Spiritual Gifts

God has handed every believer a supernatural, Spirit-empowered gift, but like a birthday present bought for someone else, it isn't meant to stay in our own hands. We are built to belong to one another, not just sit in the same room, and it's only when we live intentionally with our gifts, out of love, that we start living like Jesus and the church becomes healthy.

Jesus already loves us and redeemed us — Ephesians 4 simply asks us to live like it. That means embracing our God-given calling not as a private, individual pursuit, but as gifted members united to the body of Christ, surrendering our natural time, talent, and money so God can do the supernatural.

Jesus gave His followers one clear mission before He ascended: go and make disciples. Real faith is not about what we get out of church attendance but about intentionally investing our story, our time, our gifts, and our money in reaching others, because that intentionality is also what grows and blesses us.

Suffering for doing right feels like everything in us wants to fight it — but the way to actually regain traction in life is the opposite of what our instincts tell us. Pastor Bill shows from 1 Peter 4 that turning into the skid means living by faith instead of feelings, and choosing to genuinely be the church rather than merely attending one.

The church is not a place to be a consumer — it's the gathering of people Jesus said not even the gates of hell could overcome. When the Holy Spirit came to indwell every believer, He brought each one a gift, and that gift was never meant for self, but to strengthen and serve the whole body.