Dear God, we gather here this hour to give you thanks for all we have received from your hand and by your grace. Be with us, we pray, as we hear your word and see to unwrap the gifts you have placed in our possession. Amen.

 

 

 

 

This is the Word of the Lord for us this day.

 

 

 

If you are new with us today, we are continuing a series, talking about spiritual gifts and how the fact that we have not only been made by God, but that God has given us things to do in this life. We have a purpose for being here. And it’s about our gifts. That’s what we want to talk about today. I want to try to find out which zone you might happen to be in today. The researchers say that everybody is essentially in one of three zones. 

 

What is the Panic Zone? Anybody ever been in the Panic Zone? The Panic Zone is where you panic. That’s when you’re out of your league. That’s when you are doing things and doing work that you’re not gifted for. You are not equipped for. You’re not educated. You’re not trained to do. You’re simply over your head. Anybody ever been in the Panic Zone before? Hands? All the rest of you are lying! OK? If you’ve never been in the Panic Zone, I want to invite you to preach all three services for the next six straight weeks. Welcome to the Panic Zone. OK? 

 

On the other end of the spectrum is the Drone Zone. That’s where things are just too darn easy for you. You’re in a job. You’re doing stuff that’s just beneath your talents. It’s mindless. It’s zero challenge. You’re bored out of your gourd. That’s the Drone Zone. Some of us know about that. We’ve been in the Drone Zone before. We know it’s not a place we want to be. 

 

In between those two extremes, they say, is what is called the C Zone. And that’s the Challenge, Confidence, Commitment, Control Zone. OK?   That’s where your gifts and your abilities perfectly match the task that you’ve been given to do. Now, in the Church we call that the “J Zone,” which stands for Joy. We say it’s joy, because you find yourself saying when you’re in that zone, “This is me. This is what I was made to do. I enjoy this. This is fun. I am good at this. It just makes me feel good to be doing those kinds of things.” That, folks, I suggest, is where the Creator of all that is wants you and me to be living our lives – in the J Zone.

 

Now last week, we learned from Psalm 139 that you and I are wonderfully, fearfully, awesomely made. In fact, we also learned that everything that we have and everything we are is essentially a gift from God. That God has shaped, formed, indeed, custom-made you to be you; that you are unique; that you are an original; that there will never be another you here on this planet. That God made you to be you and doesn’t want you to be anybody else.

Furthermore, God made and shaped you for a purpose. You have something to contribute. You have a reason for being here on this planet. Once you have become aware of that and once you have grasped that, the sooner you can focus in on gradually moving into the J Zone. That’s where your gifts come in. 

 

The good news today is there are some gifts that are being offered to you that are spiritual in nature. Once you open yourself to receiving those gifts; once you say “yes” to God; once you step over the line spiritually and accept, unwrap, and, indeed, embrace the gift that is faith – because faith is a gift. The Bible is very clear about that. I cannot give you faith. You can’t give faith to anyone else. You can witness to your faith, but people have faith, or they don’t. That’s because it’s a gift. The witness of the Scriptures, the testimony of the faithful, have said for centuries when you choose to step over that line, God has four major gifts that God wants to give you.

 

Number One: God gives you the gift of forgiveness. Folks, we all have places in our lives where we are bleeding. Sometimes it is guilt over hurtful things that we have, in fact, done to others. Sometimes it’s resentment over hurtful things that others have done to us. Not getting that squared away is like a spiritual fishhook that’s lodged in your soul. It’s miserable. We have folks that suffer from that. The answer to both of those is quite frankly, one word, “forgiveness.” It’s asking for it, and it’s offering it.   Jesus says in Matthew 9, “Know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” That’s the first gift God wants to give us when we step over that line.

 

Number Two: God wants to give us the gift of life now and life eternal. Once you know where you are going, you can gear up and you can enjoy the journey. You know how many people don’t know where they’re going. Romans 6 says, “The wages of sin (the word ‘sin’ means separation); the wages of separation from God is clear – it’s death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” 

 

Now you and I know folks who simply do not believe in heaven. They say what they are experiencing, and what they see, and what they know is all there is. And for them, sometimes, they say it is helpful to know that, because then you can genuinely appreciate the here and now, but when it’s over, it’s over. For those folks, well, we wish them well. I also know folks who believe in life after death but it has nothing to do with God; God’s not involved. This is sort of the theme of The Five People You Meet in Heaven book or movie that was put out. My response to them is, “Good luck.” 

 

The New Testament message is fairly clear. There is a heaven, and there is a God who creates all that is, and that heaven, or that eternal life, is wherever God happens to be. The only way you or anybody else is ever going to be a part of that is because it’s a free gift from God. There’s that word again, “gift.” There’s no charge. You can’t make it happen. You can’t buy it. All you can do is accept it. But you mustunwrap that gift because it is a gift.

 

Number Three: The third thing God wants to give you is the gift of God’s Spirit. God says, “I am going to put my Spirit, my living Spirit, inside of you.” Romans 5 says it this way: “God has given us God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to fill our hearts with God’s love.” That Spirit of love produces good things. It produces fruit. 

 

How do you know if you are living the spiritual life? Paul says you will know because there are nine qualities that begin to emerge. God has put these nine things into your life. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

 

I was doing well until we got to that last one. Self Control. Those are the fruits, the fruits of the Spirit, those famous fruits. 

 

There are a ton of folks who are part of the community of faith, and they simply have yet to unwrap these gifts that have been given. That is what we keep talking about here – the encounter that people have with the Spirit of the Living God begins, you see, to create those gifts.

 

Number Four: The fourth gift God wants to give you is the gift of some special abilities. Now the Bible calls these things spiritual gifts. They are special abilities that you need, that I need, that every single person needs to get the job God wants you to do done. Now, what’s interesting is that many, many people who are part of the community of faith don’t even know that they have some of these special abilities. But the point is, they’re there. You have them. Now, they may be dormant, they may be waiting to be used, but they, according to the Scriptures, are in you. They are in your life because God put them there. 

 

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12, says, “I never stop thanking God for all the generous gifts (there it is again) that God has given you now that you belong to Christ Jesus. The Lord has enriched your community of faith in many ways and you have everything you need in the way of gifts.” 

 

Folks, that’s certainly true of Broadway. This is one of the most gifted churches I have ever seen. There are literally hundreds of people, very gifted people, in this congregation. I think that’s why it’s so exciting. It’s so exciting to just begin to think, and pray, and listen, to what God might want this community of faith to do next, because I believe, given the giftedness of this church, it’s going to be substantial. I believe it’s going to be important. I think it’s going to be awesome, and it’s going be awesome because God has given, according to Scripture, every single believer in this place at least one spiritual gift. Most of you have many, many more that you don’t even know about yet, and they’ve been given to you as a means, according to today’s text, of helping the entire Church for the good of all. That’s what your gift’s to do. 

 

Folks, the Lord is never going to ask you and is never going to ask us to do something that God doesn’t provide us the ability to do. Now, I know you know that, but what you may not know is that you do not get to choose your gift. You have a gift, but it’s not there for your benefit. It’s not given for you. It’s given, according to the text, for you to help others. Other people, you see, in the church family are also given gifts, and they are given gifts to help you. But you see what happens if you don’t use your gifts, and they don’t use their gifts, and I don’t use my gifts; we all get cheated. I can’t tell you how many churches in this country are living on spiritual crumbs. 

 

It’s like a jigsaw puzzle. You see the whole thing laid out. You know, maybe you have a 500-piece puzzle. Maybe you’ve seen them on tables. People work those puzzles, and there are 500 pieces, maybe a 1,000 pieces. One piece is missing. Where does your eye go immediately when you’re looking at that table? To the one piece that’s missing. Folks, if you don’t discover, if you don’t develop, if you don’t use the gifts that are lying dormant in your life, all of us get cheated. We do.

 

Let me give you four reasons why we need to know our spiritual gifts. 

 

Number One: Those spiritual gifts actually shape the work we have to do in this world. Jesus said, “I must work the work of the one who sent me.” Key word here: “work the work.” 

 

Paul said it this way: “Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus.” 

 

Folks, did you know that you have work that is assigned to you; work that nobody else can do the way you can? It’s called your life’s work. It’s also called your vocation, your calling from God, your career. Some people call it their job. God does not give a person the gift of life on this earth without giving them a life’s work; something that makes a contribution. You are here… Every single person is here on this planet to make a difference. They may not know that, but they are here to make a difference. 

 

Now the obvious problem is that we’ve got tons of folks who are in the wrong job. We’ve got folks who are doing things they are not shaped for. We have folks employed in a variety of settings primarily for economic reasons. If that’s the case, let me have the privilege of saying this to you. If you’re in a job that is not using your gifts, get out of it. I don’t know how to say it more clearly than that. Life is too short to waste it. Life’s too short. Get out of it. Even if it means a cut in salary. Even if it means selling your home. Even if it means moving out of Columbia. Why? Because your life is too important. 

 

The greatest things in life are not things. You know that. I know that. What matters, biblically, is what God has formed you, shaped you, custom-made you to do. Know your gifts, and you’ll know what your mission is. The Bible says you have basically two missions in this life. One is the mission you have to perform for the whole world, and the other is the mission that you have to perform to your community of faith. Both of them are important. One without the other is a mistake. Gifts shape your work.

 

Number Two: Gifts actually show your worth. Ephesians 3:2 says, “We are the masterpieces of God.” We are God’s masterpieces. The scholars say the Greek word for “masterpiece” translated there is the word poiema, which they tell me in English is where we get that word “poem.” You see, God says, “You are my poem. You are my work of art. You are my masterpiece. You are an original. You are unique.”  

 

That means that you are valuable, because God says that you’re valuable, and God gave you gifts so that you can make your unique, special, unusual contribution. That means you’re needed. Your family needs you. Your neighbors need you. Your community needs you. Your church needs you. The world needs you. 

 

Some say, “You know, Broadway is so big, so many talented people, how could they possibly need little me?” 

 

The answer to that is very simple and clear. We need you, because God guided you right here. We believe that. God didn’t bring you here to sit, soak, and sour. OK? What sits, soaks, and sours? Sauerkraut. Isn’t that right?   That’s what sits, soaks, and sours. That’s not the reason you are here. Just be what God created you to be and offer what it is that you’ve got.

 

Number Three: The third reason you need to know your spiritual gifts is that it shares your worship. What that means is, when you are actually using the gifts that God has given you, you are worshipping. Did you know that? It may be in church. It may not be in church. It could be any place at any time. Any time you are using the gifts God gave you, it brings a smile to God’s face. When God smiles, and we’re using our gifts, we’re worshipping. That’s a good thing. 

 

Anybody ever remember that movie called Chariots of Fire? Remember that movie? It is a wonderful movie. It’s been out a long time. You might pick it up again some time. One of the key characters – you may remember him – is Eric Liddell. Eric is a Scottish guy.   He’s this Olympic-level runner. He’s an incredibly gifted athlete. He has one of the great lines in the movie that goes like this: “I was made by God to run. When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” 

 

What I want you to see is it’s an act of worship. It gives God glory when we are doing what we are gifted to do. The greatest feeling in the world is using your gifts for what God put you on this earth to do. If you haven’t experienced that… If you are not conscious of that… If you are not aware of that, I’m sad. I’m sorry for you. Because there’s no feeling in the world like actually being able to do what God has gifted you to do – what you were custom-made to do.

 

Number Four: The fourth reason you should know your gifts is because they shine your light. Jesus said, and we say this every Christmas Eve, “Let your light so shine before people that they may see your good works.” 

 

What are your good works? The things you’re gifted, shaped, custom-made to do. Those are your good works. “That they may see your good works and glory your father in heaven.” It’s an incredible, powerful thing. It not only makes God smile, it not only makes you happy, but when you’re doing what God really calls you and shapes you to do, it tends to draw other people to God. Did you know that? It’s a witness. It’s amazing. It communicates. It draws, lures, pulls, entices people to the reality of God, which, in turn, means there is every possibility that that person’s life might be eventually, some day, transformed. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. That I believe, and others do as well. That is how this world is going to get turned around, and that’s how it’s going to be redeemed. It’s going to happen one person, one encounter, one gift at a time.

 

So how do you get started with those gifts? Those ones that God has already put inside you that may be lying dormant but are there.

 

Number One: You have to discover them. That’s obvious. You can’t use them if you don’t know what they are. Can you name your spiritual gifts? Do you know what they are? If you don’t, let me ask you to sign up for Broadway’s Life Focus Seminar. It’s a marvelously designed instrument. The next session is going to be October 20 – 22. It’s a way. It’s a process. Spend a couple of days discovering, identifying, naming your unique, special spiritual gifts.

 

Number Two: Now the second way you can do that, I want to suggest, is to become part of a small group. I don’t know how many of you are in a small group. I think we have about 220 or 230 folks in this church of 900 active, participating people that are in small groups. That’s not enough. We need to be in a small group, because those folks will recognize your giftedness many times before you will. If you’re not in a group, talk to Kim, or call the staff. Get in a group some way. 

 

In fact, we’re getting ready to do 40 days of prayer starting September 9, and we’re hoping to do it within the context of small groups. What a great time. We just spent 40 days of experimenting in this effort, and we’re really hoping that you’ll be a part of that.

 

Number Two: Dedicate your gifts. Once you know what your gifts are, then dedicate them back to God. Romans 6 says, “Give yourselves completely to God, using your whole self as a tool, as an instrument, to do what is right for the glory of God.” 

 

Some of you already know what you’re good at. And you are good at it. But you’re not using it for the Lord. You’re using it for you, maybe for some other purposes, but not for his purposes. 

 

One of the most fascinating ministries that I have ever encountered – maybe I have talked to you about this before – is called the “Ministry of Money.” Have you ever heard of that before? It originated in the Church of the Savior in Washington, D.C., one of the most awesome congregations in the country. Their mission statement essentially says, “We exist to reach out to persons who are suffering from the ill effects of affluence.” 

 

Oh, my gosh. Did you know those people are suffering? It’s amazing. These are people who have amazing gifts to make major dollars. They make a lot of money, but they’re killing themselves. They’re harming people around them, because they are using that incredible gift in the wrong way. It doesn’t really matter. Affluence, something else, regardless of your gift, dedicate that gift back to God.

 

Number Three: Develop those gifts. They’re like muscles. The more you use them the better they are; the more effective you are. You can study them. You can learn about them. Get connected with some folks who have the same kind of gift. Learn from them. That’s how we do it.

 

Number Four: Deploy your gifts. We all know what the word deploy means. We hear it almost every day on the news. Our guys and our gals are getting deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, a variety of other places. What I want you to hear today is that you can deploy your gifts, which simply means put them into service. Get out on the field. Get into the action. Actually start doing something. You know, if you know your gift, you can name it, but you’re not doing anything with it, we’re only halfway there, folks. It doesn’t matter. You have to deploy it. 

 

What’s the best way to do that? Again, I would suggest being part of a small group. It’s amazing. It’s a safe place. It’s a place you can test things out. You can try using some gifts you’ve never even tried using before. 

 

Well, there are a variety of other things I’d like to lift up to you today. I want to close simply by saying this: You and I serve an amazing God. It seems like this God has this very interesting, unusual plan for redeeming and transforming and healing the entire world. Evidently the strategy goes, according to Scripture, something like this: “What I’ll do is I’ll give every single person in the community of faith different gifts. And then everyone will have a place. Everyone will have a role to play. Everyone will be needed. Everybody will get involved. And everybody will make a contribution. Not only will they be rewarded because they do that, the world, you see, will actually get turned around, restored, redeemed, saved, if you will, healed.” 

 

Folks, it’s all based on spiritual gifts. That’s how big a deal what we’re talking about today is. I suggest that the redemption of all that is in this world comes down to people of faith doing what God gave them, what God wired them to do in this life. 

 

Imagine. Just imagine what would happen if everybody in this congregation… If we had no spectators… Every person in this congregation knew what their gift was and was using their gifts in this place. My goodness! Can you just imagine the impact? The impact we would have in this community and beyond. It would be literally… We’re going to have approximately 500 people walk into this place today. Every single one of you has had gifts delivered and placed inside of you, but many of them are still, quite frankly, unwrapped. 

 

Just imagine. Imagine with me what would happen. What would really happen if the people of just this congregation knew their gifts and put them into action? Awesome. 

 

And we all say together… “Amen.”

 

 

 

Great Giver, thanks for the gifts. At first, I wasn’t sure they were for me. Now that I have opened them up and tried them on, I realize that most fit perfectly. Some, I will grow into. My hope is that I will use these gifts until they are worn out. You knew just what to give me. Thank you. Amen.