Oct 23, 2016
Once a person has found their identity in Christ, they have the calling and privilege to work out their identity for Christ (Phil. 2:12, 13). God is a gift-giver and always gives His best (1 John 4:11-14)! In joining the family of God, believers are given a place and a job. Everything should be done in an attitude of love and service rather than pride and selfishness. God's gifts are not to bless the person, but to bless the people (1 Cor. 12:7). Believers are to realize life is short and opportunities must be taken advantage of (Eph. 5:8-17). In the church there needs to be unity, but not necessarily uniformity. A church can have disagreements, but God never gifts a person with a critical spirit for disunity of the church (gossip, slander, anger, fighting, etc., Eph. 4:31; 1 Pet. 2:1). A healthy church is like a healthy body-though diverse in its parts, each part must do its job so all the others can survive and flourish. The Holy Spirit indwells a person for salvation and infills them for serving.