Welcome back to the podcast on Monday. We took a look at what distinguishes our lives from the lives of non Christians around us there in a PJ 1858.

We touched on spiritual gifts a little bit and then in the episode before that we asked what are my skills worth.

That was APJ 1857, which was a fascinating discussion because in many churches you have a doctor, a lawyer, a plumber, a carpenter, an automacanic, someone who who makes money from their skills.

And sometimes those skills can be exploited by people in the local church for free.

And maybe you've experienced that very thing yourself.

So the conclusion was be willing to pay for the service, pepper said. And if the skilled person wants to make a special gift to you, that's his or her to decide not yours to expect.

It's a good summary.

So if skilled Christians in the church share the same skills you will find among non Christians outside the church, what makes a spiritual gift spiritual?

Because as we'll hear today, many unbelievers have great abilities, abilities to lead and demonstrate and teach, but those gifts are not automatically spiritual gifts.

Obviously.

So what makes a spiritual gift spiritual?

In a sermon, Pastor John turned to Paul's testimony in Romans 1 for the answer.

There Paul writes, quote, for I long to see you, the church in Rome, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you. That is that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.

This Romans 1 verses 11 to 12. Here's Pastor John to unpack it and to apply it.

So the basic problem is becoming the kind of person who wakes up in the morning and thanks God for life and for salvation.

And then says, Lord, oh, how I want to strengthen people's faith today at work.

Lord, let me come to the end of this day and be able to look back and say somebody has more confidence in your promises today because I crossed their path.

Somebody is more happy in your grace because I crossed their path.

That's the main problem, waking up and being that kind of person. The reason I say that's the basic problem and not the discovery of spiritual gifts is because if there were 550 people in this church waking up and saying that and praying that and meaning that the Holy Spirit would not leave you frustrated in finding ways to do that.

He will not let a person whose heart is earnestly desire of building other people up, go without building them up. He will help you find those ways and the finding of those ways will be the discovering of your gifts.

It doesn't matter whether you can find a name for it or not.

So let's apply ourselves to becoming the kind of people who more and more long to build up each other's faith, to make each other happier in the Lord, to make each other more confident in his promises.

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