God’s Will for Your Life (Romans 12:1-8)
Big Idea: Every church member has unique spiritual gifts vital for ministry, and churches should empower members to use them instead of relying only on pastoral leadership.
I've attended church since childhood, but nine years ago, I learned a principle that improved my ministry and gave me freedom. I discovered my spiritual gifts while training to be a pastor, but I never anticipated others joining in church ministry. We needed people to collect offerings and change diapers in the nursery, but what else could congregation members do? They had not studied Hebrew or Greek. They had never been to seminary.
Other pastors have noted that some church members take on tasks that pastors typically don't, like changing diapers in the nursery. I was pretty sure you didn’t need to know Hebrew and Greek to do that. But as I said, the work was immense. I would manage mail, prepare the bulletin, answer calls, give sermons, visit the sick, reach out to absentees, promote the church, and participate in all programs. When something was wrong with the building, people came to me.
I discovered and started practicing a principle that has made my ministry more fulfilling, rewarding, and less exhausting. My ministry became significantly more effective. I began to discover that I couldn’t do the job alone. I began to put into practice what I already knew about spiritual gifts. Slowly, I helped those around me discover their spiritual gifts and began to release ministry to them.
To my astonishment, ministry began to take place without me. People with no background in Hebrew or Greek understood that God has specific roles for them in the church that I cannot fulfill. When I began equipping others for ministry instead of doing it alone, church morale improved, my satisfaction increased, and we reached our goals.
Napoleon once pointed to a giant map of China and said, “There lies a sleeping giant. If it ever wakes up, it will be unstoppable.” As I stand before you this morning, I say to you that the church is a sleeping giant. Each Sunday, its pews are filled with members who are doing little besides attending regularly and financially supporting the church. To be fair, that’s all they’ve ever been asked to do. But God has far greater expectations for every Christian. God expects every Christian to use his or her gifts and talents in ministry. Rick Warren believes, and I agree, that utilizing the untapped talent and resources in local churches could lead to significant growth in Christianity.
The greatest need in evangelical churches is the release of members for ministry. A Gallup survey found that only 10% of church members are active in any kind of ministry. Fifty percent of church members are uninterested in serving in any ministry. Meanwhile, 40% want to get involved but haven't been asked or don't know how.
To the 10% who are actively involved in ministry at Richview, I say two things: thank you, and help is on the way. You have already discovered the joy that comes from serving God. Thank you for investing your life in service. Hang in there – reinforcements are coming. We plan to lighten your load as more and more members share the ministry here at Richview Baptist Church.
To the 40% of you who have an interest in ministry but have never been asked or don’t know how, I say—hang on, because we have a plan. In the next few months, we will give you tools to find your spiritual gifts and enjoy using them. Starting in January, we will offer a course called Network to help you identify your personal style, gifts, and passions. It will end with a consultation that will help match your gifts to ministry opportunities within the church. We have a plan to provide ongoing on-the-job support and training.
If you're part of the 40% who haven't been asked to serve in this church or don't know how, we will offer the tools and training you need to begin your ministry. You'll soon experience the joy of serving God.
Let me pause and dream with you. By uniting the 10% currently serving with the 40% willing to serve, we can achieve at least 50% of people using their spiritual gifts for God within the next year. Stop and think what could happen if that took place—at least one-half of this congregation active in ministry. Most pastors would think they had died and gone to heaven if this happened. The sleeping giant called the church will begin to show unprecedented power and effectiveness in ministry. In the next six months to a year, let's envision our church eagerly pursuing God's blessings and revival, with many participating in lay ministry. I believe God will bring greater blessings to this church than ever before, and it is achievable. Let’s boldly go forward, and commit to prayer and to begin using our spiritual gifts, shall we?
Three Principles
This morning, I want to address the 50% of you who aren’t interested in serving in ministry. Here are three principles from Romans 12 to inspire you to get involved. If these three principles don’t do it for you, I don’t know what will. These are three principles that should make every believer just scream to begin using their God-given spiritual gifts in ministry.
Spiritual gifts are indispensable to knowing God’s will for your life.
As you’re probably aware, Romans is one of the richest books in the Bible for doctrine. In the first 11 chapters, Paul outlines the basis of our justification in Christ, sanctification by the Holy Spirit, and glorification. In chapters 9 through 11, Paul tackles the mystery of Israel’s rejection of Christ and the sovereignty of God. Chapter 12 begins with the application. In light of this great salvation that God has provided, this is how you should live.
Paul says two things in verses 1 and 2:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Paul states that in response to God's great salvation, there are two logical actions we should take.
First, present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Embrace a mindset of progressive transformation and renewal. According to verse 2, we can prove by testing how good, pleasing, and perfect God's will is for our lives. We will find joy in living by God's will through purity of action and thought.
Many people only read up to verse 2. The only problem is that verse 3 begins with a “For,” which ties the next thought to verses 1 and 2. Paul begins to write in verses 3 to 8 of spiritual gifts. Given God's salvation, it makes sense to strive for purity in our actions and thoughts, and to identify and use our spiritual gifts. Using our spiritual gifts aligns with God's good, pleasing, and perfect will, as mentioned in verse 2.
Let me simplify it for you. If you aren’t using your spiritual gifts, you’re not in the will of God. You haven’t yet discovered how good, pleasing, and perfect God’s will is for your life. You don’t know the joy, the peace, the pleasure that comes from serving God the way that he designed you to. Being pure in mind and actions isn't enough. If you don’t serve God with your spiritual gifts, given all he has done for you, you’re falling short. Spiritual gifts are indispensable to knowing and fulfilling God’s will for your life. And I don’t need to tell you that the more we’re in God’s will, the more we experience joy in the Christian life. The closer we are to what God designed for us, the more we experience the joy and satisfaction that comes from God.
If you’re not yet using your spiritual gift, you’re missing out. Using your spiritual gift helps you understand God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will for your life. I’m telling you, it’s God’s will for your life. If you’re one of the 50% who don’t want to minister within the church, you’re missing out. The church misses out, but so do you. You’ll never discover all that God has planned for your life until you begin to serve the way God designed. That’s the first principle in the passage that should make us want to begin using our spiritual gifts in ministry.
Paul makes a second point.
Spiritual gifts are indispensable to valuing ourselves properly.
Read with me Romans 12:3-6:
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them...
Every believer must know what his spiritual gifts are and what his ministry is to be. Christians can acknowledge their own gifts and those of others, but having an unrealistic view of ourselves is wrong. Paul says in verse 3, “Don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought.” Don't go around overrating yourself and performing a ministry you can't do. There are people who couldn't preach their way out of a paper bag; they shouldn't be preachers. There are believers who don't have any interest or ability with children; they shouldn't be Sunday school teachers. There are some in the church who don’t like people; they shouldn't be greeters. One of the saddest things in the church to see is a believer trying to exercise a gift they don't have.
Chuck Swindoll tells the story of animals who organized a curriculum of running, climbing, swimming, and flying. To make it easier, all animals took all the subjects. The duck was excellent at swimming, but slow in running, so he had to drop swimming to work extra hard at running. The rabbit was the best runner in his class, but developed a leg twitch due to too much catch-up work in swimming. The squirrel was excellent at climbing, but failed flying class because his teacher made him start from the ground up rather than from the treetop down. The eagle was disciplined for being a non-conformist. Swindoll concludes that every creature excels in its unique abilities unless pressured to conform to who they're not.
God has not made us all the same. He never intended to! God planned and designed the differences, unique capabilities, and variations in the Body. God has placed you in his family and given you a set of gifts that makes you unique. Your unique combination of gifts delights God like no other—there’s truly no one else quite like you. Operating in your strengths leads to personal success, benefits the entire church, and brings great satisfaction. So don’t overrate yourself, and don’t undervalue yourself. Verses 3 to 6 tell us that all of us are different within the body. Each of us has unique gifts that are essential for the church to function properly. So relax. Enjoy who you are, and let others who are different from you continue to be themselves as well.
Some of you this morning need to heed Paul’s command in verse 3 to think of yourself with sober judgment. Stop trying to be someone else. Stop exercising gifts you lack. But some of you have been selling yourself short. You’ve undervalued yourself. You argue that you don’t have something to offer. Understanding and using your spiritual gifts is essential to valuing yourself properly within the body called the church.
Paul gives us a third principle:
Spiritual gifts are indispensable to understanding our unique role within the church.
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:7-8)
In the coming weeks, we'll examine the list of gifts more closely. Verses 6 to 8 highlight the diverse gifts God has provided to the church, which is refreshing to see. Just as there are diverse needs within the church body, so God has given a diverse abundance of gifts to meet these needs. Every believer has a share in the ministry. Let me tell you that there are gifts I have that you might not have, and I guarantee that you have gifts that I don’t have. There are things that you can do so much better than I can. I am gifted in preaching/teaching and leadership. Some of you are much more gifted in the areas of serving, encouraging, showing mercy, and so on. Am I threatened by this? Not at all, because I realize that I have a unique role, and you have a unique role. But wait a minute. I'm the pastor. I’m supposed to have all the gifts. Not a chance! The pastor shouldn't handle all the ministry alone; the congregation can meet the church's needs more effectively by using their gifts together.
C. Peter Wagner writes:
Just as important as knowing what gift God has given you is knowing which gifts he hasn’t given you. Many Christians try for years to function with gifts they never had in the first place, and this doesn’t do the Lord’s work much good. It’s like trying to hear something with your knee or throw a ball with your nose. Knees and noses are better off doing other things.
Paul says, if God has given you the gift of serving, then serve. If God has given you the gift of teaching, then teach. If God has given you the gift of encouraging, then encourage. If God has made you a leader, then lead. Imagine a church in which leaders led, teachers taught, merciful people showed mercy. Watch out for a church like that!
But central to this is understanding that God has given you a unique role within the church. It’s God’s will for your life that you serve him using your gifts. You need to use your spiritual gifts in order to properly value yourself properly. You need to discover your spiritual gifts to understand your unique role within the church.
If you’re one of the 10% who are already using your spiritual gifts, thank you. Help is on the way. We will soon have an army of gifted people to come alongside you and lift some of the weight you’re carrying. If you're among the 40% wanting to discover and use your spiritual gifts, we have a plan to help you start a rewarding ministry soon. We will equip you, and you will be used of God in this place. But if you’re one of the 50% who have no interest in serving God using your gifts, let me tell you: we need you. There is something you can offer to Richview that no one else can. There is a unique contribution that is necessary to this church that no one else can make. If you join the ministry, God will use you in amazing ways, and Richview will transform from a sleeping giant into an unstoppable force.
