The Gospel-Driven Mission of Spiritual Gifts W/ Pastor Brad

Discover how the Holy Spirit has equipped you with spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ and join God’s mission in the world. Rooted in passages like 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, this message reminds us that spiritual gifts are not earned: they’re given by God's grace for the good of the church and the glory of Jesus. Together we’ll explore gifts such as hospitality, encouragement, and teaching, and consider how God calls us to use them in real time and everyday ministry. You’ll be invited to pray, reflect, and step out in faith so that your gifts don’t remain hidden but are used to strengthen the church and point others to Christ.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:02

Amen. Amen. Yeah. at the context for where we are headed. Over the last month and a half or so, we did a sermon series called Rooted. Rooted in God's grace for everyday living. And we looked at some pretty important gospel truths, some theological doctrinal standards to grow in within the body of Christ that have really rooted the church for a long time. We looked at faith alone, scripture alone, Christ Grace alone for the glory of God alone, which really breaks down the essentials of the gospel. That was pretty heavy in teaching. And now we're going to be looking ahead to living out the gospel together through a brand new sermon series simply called Spiritual Gifts Gospel Driven Mission. Spiritual Gifts Gospel Driven Mission. Help us, Lord. Which is where the good news comes in. The good news is that the church's witness does not rest on simply mere words, but on the power of the Holy Spirit flowing from Christ, who is the head of the church through his people. I love how in the middle of the Bible, there's a prophet by the name of Zechariah. And he says this, this is the word of the Lord, not by power or by might, but by my spirit says the Lord almighty. When we gather together, we pray over everything. One of the things I love about this church, Madison, this is a praying God dependent church. We pray over the children's ministry, the hallway, the doorways, the door frames. The atrium, the seats, the narthex, which is a pretty cool word when you say it five times fast. You know, the steps outside the parking lot. Why do we pray so much here? It's because we are praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to do what the Spirit alone can do. The Spirit convicts our hearts. The Spirit comforts us, strengthens us, calls us to forgiveness and to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and And then right after verse 6, you get verse 10, which I quote every once in a while. I love this one. Where Zechariah again says to the people of God, Let the church say, begin. Yeah. The Lord rejoices, delights, loves to see his work begin. one of the most beautiful truths of the first church and still true today in this very hour. of September 2025, is that God empowers every believer, let the church say every believer, with spiritual gifts so that the body of Christ flourishes and the world encounters the living Jesus through the local church. My prayer for this series is that we would discover the gifts of the Holy Spirit, perhaps for the very first time, or if you've been here for some time, to rediscover the gifts so that each of us play a part to play, know that every gift matters and that every act of gospel-driven service is a part of God's mission in the world. My prayer is that together in the spirit, we would display Christ alive among us through the gifts for one another, for the glory of God alone. So take two fingers for a second and check your pulse on your neck. And now turn to your neighbor and say, if you have a pulse, you have a purpose. Yeah, yeah, you feel that. God is glorified when we walk in the gifts of the Spirit, when we walk in the gifts of his purpose for the whole church and you individually. So in honor of God's holy, living, and active word, I want to invite you to stand to your feet as we receive today's word. And you can check your pulse anytime today. You know, just being reminded that each day is itself a gift. I'll read this first slide, and then I'm going to need your help on the second. Here we go. 1 Corinthians 12 says, There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone, it is the same God at work. This is 1 Corinthians 12. Now we're going to flip over to another 12, the great Romans 12. Here we go. Let's read this together as one, three, two, one. According to the grace given to each of us, if your gift is prophesying... Generously. Do it diligently. If it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. This is the holy word of God. Thanks be to God. You may be seated. So I have basically just two points today. Number one, spiritual gifts are God-given. And then number two, serve Jesus with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Let's dive in. Spiritual gifts are God-given. And just as we heard from Ann, it was beautifully shared with the kids. There are lots of different kinds of gifts, but the same Holy Spirit distributes them. I loved how Ray, our former youth director, he used to say this back in the day, there's no Jewish spirit Right? There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone, it is the same God at work. I love this because it reminds us right from the beginning that the one who takes center stage today the one who takes center stage over this series, over this season, is God himself. God is the source. He is the gift giver, church. He is the purpose provider, the kingdom caller of every good gift. And he is completely involved in the giving itself, the using of the gifts and empowering the gifts for the church. So that means specific gifts, places of service, activities. They all vary, but they all have their best effects when they build up the body of Christ. Every believer has a specialized God-designed role. That was fun to write. So part of the exciting adventure of following Christ involves discovering your kingdom contribution and then making that available to God. In fact, I want to invite you for a moment, just open up your hands. You don't have to say it out loud. but just in your own heart, offer this prayer along with me. Lord, I'm available to you. I'm available to you. I make my heart available to you, my life available, my soul, my strength. I offer it before you today because spiritual gifts are God-given. That's number one, okay? Number two is this, serve Jesus. Serve Jesus with his gifts of the Holy Spirit, which is Romans 12. Romans 12 says we have different gifts. I love this. According to the grace given us. Again, that's God-dependent language. We're here. We exist. We breathe because of the grace of God. So if your gift is prophesying, prophesied in accordance with your faith, if it is serving, then serve, which is what we're going to see next week. If it is teaching, then teach. If it is to encourage, then give encouragement. If it is giving, then give generously. If it is to lead, do it diligently. If it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. It is Romans 12 gives us a list of some gifts, but it's not an exhaustive list. We see several different lists in the New Testament that we are going to dive into over the next coming weeks. And it's kind of like a puzzle piece, okay? Actually, any puzzle fans, any folks like doing puzzles? Wow, all right. Yeah, I see that hand. It went straight up. They're hard, right? Especially the big ones. And here's the thing about puzzle pieces. You can't force them together. You can try. I've tried. It doesn't work. But you got to let the contours of puzzle pieces settle in, right? That's what happens in discovering the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It's setting in. to God's kingdom call upon your life, which is what Colossians 1.16 reminds us of. In him, in Jesus, all things were created. Things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things, turn to your neighbor and say, that's you, that's you. All things have been created through him and for him. So here's what I'd like to do for the remaining time together in this first message, simply called Gospel Driven Mission in the Spirit. I want to explain three gifts of the Holy Spirit and then see them come alive right here with various folks who will be introducing you to various opportunities this fall in the context of worship this morning. 1 Corinthians 12 says that the gifts of the Holy Spirit manifest. It means they come alive, okay? And I learned recently that the sign language for manifest, it's pretty cool. Go like this with your fist, both of them. And then go like this. That's what it means. Manifest. That the Spirit, the gifts are made to be manifest. They're meant to be to come alive in real time. And so I'm excited for how the Holy Spirit will lead us over this next little bit. Let me begin with the gift of hospitality today. And I'm going to read a couple of these that come by way of this great resource that we'll be diving into a little bit further on too through another opportunity simply called Network, Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts with the I love this, which comes from Romans 12, 13. Let the church say, hospitality. And the literal meaning is to love strangers. If there is a time where we are in need of the gift of hospitality, it is now. And it means... The divine calling of hospitality is to create a setting that fosters meaningful relationships, to care for people by providing fellowship, food, and shelter, to provide an environment where people feel welcomed, valued, and cared for, especially new people. Now, here's something kind of cool about hospitality. The word hospitality and hospital have the same root word. It comes from the Latin word hospice, which means care for guest. The church would say, hmm. There is nothing like it when you feel welcomed in through a relationship, through a friend. cared for. And I love how this gift is alive here. I see it in many folks, like Tammy LaRue, Miss D, I see you in the back, and so many others. And here's one. I'm going to invite Paulette to come forward at this time. The last couple of weeks, she's been greeting people at the door. Last year, it was quite a few weeks and months instead at the hospital. And And I've asked her to share her heart for greeting as she is practicing hospitality together. Let's all say good morning, Paulette. We got you. Yep, we got you. Yep. I'll get you a mic here. is number three.

SPEAKER_03: 14:11

Good morning, South Hill. Good morning. Is that the best y'all can do? Good morning, South Hill. All right, all right, all right. Like I said, when I started coming to this church, the moment my foot hit the step, I knew my life was never going to be the same. I've been through ups and downs, sickness, hardship, and you all have come alongside of me. And I've talked to Pastor Brad many times about my calling. Why am I still here? Lord, what does this serve? How can I serve you half-heartedly? And I think that's when things start changing and turning around. I got a job at South Hill as an event host. Five months ago, that wouldn't even be possible. I was asked by Pastor Brad if I would head up the usher greeting ministry here at the church, and of course, if Pastor Brad asks you to do something, you do it. So, I've just noticed a lot of things that I would like to change. It'll come small little changes, but like Pastor Brad a couple weeks ago was holding the door, greeting people when he should have been sitting here getting prepared for the word. And so I told him, Pastor, you go. You go on and sit down. I'll take care of this. And when I told him I'd take care of it, he told me to take care of it. Not just that day, but as part of a ministry because I have the gift of hospitality. So yeah, that's who I am. If you have any questions, I want to sign up. And one of the big changes I want to make is I want to have a greeter over at that door because we know people come through and nobody even see them come in here because they come through the Moore Street entrance. So I'm like, you know what? We need somebody here. So my mind is already going. So thank you for the opportunity.

SPEAKER_02: 16:22

Amen. All right. Yeah, yeah. Thank you so much, Paulette. Next up is the gift of encouragement. Buckle up, y'all. This is a good one. Romans 12, verse 8. If it is to encourage, then encourage is what we stood and read about the grace given to us. If it is to encourage, then encourage. The literal meaning of encouragement is to come alongside God. This is so key today because there is nothing like someone who sees you, knows you, and speaks a Right to your heart. Words of encouragement, what they provide, what they do is essentially life. They bring life into your heart. Guys, I can remember earlier this past year, I think this winter, when there was a high school talent show fundraiser over at the Square Campus. And I remember Sam Greer singing. We were talking about it this morning. The song, Speak Life, that goes like this. There wasn't a dry eye there, church. when he's saying over us, What is that? That is the spiritual gift of encouragement, right? So at this time, I'm going to invite Trevor to come forward because one of the ways how the gift of encouragement, my hope and prayer will come alive and in a deep way, especially this year, is through the ministry of small groups. So let's all say, good morning, Trevor.

SPEAKER_00: 18:42

Morning, church. I just want to read quick from Hebrews 10, 24 and 25. I thought this scripture was quite applicable to bringing this word. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another. another. My wife and I and our family have been blessed by being part of a small group. When we were living in Chicago, before even being married, when we were engaged, we had a small group. It was amazing. Friends that we still have today. One of the first things that we felt that we needed when we started coming to Madison Square 20 years ago plus, we got hooked into a small group right away and have friendships that have persisted even through coming down here to South Hill, lifelong friendships. And something that we felt was missing for a long time was that lack of small groups, especially coming out of COVID. Everyone's isolated. Everyone's feeling a little frazzled. There was this strong longing for togetherness and a group. And we've been blessed by being able to be part of a small group for the last couple of years now where we've We get together. We encourage one another. We share in the joys and we share in the sorrows. Just this morning, the LaRues are not here. Ryan would probably be giving this word this morning. LaRues are celebrating their daughter as she is doing a marathon. Maya Levin, she's still smiling. We're getting pictures and updates. Pastor Brad sent a text. Pastor Brad sent a text to our text group this morning saying good luck Caitlin this morning, and those are just ongoing, just little touch points. We meet every two weeks, generally. We share a meal. We share in the Word, and we share in our lives, and that is really what it comes down to. It's not a set schedule. It's not a set, deliberative way that this is how you have to do small group. We have a quick show of hands, if you don't mind. Everybody that's in the church here that is part of a small group with South Hill, if you please raise your hand, just I would say we're at the majority, but there's still quite a few hands that have not been raised. And we just really want to encourage you from my own experience and from the experience of our friends and loved ones that are in our small group to, to get hooked in. This is small. South Hill is not a huge church, but we're still pretty big and it's hard. There's names that I don't know. There's spaces that I don't know. Some of that's just, I don't, I can't remember really well. But some of that is just, you know, We need to make smaller connections. Jesus had his 12. We've got our 12 and encourage you to find your 12 as well. So you can reach out to me after this. Certainly, Ryan LaRue, he's the one that spearheads this QR code up front and definitely encourage you, if not right now, if not this week, soon get connected in. It's really important and it's really awesome. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02: 22:08

Awesome. Thank you so much, Trevor. And the last one that I want to highlight is the spiritual gift of teaching. The spiritual gift of teaching. Romans 12, 6 through 7, we have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us. If it is teaching, then teach. The literal meaning is to instruct. And there are abounding gifts of teaching among us within the church. The gift of teaching is the divine enablement to communicate biblical truth Beautiful. And it is to understand, clearly explain, and apply the word of God in the lives of listeners. So key and important that we continue to grow in the gift of teaching. And so particularly for this season, I want to highlight what will be taking place for our middle schoolers and high schoolers upcoming this fall. And so at this time, I'm going to invite both Chris and I and Ryan VerWise as they give a highlight for an opportunity around catechism. Catechisms have been used for centuries within the life of the church to really help equip young people or new believers to grow, to grow spiritually within theology and then to apply that into their lives in a question and answer format. So this will be taking place for middle schoolers and high schoolers. And let's all say good morning, Christy. And good morning, Ryan. Amen.

SPEAKER_01: 23:40

Good morning. So if you're in middle school, I was going to take a page out of Trevor's book and have you raise your hand, but I know that could be awkward. So if you're in middle school, what I want you to do is just give me a head nod or like an eye roll if it's a little awkward. Okay, so I see you out there. So there are lots of middle schoolers here. One thing that we want you to know is that this church really values you. Like you are not like future church people. You're not future missionaries. You're not future something. You are Christian. Currently, beloved by God and really important. And so, yeah, clap to that. That's right. So we think you're super important in a lot of ways. You're influencing a lot of your peers. You are being important in your families and your neighborhoods. And because we think that's so true, we want to really support you in that because we know that you're also in a spot where you're getting bombarded with all sorts of drama, whatever drama is going on in middle school. You probably have a lot of it. But you also are trying to figure out, like, what's God got me here for? Like, what am I supposed to do with this belief I have in who I am? who he is. And so because we want to support you in that, we're going to be doing this eight-week class, meeting together, really to do a couple things. One is to build support. So if you're in middle school, you know a lot of what's important is being connected to other people. We want you to get connected with other middle schoolers here. In addition to Wednesday nights, which is really important, we want you to have a chance to know who the other middle schoolers are here who are trying to follow Jesus and their context. We also So in addition to helping you feel connected, we want you to be equipped with answers to some really hard questions, like questions about why are you here? Like, who is God? What's God say about what we're here for? And how are we supposed to live out our faith in middle school? So those are the things we're going to be working through together over the next eight weeks. So love to have you come. It's going to start at 845, from 845 to 945 on Sunday morning. I know, ask I'm asking you to get up early on a weekend. I know that's tough, but we'll make it worth your while. There's going to be some food, but we'll also just have a chance again to have some fun, but ask them really big questions together. So please come out. If you're not a middle schooler, but you got a middle schooler in your life, please invite them to come too. It'll be not just me, but it'll be my wife, Rachel. Rachel's in the back there. Raise your hand, Rach, or give a head nod, whatever. And then Sayla, you can give a head nod. That's my daughter, Sayla. She's a middle schooler. She'll be there with us too. So, all right.

SPEAKER_04: 26:21

All right, Ryan. Thank you. I mean, yes, middle school is super dope, but high school. All right, high school. I see my high schoolers out here. I'm just going to give you what's up. Hey, I see you. If you're in high school, I will be teaching the high school version of the same book. And we're going to be going through really important questions together. And what I like to think about catechism is it's what lens do we see the world through? So when you go out into the and you're giving messages and we're trying to decide who is God? Who is the Holy Spirit? What do some of these big church words mean? Theology is just thinking about God. And all of us in this room are theologians because we have thoughts about who God is and what does God's word say and how does it translate for our lives. And so if you would like to sharpen your understanding and your view of who God is and who you are in light of God's word, this is the class I hope you will join us for. And if you love middle schoolers and high schoolers, I need to give a quick plug today because we need youth group leaders. Our youth in South Hill are showing up at high school youth group, and we need high school and middle school youth leaders who maybe you want to pour into young people and make a difference. Wednesday night is for middle school. Sunday night is for for high school. And Lamar does everything to get things ready for us to lead. And so please consider if you love young people, it doesn't matter if you are a granny who is super grown or you're just trying to pretend like you're grown. But you believe that young people deserve to be invested in. We need you. We want you to pour in and help create community because just like our grown folks are in small groups, our Our young people need spaces and places where they can plug in and have a church community that walks with them, loves them, speaks their language, and wants to see them grow in their faith. And so if that's you, please consider if Wednesday night or Sunday night could work in your schedule so that we can make sure that our South Hill and Madison students know not just what they believe, but why they believe, and that they know that they're not alone in the journey. So please show up for our young people.

SPEAKER_02: 28:55

Amen. All right. And I'm so glad if you have that question. Because in a couple of weeks, we'll be offering here on October 1st a Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts class. This will be four weeks long. Yeah, yeah.

UNKNOWN: 29:43

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02: 29:43

And this is going to be a great opportunity, again, to go deeper, to either discover or rediscover. And again, you can sign up. And all this info that you've heard today is on Church Center. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine radiantly upon each and every one of you. Know that God the Father loves you. Jesus Christ has given his life for you. And the Holy Spirit empowers you to be his disciple and disciple maker. So go in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let the church say, Amen.