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1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve, but we serve the same Lord. And there are different ways that God works in people, but it is the same God who works in all of us to do everything.
At the Olympic Games, each country sends a team, but not everyone competes in the same sport, or even the same event. There is track, field, swimming, equestrian, skateboarding, cycling, basketball and so many more. In the Christian faith there are different spiritual gifts such as teaching, prophecy, encouragement, serving, giving, wisdom, leadership, mercy, wisdom, knowledge, faith, miracles, healing, discernment, and speaking in other languages. The gold medals for each of the Olympic sports are the same, just like all of the spiritual gifts are equally important. Do you know what your Spiritual gifts are? Perhaps you can do a Spiritual gifts quiz.
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At the Olympic Games, behind every athlete is a team of people supporting them - coaches, doctors, physiotherapists, sports psychologists, friends and family. It's hard to succeed at that level without people supporting and encouraging you. It's hard to succeed at any level without people supporting and encouraging you. As human’s we’re designed to do life together - that’s what the church is for. In Hebrews 10:24-25, Paul tells us, We should think about each other to see how we can encourage each other to show love and do good works. We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. It's important to meet together with other Christians at church, youth group, and/or bible study so that you can encourage each other in your faith and you can grow in spiritual maturity.
Ephesians 6:23-24 says, May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give to all Christians peace and love with faith. May God's grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying love. Paul finishes the book of Ephesians the same way he started it, speaking of grace and peace. Ephesians 1:2 says, May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
If Christianity was a cake, peace, love, faith and grace would be some of the key ingredients. Grace is the blessing brought to mankind through Jesus. Peace is the ability to be calm in the middle of the storm knowing that God is with you and promises to work out everything for our good in the end. We have peace because of God's grace. We love because of God's grace. We have faith because of God's grace. Everything revolves around God's grace; his gift to us - the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul prays that God's grace will be with those who love Jesus with an undying love. Do you love Jesus like you love ice cream, or your friends, or Netflix? Because of God's grace, we should love Jesus with an undying love, with every ounce of our being - body, soul, spirit and mind. May God's grace flavour everything that you think, do and say this week. Ephesians 6:19-20 says, And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Paul was in prison for his faith when he wrote the book of Ephesians. He asked the believers to pray that he would have boldness and the words to say when he preached the Good News. They didn't have the New Testament, they were in the middle of living it and writing it. Paul knew that his words were important. He probably didn't know that we'd be reading them two thousand years later. We should pray for pastors, preachers, evangelists and missionaries - that they would have the words to say to share the Good News about Jesus effectively. We should pray that God will give us the right words to share the Good News too. We are all called to share the love of Jesus with those around us - so we're all evangelists. Ephesians 6:18 says, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Paul says "And pray" to indicate that as well as putting on the armour of God, we should pray.
I don't know much about warfare, but I know that it's important to follow the commands of your leader. Prayer is how we communicate with our commander (God) and one of the ways he communicates with us. We should pray on all occasions - in the daytime and the night, when we're happy and when we're sad, when we are young and when we're old, when we're struggling and when we're thriving. We should pray with all kinds of prayers - private, communal, silent, out loud, prayers of thanks and prayers of request, prayers of praise and of crying out to God. We are also told to pray for God's people - they are our fellow soldiers in this spiritual battle. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't pray for non-Christians as well, but we should especially pray for other Christians because we are all in the same spiritual war. Ephesians 6:17 says, Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, which is the Bible. When Jesus was tempted by Satan he quoted the Bible. Matthew 4:3-4 says, During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (which comes from Deuteronomy 8:3). Satan tempted Jesus twice more and he responded with Scripture.
Psalm 119:11 says, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. You can hide God's word in your heart by reading and studying it every day and memorising Bible verses. When you are tempted by Satan there will be a scripture to reinforce what God desires for your life, as opposed to what Satan is tempting you to do. Here are some examples of temptations and relevant Bible verses: Gossip - Titus 3:2 Lying - Proverbs 12:22 Pornography - Matthew 5:28 Selfishness - Philippians 2:3 Pride - Proverbs 16:18 Anger - Proverbs 29:11 Envy - James 3:16 Hate - Matthew 5:43-44 Drunkenness - Ephesians 5:18 Foul language - Ephesians 4:29 Ephesians 6:17 says, Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. You would be very foolish to go into battle without a helmet. Your brain controls your body, so if it gets damaged you're in real trouble. Your thoughts happen in your brain. Understanding that your hope is in the Lord guards you mind against the discouragement and deceptions of Satan. The Enduring Word Commentary says, "The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement, against the desire to give up, giving us hope not only in knowing that we are saved, but that we will be saved. It is the assurance that God will triumph." Because we know that we are saved by grace, that Jesus is coming back, and that God is preparing a place in eternity for us, we don't get discouraged. The helmet of salvation is the hope of salvation. Do you feel hopeful and confident that God will be victorious in the end?
I just made one of these words of encouragement jars in an afternoon. You can download the double-sided PDF of Bible verses and quotes that I designed on Canva, or you can design your own. I just folded them in quarters, put them in an empty jar, wrote on a tag and tied it with string. It would make a great gift or you can use it yourself.
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