I have always loved sports. The only thing better than watching sports is playing sports. Team sports like basketball, baseball, and soccer had a huge impact on my life when I was growing up. There was nothing better than playing together on a team where everybody understood their role and really embraced it. On my varsity basketball team, I knew my job was to bring high energy, rebound, play good defense, and make my layups when I grabbed an offensive rebound. Sure, I had a few high-scoring games, but that was not my primary position, and I still absolutely loved it. Our entire team embraced their role, and we made it further in the playoffs than any team still ever has at that school. We thrived together because of how we used our gifts to work together. As the saying goes, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” I have also been on teams where every kid thought they were Michael Jordan and they should be the one shooting the ball fifty times a game. I think it goes without saying, those teams were much less successful. 

1. Did you play team sports growing up? What are some biblical examples you can think of from those experiences? 

Romans 12:3-8 says, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” 

In the same way that a team works better together, when everyone acts in humility toward one another, understands their proper role, and functions in that role, so does the body of Christ. God has given each and every one of us a spiritual gift, and it is our responsibility to use that gift in humility to bless God and to bless others. These verses are packed with spiritual guidance on how we, as believers, are to interact with one another in relation to the spiritual gifts that we have been given. 

2. What are some spiritual gifts you see Paul list in these Scriptures? 

3. What is your current understanding of what each of these spiritual gifts means practically? 

Each believer has been given a spiritual gift by God. We must identify our gift and do our best to steward that gift. This is not an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts in Romans chapter 12; we see spiritual gifts also listed in Ephesians chapter 4 and 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Based on Romans 1:11-2, John Piper has a great definition of what a spiritual gift is, “A spiritual gift is an ability given by the Holy Spirit to express our faith effectively for the upbuilding of another’s faith.” I would encourage you to take a spiritual gift assessment online and even seek out a pastor to help you identify what your spiritual gift(s) might be. We could easily teach a whole lesson about each spiritual gift, but this was not Paul’s aim in this Scripture. For our purposes, the important thing to know is that God has given each believer a spiritual gift, and there is an expectation that you would use your gift for the glory of God and the building of His Church. 

4. In Romans 12:3, why do you think the first thing Paul says is “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think” when addressing spiritual gifts? 

Pride has been an issue since the beginning of time. Lucifer (Satan) was originally an angel until his pride caused him to think that he was greater than God, and this led to him being cast out of Heaven. I am sure that throughout the churches that Paul ministered to, he saw endless examples of believers becoming prideful because of the spiritual gifts that God had given them. I can say from personal experience that I have seen many people do an immense amount of damage to themselves and the believers around them because of their pride in their spiritual gifts. So, Paul exhorts the Roman church to humble themselves toward one another in using their spiritual gifts. 

5. How can we practice humility in our interactions with other believers while still valuing our own God-given gifts? 

John 13-12-15 says, “When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.’” 

6. What is your first reaction to reading about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet? 

First, we need to look at the example of humility that Christ Himself gives to us in Scripture. The job of washing people’s feet as they entered into a home or before they ate their meal would have been reserved for a servant. Yet, here we see Jesus willingly humbling Himself to wash the disciples’ feet. This would have been a disgusting task, yet Jesus did it willingly. The more we conform to the image of Christ in our lives, the more we should be looking to serve others with the gifts that the Lord has given us.  

7. How does Jesus’ example of serving others inform how we should use our spiritual gifts and interact with the church community? 

Philippians 2:3-4 adds, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” 

8. How can we avoid comparing our gifts or roles to others and instead focus on faithfully using what God has entrusted to us? 

We have all been given different gifts, and they are all essential for the Church to be as effective as Jesus wants it to be. We have to believe that there are no insignificant gifts in the Kingdom of God. The one who is gifted in mercy and generosity towards the needy is just as valuable to the Kingdom as the one who is gifted to teach and preach. However, instead of us all working together in harmony, our sinful nature tries to stir up selfish ambition and conceit in us, causing us to not be impactful for the cause of Christ. Satan’s goal is not just for you not to be part of the team; he is satisfied with you being ineffective on the sidelines. Our pride can do this to us in many ways:  

These are just a few examples of how our pride can keep us from using our spiritual gifts to glorify God and build up His Church. 

9. Verse 6 reminds us that we have gifts according to the grace given to us. How does understanding that our gifts are a result of God’s grace shape the way we use them? 

When we realize that every spiritual gift we have, and even the faith that it takes to use those gifts, all come from God, we are left with nothing to boast about. Understanding that it is God’s grace that has given these things to us should encourage us to use them humbly. I am personally nothing without Christ; I am incapable of teaching or preaching His Word without the moving of the Holy Spirit in my life. My prayer for my own life is that I will never look at the spiritual gifts that God has given me and believe that it makes me any better than any other believer. My desire for our church is that it is filled with faith-filled people who humbly use their spiritual gifts and encourage others to do the same. 

10. How can we encourage others to identify and use their spiritual gifts, especially those who may feel unsure or unqualified? 

In 1 Corinthians 12:21-22, Paul says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.” 

If there are those who are struggling with the idea of having a spiritual gift or struggling to think of their giftings as important, we need to remind them of what Scripture teaches us, “The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.” We cannot be the Church that we are supposed to be unless we are all humbly being effective in our God-given roles. The more we become like Jesus and the more we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, the more effective we can be together. Your personal spiritual giftings are valuable, and I hope you take the privilege to be used by God to do incredible things for His Kingdom.