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This morning we are focusing on the Scripture memory verse for the month. Our theme for the month is the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the verse is 1 Peter 4:10, which reads “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.”

When you come to faith in Christ, you not only receive eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and freedom from guilt and shame, but you are also given the Holy Spirit to live inside of you. And through the Holy Spirit, we are given spiritual gifts, supernatural gifts that encourage other Christians and help them grow to maturity. Consider the following passages:

1 Corinthians 14:12 - Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

1 Corinthians 12:1;4-11 - Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Romans 12:4-8 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

So each of us is given spiritual gifts that are to be used to build up the body, to encourage other believers. And in addition to that, Paul writes:

Ephesians 4:11-13 – It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

His will is that we would all serve each other so that we could reach maturity and attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. To that end, God raises up pastors and teachers to equip, train, and prepare the people to serve God. There is no clergy/laity distinction in the Bible. We are all ministers in God’s church. Everybody plays his or her part.