Key points
- 1
1Every Christian has been given at least one Spirit-empowered gift — not for themselves, but for someone else.
- 2
2We are built to belong to one another, not merely to sit in the same room together. A faith that is only observational cannot be transformational.
- 3
3We genuinely need each other — the word Paul uses means 'necessary for survival, essential to function.' A church cannot be healthy when members withhold their gifts.
“faith that is only observational can't be transformational”
- 4
4There are no spare parts in the body of Christ. Every role — from children's ministry to facilities to safety and security — is significant and contributes to people coming to Christ.
“There's no spare parts in the body of Christ. We”
A story from life
Pastor Bill's ankle-to-knee-to-back injury chain illustrating how one unhealthy part affects the whole body
- 5
5We are ultimately built to give ourselves away, but this only works when it flows from agape — a self-giving, other-first love that acts — not from guilt or duty.
“Agape means self giving other first love that acts”
“There is nothing, nothing, nothing that replaces the feeling of when you let God use you, when you use the gift he gave you to be a gift giver”
A story from life
Pastor Bill shares how he first shared the gospel at age 16 at a high school outreach event, resulting in 29 classmates coming to Christ
A story from life
Jimmy Calabrese shares his testimony: from horror rock band and comic book industry to volunteering in Rock Point's marketing department and producing a Christian radio show
- 6
6Using your gift is not about adding one more item to your to-do list; it requires surrendering the directorship of your life to Jesus as Lord.
“I wasn't getting a new career, I was getting a new master”
“God gives us gifts for gift giving”
Application
Pastor Bill's call is straightforward: stop waiting on the sidelines and find your place in the body. If lies, hurt, or busyness are holding you back, bring those to God first — He wants you healthy and free. If you're already serving, keep going; your work is seen and it matters more than you know. For everyone else, the next step isn't adding one more obligation to an already-full life. It's asking a different question: who is the director of my life? When Jesus is Lord, the gifts He has placed in you become the means by which His love flows through you to others — and that, Pastor Bill says from personal experience, is the one thing your career, your family, and nothing else in life can give you.
