Christ Equips His People for Service
“And Christ gave gifts to people—he made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to have the work of caring for and teaching God’s people. Christ gave those gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger.” – Ephesians 4:11-12
Have you heard the phrase, “God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called”? This phrase is true. According to Paul, God gave Christ the power to be the giver of the gifts a Christian gets to serve Him. A person needs God’s help to do what He has called them to do (Ephesians 4:12). Whatever gift we receive, we should use them to serve God as well as others for the building up of the body of Christ (1 Peter 4:10). When we do, we are being good servants of God’s various gifts.
The gifts that God gives are important to the body of Christ. The gifts help to equip a believer for the work of ministry that God has chosen for them and they help them to serve Him effectively. If someone is given the gift to teach, a good teacher can effectively teach others the gospel so they can understand it. A false teacher can lead others astray. The same goes for evangelists. An evangelist is a person who preaches the good news of salvation and shares with others that they can only be saved if they believe Jesus died for their sins.
Every believer has a gift which God provides them with (1 Peter 4:10). These gifts are supernatural which means that Christians can do things with help from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they should use what God has given them. Ephesians 4:11-12 only mentions a few gifts that God provides to His people. Some other gifts God gives believers are having compassion, being a good listener, having patience, being an effective leader, showing mercy and so much more. Nevertheless, the greatest gift God provides people is the free gift of salvation which is only possible through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus (Romans 6:23).
Prayer of the day,
Dear heavenly Father,
You are the giver of every gift. Please help us use what You give to serve You and the people in the church, and in the world. The gifts You provide us are used to help build up Christ’s body. He is the real reason why we receive Your grace and salvation. Help us also to use the gifts You give to allow people to see Your glory because all honor and glory belong to You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!
