When I was 16 years old, a friend of my whose dad was the pastor at a local church, asked me to lead worship one Sunday morning. I was very involved in music at my High School, but had never led worship for a congregation before. I definitely had more confidence than skill in this area. Being confident, I agreed. The pastor gave me a list of hymns to be sung that week. I didn’t know them but was sure of my ability to read the music, learn the songs, and lead on Sunday morning. Long story short, things did not go as planned. The people were gracious but I could tell they were as lost as I was as we were attempting to make our way through each hymn.
God often has a way of bringing us back down to earth when we begin to think more highly of ourselves than we ought.
Rom 12:3 (CSB)—For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think.
Paul says, as your mind is renewed and you begin to discern God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will, make sure you do that with a humble heart. When we begin to think too highly of ourselves, God often has a way of bringing us back down to earth.
It sounds a lot like what Paul says to the Philippians:
Phil 2:1-4 (CSB)—If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.
He then goes on to describe Christ’s selfless attitude when He chose to come to earth and die a criminal’s death on the cross for us. Our example is Jesus.
Seeing yourself as valuable is good, because you are. Seeing yourself as significant is good, because you are. Seeing yourself as loved by the creator of the universe is good, because you are!
But when how you see yourself means devaluing others, or seeing others as less significant or less worthy of love than you, then you have a pride problem.
The real problem with pride is what it does to relationships. Pride destroys relationships. When I am most concerned about getting my way, when I am easily offended, and when I look down my nose at others, I have a mindset that will wreck relationships, especially in the church.
Pride can be destructive. It destroys friendships, marriages, and churches.
Remember the context of this letter to the Roman church. What was happening? There was division. Everyone wanted their way. There was a pride problem.
Paul now goes on to talk about the gospel’s power over pride and how, when God begins to transform us by renewing our minds, we discover that we are a part of something much bigger than any one person—something so big that only the God of the universe, through the power of the gospel, could orchestrate. I’m talking about the church. If you and I want to understand and live out God’s grand plan for us and our part in the church, we need to, in humility, learn to serve one another with the gifts God has given to us.
The title of my sermon today is Humility through Service.
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Rom 12:3-5 (CSB)—Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. Now, as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way, we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.
The NLT puts the last part of verse 3 this way: “Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”
In other words, see yourself the way that God sees you. How does he see you? He sees you as having a special and unique part in the Body of Christ, which is the Church. Just like all of the parts of the human body are unique and absolutely necessary for the body’s healthy function, you are unique and absolutely necessary for the healthy function of the Body of Christ.
And it’s not that we are simply people doing our part. You are not just members of the church, like you are a member of the Rotary Club or the Kiwanis Club (good clubs by the way). Paul says we are members of one another.
Again, if you look at the NLT, it says, “… we all belong to each other.”
We are all unique people, with different backgrounds, different experiences, different preferences, different ideas on parenting, how you spend your money, and how you like to spend your free time. We are radically unique individuals with one giant thing in common. We share the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives! That is what brings us together.
1 Cor 6:19-20 (CSB)—Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.
You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. The price paid for your life was the torture and murder of the sinless Son of God. The price was His blood, running down the beams of the cross on which He was killed.
That was the price for our freedom. How do we use this freedom?
Gal 5:13 (CSB)—For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.
We are the Body of Christ; we belong to each other. God empowers us to live out that truth in a practical way by giving each of us special gifts and talents to be used for the purpose of serving one another and building one another up, to learn how, in humility, to serve one another through love.
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Rom 12:6-8 (CSB)—According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
When you give your life to Christ, Eph. 1 says that the Holy Spirit takes us residence in you. That’s not a figure of speach. The Holy Spirit now lives in you. One of the results of the Holy Spirit’s presence in you is the gifts of the Spirit. God, through the Holy Spirit gives you a gift that is intended to be used, in humility, to serve the Body of Christ, the church.
Why do we do this in humility? Because no gift is more significant than another. The Body cannot function without all of the gifts. Just like your body cannot function properly without all of its organs, so the church does not function properly without each of these gifts at work.
The word gifts is the greek word χαρίσματα (charismata) – gifts of the Holy Spirit given to build up the Church and as a testimony to unbelievers.
The first gift he lists is
Prophecy
When we think about prophecy we often think about foretelling the future. But in the New Testament, as a gift of the Spirit to the Body of Christ, it took on a little different meaning, it primarily means “forth-telling.”
Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892) once described this experience he had while preaching:
“I suddenly broke off from my [sermon] subject, and pointing in a certain direction, said, “Young man, those gloves you are wearing have not been paid for: you have stolen them from your employer.” At the close of the service, a young man, looking very pale and greatly agitated, came to the room which was used as a vestry, and begged for a private interview with Spurgeon. On being admitted, he placed a pair of gloves upon the table, and tearfully said, “It’s the first time I have robbed my master, and I will never do it again. You won’t expose me, sir, will you? It would kill my mother if she heard that I had become a thief.”
How would you label Spurgeon’s experience? Is there anything we can compare it with in the New Testament? How about this:
1 Cor 14:24-25 (CSB)— But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or outsider comes in, he is convicted by all and is called to account by all. The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.”
According to the apostle Paul’s description, I would say Spurgeon was exercising the New Testament spiritual gift of prophecy. And it wasn’t an isolated experience for the Prince of Preachers.
“I could tell as many as a dozen similar cases in which I pointed at somebody in the hall without having the slightest knowledge of the person, or any idea that what I said was right, except that I believed I was moved by the Spirit to say it; and so striking has been my description, that the persons have gone away, and said to their friends, “Come, see a man that told me all things that ever I did; beyond a doubt, he must have been sent of God to my soul, or else he could not have described me so exactly.”
The New Testament gift of prophecy does not carry the weight of scripture but instead works in submission to the Word of God. In other words, if someone claims to give you a word of prophecy but it conflicts in any way with the Bible, they are in error. The New Testament gift of prophecy is forth-telling in that it underscores what scripture says, it agrees with what scripture says, and speaks that truth over people’s lives in a way that helps them step into their identity in Christ.
In 1 Cor 14:1 Paul says:
1 Cor 14:1 (CSB)—Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.
Next in Rom 12:7, Paul lists the gift of Service
The gift of prophecy declares truth. The gift of service demonstrates truth. Jesus modeled this over and over again when He would first teach people and then serve them. He would teach truth and then touch people as an illustration of what He taught.
Then, Paul lists Teaching
A teacher is someone who defines truth. A prophet might speak some truth over a person’s life; but a teacher develops that truth and brings understanding to it.
Again, look at Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. He breaks down and gives an explanation to all of these things that the Jews had read, but didn’t really understand. For example:
Matt 5:27 (CSB)—You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.
Then Jesus goes on to explain the intent of that command by God. It is not simply the act of adultery that is wrong, it is the condition of the heart that leads someone to adultery that God really cares about. God is more concerned about the condition of your heart than He is that you are following the letter of the law.
Look what it says at the end of the Sermon on the Mount about Jesus’ teaching:
Matt 7:28-29 (CSB)—When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.
This is the gift of teaching.
Next is the gift of Exhortation.
Exhortation develops the truth of God’s Word. Someone with the gift of exhortation will often give you a kick in the seat of the pants when you need it.
When the disciples were afraid in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus said, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”
We all need brothers and sisters in Christ who will give us out and give us a word of exhortation. Sometimes they are irritating, I know, but they are so needed by all of us, to keep us on track and headed in the right direction.
Next, Paul says if your gift is giving, do it with generosity.
Giving
Giving expands the work. Giving with generosity means giving with no strings attached. The KJV says to give with simplicity. Have you ever been given a gift, but it came with strings attached? You can spend it on this, but not on this. I’ll give you this but you have to use it the way I want you to use it. Don’t give that way. Rather, give with simplicity.
Paul says, if this is your gift, exercise it with generosity. Give liberally. I have known people with the gift of giving. They love to meet needs and get great joy from having a part in seeing God’s work in the world expanding and growing.
Next, Paul says if your gift is leadership, do it with diligence.
Leading
Leaders know how to get things done. Leaders know how to take an idea and bring it to fruition. Leaders know how to bring out the best in the people they are leading.
John Maxwell often says:
He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.”
―John Maxwell
The church needs leaders who lead with diligence, who are fully devoted to God and love the church so much that they use their gift of leadership to lead the Body of Christ into the next generation, leaders who are courageous, visionary, loving, and humble.
Everywhere Jesus went, he was followed by the masses. Every time He taught, people gathered to listen. Even when the road was difficult and led to Jerusalem, where He knew what awaited, He continued to lead.
If you’re building the Body of Christ by showing mercy, do it cheerfully.
Mercy is the last gift listed here.
Those who care for people in the hospital, those who sympathize with those going through a traumatic relationship experience, or those who cry with someone going through the heartbreak of divorce, have the gift of mercy.
Jesus was often moved by compassion and mercy. In Luke 18, Luke tells about the time a time Jesus is passing by a blind man who hears that Jesus is passing by, so he yells out, “Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me.” All the people tell the blind man to shut up and not bother Jesus, but Jesus comes over and He asks the blind man what he wants. “I want to see.” And so Jesus gives him his sight.
These are the seven gifts Paul lists in Romans. There are other lists in 1 Corinthians 12-14 and Ephesians 4. Is this an exhaustive list. I tend to think not, but putting a label on your gift is probably not as important as whether or not you are somehow using what God has given you to serve the church and show the world God’s love.
If you want to understand the gifts of the Spirit better, look at Jesus. See how He ministered mercy, ruled diligently, gave sacrificially, and spoke prophetically over people’s lives. Study Jesus, and you’ll find the perfect example of how these gifts are to function in His body of believers. Jesus is our model for humility through service.
These gifts are the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. As our lives are transformed by God’s presence and the renewing of our minds, we begin to see His character being mirrored in our lives. All of these gifts are reflections of who God is. They are given to us so the Church will grow and develop, and the lost will be found.
We need all of the gifts at work. No one gift is more important than another gift. They all have an important place in the church. Do you know what your gift is?
If not you should check out this spiritual gifts inventory. It will help point you in the right direction.
The important thing is not how you’re using your gift, but that you are using your gift. That is God’s design for you and for New Hope Community Church.
Chris Hankel 
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