Timeless Truths Series: Body Building - The Choice
The next three weeks present excerpts from a series titled Body Building.
Timeless Truths Series: Body Building - The Choice
Series Theme: 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Ephesians 4:15-16
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
1 Corinthians 12:27
All Scripture quotations are from the NIV.
God’s Design: I am uniquely gifted…
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)
- A spiritual gift is given by God, discovered and used by me, for the good of the Body of Christ.
- We all have a passion for something. God wants us to be passionate!
My Choice: Will I believe it?
- This is more than a mental understanding.
For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB)
God’s Design: I am uniquely gifted for the common good of the church.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10
- This is the opposite of the worldly approach to giftedness.
- We must all do our part or something’s that “supposed to happen” won’t happen.
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
Ephesians 4:11-12
- We are designed to be actively involved in the Body of Christ!
My Choice: Will I embrace it?
- What is your motivation?
God’s Design: I am uniquely gifted for the common good of the church and my own growth in Christ-likeness.
- As we impact the church through our gift, we growin our spiritual life.
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 4:13-15
- When we operate in our area of giftedness, we are slowly transformed into who God wants us to be.
My Choice: Will I be transformed by it?
Believe, Embrace, and be Transformed by God’s gifts to you.
- What is your gift?
Today’s Body Building Principle:
God’s Design but Our Choice
Special thanks to Dr. Keith Newman for the primary teachings used in this post.
Next Thursday's Timeless Truths Series: Body Building - The Warm-up
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