100 Days to a Healthier ChurchSample

Day 33

Today’s Big Idea: What are the spiritual gifts of other church members? Thankfully, you’re not the only person who’s called to serve God through your local congregation. Every believer is called to do the same. Certainly, there will always be those who are more involved than others, but everyone should be doing something.

In business for instance, 80 percent of sales will come from 20 percent of customers, while 80 percent of new customers will be brought in by 20 percent of cold calls. In churches, this typically works itself out as 80 percent of the work of the church will be done by 20 percent of the congregation.

But typical results don’t have to be inevitable results. God’s principles are higher than the Pareto principle. And He has determined that everyone has a part to play in His body, the church.

Key Verse: Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)

Thoughts to Consider: Once again, unity is the focus of a passage about the spiritual gifts. When we consider the gifts, our focus is often about who’s going to do what—and that’s not a wrong way to look at them. In fact, we will spend a good deal of time on that, as the scripture does. But God’s primary concern with the operation of the gifts in the church is not about what we do, but how we treat each other.

Those who are gifted to lead the church are commanded to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).

As you consider how God wants to use spiritual gifts to accomplish His purposes in your congregation, take some time over the next week to consider the people you know in the church. What spiritual gifts have you seen in action? What do you believe they are or might be called to do? And, especially as this process moves forward, who seems especially gifted to work with this team to tackle the tasks that may be coming?

Church Member:

Their Possible Spiritual Gift(s):