There's the list of ministering gifts that we see in Romans chapter 12.
Pastor Josh:That's the one we're going to spend the most time on because we see this passage in First Peter, chapter four, really speaking of that ministering.
Pastor Josh:And so these are the ministering gifts.
Pastor Josh:There's also the gift of the miraculous gifts that we see in the Book of Acts and in certain elements of the New Testament.
Pastor Josh:And so those are the miraculous gifts.
Pastor Josh:Those are different than the ministering gifts.
Pastor Josh:I believe different people vary on that opinion.
Pastor Josh:But then we also see that there are ministerial positional gifts.
Pastor Josh:Right?
Pastor Josh:There's a passage in Ephesians that talks about on pastors, teachers, evangelists.
Pastor Josh:And so we're going to be focusing this in this series on the ministering gifts, the service gifts that are mentioned in Romans chapter 12.
Pastor Josh:And so I encourage you to follow along with this series.
Pastor Josh:If you've never identified what your spiritual gift is, this could be an opportunity for you to study along with us and see where you fit in that.
Pastor Josh:Because the Bible does say very clearly, if you trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, if you have the Holy Spirit indwelling you, he's given you a.
Speaker C:Grace, and that he's given you a.
Pastor Josh:Gift, not just in salvation, the greatest gift of salvation, but he's also giving you a gift to use to those for those around you for the cause of the Gospel.
Pastor Josh:So back in First Peter, chapter four, he starts in verse eight and he says, and above all things have fervent charity among yourselves.
Pastor Josh:And so the heart of this is love for each other.
Pastor Josh:And for charity shall cover a multitude of sins.
Pastor Josh:Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
Pastor Josh:So he really is demonstrating there in that passage that these gifts are all about service.
Pastor Josh:These gifts are all about helping others and not helping yourself.
Pastor Josh:These gifts are all about pointing people to Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh:And so I encourage you to think about that.
Pastor Josh:As in the month of December, we're thinking about gifts here at Middletown Baptist Church.
Pastor Josh:We're thinking about ultimately the gift of God's grace and his salvation that he extends to all.
Pastor Josh:But then we also think about as he has gifted us with that salvation, he's also gifted us in service.
Pastor Josh:And many times we don't see service as a gift.
Pastor Josh:We see salvation as a gift, but we don't see service as a gift.
Speaker C:We see Service sometimes as an inconvenience.
Pastor Josh:Or we see service sometimes as something we have to do, even though it might not be as pleasurable as we would like it to be.
Pastor Josh:But actually the biblical way to see it is joyful.
Speaker C:The biblical way to see it is coming to it with excitement that we.
Pastor Josh:Get to serve God because He has gifted us.
Pastor Josh:And so I would really encourage you to think about that when we come to these spiritual gifts that we're going to be talking about next week.
Pastor Josh:And I hope that it can be clear in Scripture where God has you to be serving within the ministry that you are a part of.
Speaker C:And I hope you are part of.
Pastor Josh:A local body of believers, a church.
Pastor Josh:If you want to know more about the church, we have a series on what the church is, the definition of church, and what that looks like back in our Word of the Week podcast.
Speaker C:And I encourage you to look back.
Pastor Josh:On that in the catalog there.
Pastor Josh:And I hope that would be a blessing to you.
Pastor Josh:So it might not be Middletown Baptist Church that you attend, but I would encourage you to think about a church that you can be a part of and serve in and give glory to God through your life.
Pastor Josh:Now, certainly your gifts are not designed only for the church.
Pastor Josh:I mean, obviously there are.
Pastor Josh:There are people that you can impact outside of the church.
Pastor Josh:But I would say that there is a strong element in the scriptures that that really include the idea of assembling together, edifying each other.
Pastor Josh:That means building up, exhorting each other.
Pastor Josh:That means challenging, and then certainly evangelizing, bringing the loss to Christ.
Pastor Josh:But we also do know that there is that element of education within the church.
Pastor Josh:And we're not talking about just head knowledge, we're talking about head knowledge.
Pastor Josh:Yes, but also heart knowledge.
Pastor Josh:And so all of these elements kind of fall into that idea of the spiritual gift.
Pastor Josh:Some people are encouragers.
Pastor Josh:Some people are those that are going to exhort, they're going to challenge.
Pastor Josh:There's going to be some people that are going to teach.
Pastor Josh:There's going to be some people that are going to, you know, edify each other and build each other up by.
Speaker C:Certain areas of service.
Pastor Josh:And so I hope that this will be a time not just for you to understand the spiritual gifts, but also to understand how it looks in your own life.
Pastor Josh:So thank you so much for being here this week, listening to this podcast.
Pastor Josh:We're looking forward to coming back next week and looking more at these spiritual gifts.
Pastor Josh:And I encourage you to seek the Lord in this desire to serve him to the best of your ability.
Pastor Josh:God bless you.
Pastor Josh:We will talk to you next week.
Pastor Josh:Have a wonderful week and take care.
Host:Hey, I really appreciate that you listened to the Word of the Week podcast.
Host:If you have any questions about the podcast or about our church, Middletown Baptist Church, you can find more information about us on Facebook, Facebook or YouTube.
Host:Or you can find the podcast on NBCPodcast.org you can contact me directly at Josh Massaroiddletownbaptistchurch.org stay tuned for future Word of the Week episodes where we dive deeper into words that impact our life according to Scripture.
Pastor Josh:Thank you so much.
Host:God Bless.
Host:We'll talk to you soon.
