For the Profit of All

 One of the keys to understanding the Christian life is to realize God doesn't want us to be independent and selfish. His design is for every believer to have close fellowship with other believers and to be concerned about their spiritual well-being.  That is one of the functions of the Holy Spirit. We connect with other Christians because we have the same Father, the same Lord Jesus, and the same Holy Spirit.

The Lord knows that we all need help from the Holy Spirit to grow in Christ, so He gives every believer gifts of the Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:7) Each different gift is a manifestation of the Spirit. The gifts are not just given to help us. They are for the profit of all believers. We are to use our gifts to help other Christians become more like Jesus.

A person with the gift of teaching should use it to help others know God's Word and thus know God more and more. The gift of mercy is to be used to minister to those in need and to get them through hard times. The gift of leadership or administration helps the whole church grow in the Lord by making sure everything works according to God's will. The other spiritual gifts help in similar ways.

So the church has different members with different gifts, so each member can be strengthened in every area, as they minister to each other with their gifts. If we don't use our gifts well, we won't grow as we should, and others won't grow as they should. If we don't get help from others using their gifts, we will be lacking. That ii why we have to look out for the profit of all.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read I Corinthians 14-16.