Using Gifts for Each other

Over the past couple of weeks we've looked at marks of a healthy church member:
1. Unity in Diversity
2. Dependent on God and on each other

This week we look at the next mark:  Using our Spiritual Gifts to build others up.

Spiritual Gifts are those things given to us by God that are to be used for pointing others to Christ and expanding the Kingdom of God.  They could be skills, aptitudes, attitudes, or anything else that it seems comes natural to us, or something we have become good at with a lot of hard work.

The word gift implies something that is for us!  Something that we could give to someone else for their benefit and enjoyment.  But a spiritual gift is not to be for us, but is to be for others!

The 3rd mark of a healthy church member is that they use their spiritual gifts to build others up!  To lift up and encourage other people in the body of Christ.  This means we must have an outward focus that reaches others, and pulls people toward Christ.  This was modeled for us by Christ.

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.
And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.
All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they?  All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?  But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.  1 Cor 12:27-31