WEBVTT - Stepping Up to Your Calling-Part 2 0:00:00.650 --> 0:00:03.980 Today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, we're learning how 0:00:03.980 --> 0:00:06.680 to use the unique abilities we've been given to reach 0:00:06.680 --> 0:00:08.360 our highest potential. 0:00:08.390 --> 0:00:11.690 When we understand that everybody in the body has different gifts, 0:00:11.720 --> 0:00:15.950 we start using our gifts. And when we're all functioning 0:00:15.950 --> 0:00:21.200 in our gifts, we become this incredible, powerful, life giving 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:25.490 community of faith that is unstoppable and doing incredible things 0:00:25.489 --> 0:00:27.710 for God. And that's where we want to be. We 0:00:27.710 --> 0:00:29.510 want to be that kind of church. 0:00:42.409 --> 0:00:46.010 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is the 0:00:46.010 --> 0:00:48.860 senior pastor of New Life Community Church and the president 0:00:48.860 --> 0:00:52.790 of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. As 0:00:52.790 --> 0:00:56.150 a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, we too have the 0:00:56.150 --> 0:01:00.440 opportunity as children of God to transform into something different. 0:01:00.470 --> 0:01:02.580 And today on the program, we'll be looking at how 0:01:02.580 --> 0:01:05.070 we can step up into our calling and reach our 0:01:05.069 --> 0:01:09.240 highest potential. Mark started this message yesterday. If you missed it, 0:01:09.240 --> 0:01:13.320 you can listen to the complete message online at bird-stamps.org. 0:01:13.350 --> 0:01:16.440 Right now, let's dive into today's message with Mark Jobe 0:01:16.470 --> 0:01:18.150 here on Bold Steps. 0:01:19.650 --> 0:01:25.410 To Be Metamorphosized is the process in which something is 0:01:25.410 --> 0:01:31.289 converted into something else. For example, if you've ever walked 0:01:31.290 --> 0:01:37.950 down a sidewalk and seen this ugly looking gray, blackish 0:01:37.950 --> 0:01:45.390 hairy caterpillar, they weave this elaborate cocoon around their bodies 0:01:45.510 --> 0:01:49.860 and they stay within that cocoon for a period of time. 0:01:49.860 --> 0:01:53.700 As they are in that cocoon, there is a metamorphosis 0:01:53.700 --> 0:02:00.450 happening to this ugly, hairy caterpillar. And when finally they're cocooning, 0:02:00.450 --> 0:02:05.000 Cooning stage is over, they start breaking out of that cocoon, 0:02:05.000 --> 0:02:09.920 and when they break out of that cocoon, many caterpillars 0:02:09.919 --> 0:02:15.440 turn into butterflies. I don't think I've ever seen a 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:18.920 t shirt with a big ugly caterpillar on it. A 0:02:18.919 --> 0:02:23.090 young girl wearing it or or earrings with caterpillars on it. 0:02:23.090 --> 0:02:25.250 I don't think I've ever seen that, but I have 0:02:25.250 --> 0:02:31.220 seen butterflies. Why? Because a metamorphosis has happened that's changed 0:02:31.220 --> 0:02:34.250 it from one thing to another. It started with the 0:02:34.250 --> 0:02:39.830 same base, but it's been transformed. Paul is saying that 0:02:39.830 --> 0:02:44.840 many of us, we come to Christ, we make a 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:47.270 decision to follow God. Maybe you've come to an altar 0:02:47.270 --> 0:02:49.790 and said, I'm tired of my life. I want to change. 0:02:49.820 --> 0:02:51.890 You've opened up your heart and you say, God, I 0:02:51.889 --> 0:02:53.990 want you to come in and change my life and 0:02:53.990 --> 0:02:56.930 turn me around. And you start off with that new 0:02:56.930 --> 0:03:00.380 energy to turn your life around. But somewhere in the process, 0:03:00.380 --> 0:03:05.370 you get stuck, you stop changing, or sometimes you can 0:03:05.370 --> 0:03:09.720 revert to old patterns. Why not? Because God isn't faithful. 0:03:09.720 --> 0:03:14.850 Not because God isn't good. Not because Christianity doesn't work. 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:19.890 Your spirit has been changed. But something more than your 0:03:19.889 --> 0:03:24.900 spirit has to change. Your mind has to be renewed 0:03:24.900 --> 0:03:30.690 so that your life continues to be changed. Be transformed 0:03:30.690 --> 0:03:34.230 by the renewing of your mind. In other words, you 0:03:34.260 --> 0:03:38.880 are thinking the way you process life. The truth, what 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:42.270 your brain thinks about what your thoughts are about has 0:03:42.270 --> 0:03:47.490 to be transformed into the way that God, God's principles, 0:03:47.490 --> 0:03:50.760 and God's words in order for you to maintain the 0:03:50.760 --> 0:03:57.030 change that's happening in your life. So the Apostle Paul says, 0:03:57.720 --> 0:04:00.300 be transformed by the renewing of your mind. You can't 0:04:00.330 --> 0:04:02.580 renew your mind without getting into the Word of God. 0:04:02.580 --> 0:04:04.500 The Word of God is truth, and the truth of 0:04:04.500 --> 0:04:08.310 God renews our mind. We meditate on the word. We 0:04:08.310 --> 0:04:11.370 study the word. We allow the spirit to process the 0:04:11.370 --> 0:04:13.980 word in our life. We start changing old ways of 0:04:13.980 --> 0:04:18.210 thinking for new ways of thinking. Um, that takes time. 0:04:18.210 --> 0:04:22.980 It doesn't happen overnight. It says. Then as your mind 0:04:23.010 --> 0:04:25.590 is renewed, then you will be able to test and 0:04:25.589 --> 0:04:29.310 approve what God's will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. 0:04:29.339 --> 0:04:33.960 As your mind is renewed, you start discovering the will 0:04:33.990 --> 0:04:37.890 of God. How to live for God. How to what 0:04:37.890 --> 0:04:41.370 your purpose is, what your destiny is. As your mind 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:45.450 is renewed, you start learning the will of God in 0:04:45.450 --> 0:04:48.720 your life. But it takes the renewing of our mind. 0:04:49.890 --> 0:04:56.310 Number three discover who God has made you and accept 0:04:56.670 --> 0:05:01.170 your unique abilities. Listen to what it says in verse three. 0:05:01.950 --> 0:05:06.000 For by the grace given me what is grace? Grace 0:05:06.029 --> 0:05:10.350 is undeserved, unmerited favor. The word grace here comes from 0:05:10.350 --> 0:05:14.760 the word charisma. Nowadays, we use the word charisma to 0:05:14.790 --> 0:05:18.779 describe someone that has an attractive personality. And we may say, oh, 0:05:18.810 --> 0:05:24.359 that person has a lot of charisma. Literally, it's the 0:05:24.360 --> 0:05:29.580 word charismata. It's a gift that's given to us that 0:05:29.580 --> 0:05:33.450 we don't earn or deserve. But it's God's gift for 0:05:33.450 --> 0:05:36.930 by the gift given me. Paul says, I say to 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:39.510 every one of you, do not think of yourself more 0:05:39.510 --> 0:05:42.120 highly than you ought to think of yourself, but rather 0:05:42.150 --> 0:05:46.529 think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the 0:05:46.529 --> 0:05:50.609 measure of faith that God has given to you. In essence, 0:05:50.610 --> 0:05:54.480 what Paul is saying is that all of us here, 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:56.580 as we discover the will of God for our lives, 0:05:56.580 --> 0:06:01.400 every one of us here has a Unique, has unique 0:06:01.430 --> 0:06:06.710 abilities and unique giftings in your life. Everyone does. There's 0:06:06.710 --> 0:06:10.070 not a person here that doesn't have some unique gifts 0:06:10.070 --> 0:06:15.349 and unique abilities that God has given you. Tell the 0:06:15.350 --> 0:06:19.460 person beside you you have a gift. Go ahead. You 0:06:19.460 --> 0:06:22.370 have a gift. You may look and say, oh no, 0:06:22.370 --> 0:06:24.320 not me. I don't have a gift. No, no you do. 0:06:25.250 --> 0:06:28.609 You may not have unwrapped it. You may not have 0:06:28.610 --> 0:06:33.200 discovered it, but you have a gift. And here's what 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:36.109 Paul says about our gifting. And I believe I agree 0:06:36.110 --> 0:06:39.469 with Rick Warren when he talks about there's there's five 0:06:39.470 --> 0:06:42.710 things that shape what our gifting is that affect us, 0:06:42.710 --> 0:06:45.770 our spiritual gifts, which has to do with whatever God 0:06:45.770 --> 0:06:49.130 has given you your heart. What are your burdens? What 0:06:49.130 --> 0:06:52.730 does your heart go towards? Your abilities? What kind of 0:06:52.730 --> 0:06:55.910 abilities do you have? Your personality? That means how you 0:06:55.940 --> 0:07:01.320 use your abilities and your experience. Spiritual gifts. Heart. abilities, personality, 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:06.390 and experience determines your shape. Now here's what I've discovered 0:07:06.390 --> 0:07:11.580 about our gifts. I've discovered that everybody has a gift 0:07:11.580 --> 0:07:15.150 that everybody needs to use their gift. Because when you 0:07:15.150 --> 0:07:19.290 don't use your gift, you're robbing people from the blessing 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:24.330 of what you have to offer. But what I've discovered 0:07:24.330 --> 0:07:29.610 with gifts is sometimes we magnify our gift. Paul says, 0:07:29.610 --> 0:07:32.520 I don't want anybody to think of themselves more highly 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:35.250 than they ought. And here's what I've discovered that some 0:07:35.250 --> 0:07:38.640 people think that their gift is better than anybody else's gift. 0:07:40.050 --> 0:07:42.450 Later he goes on and says, everybody has a different gift. 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:45.750 We're part of the same body. He describes it this 0:07:45.750 --> 0:07:49.770 way listen, if everybody had the same gift, what if 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:53.340 your your body, your physical body all decided, your toe 0:07:53.340 --> 0:07:57.540 decided I want to be an I. And I'm tired 0:07:57.540 --> 0:08:00.530 of groveling down there in the dirt. And I have 0:08:00.530 --> 0:08:02.570 a terrible view down there. All I see is dirt 0:08:02.570 --> 0:08:06.320 and rocks and dirt and rocks. And it stinks down here. 0:08:07.430 --> 0:08:11.030 I want to be an eye. Cool colors. You get 0:08:11.030 --> 0:08:14.600 to wink at people. Blink. You see things from a 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:17.450 big perspective and you know, your hand says, you know, 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:19.250 I want to be an eye, too. You know, I'm 0:08:19.250 --> 0:08:23.120 tired of. I'm tired of being overused. And the eye 0:08:23.150 --> 0:08:25.010 seems like it's cool, you know, gets to see all 0:08:25.010 --> 0:08:27.530 the light, the colorful things the lake says. You know, 0:08:27.530 --> 0:08:30.890 I'm tired too. So everybody decides I want to be 0:08:30.890 --> 0:08:33.770 an eye. Paul gives the illustration of what kind of 0:08:33.770 --> 0:08:35.929 person would that be? You say, hi, Joe, and he's 0:08:35.929 --> 0:08:39.439 just big one eye rolling down the street. Well, you 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:42.950 would say that's weird. That's the form. That doesn't make sense. 0:08:42.950 --> 0:08:48.290 There goes Joe rolling down the street sometimes in the 0:08:48.290 --> 0:08:53.030 body of Christ. It's that way we all have different gifts. 0:08:53.270 --> 0:08:56.690 But if we all try to be one thing, then 0:08:56.720 --> 0:09:00.540 we're an imbalanced body. If we all try to be 0:09:00.540 --> 0:09:03.030 an AI, then there's no place for a foot and 0:09:03.059 --> 0:09:06.780 hand and a neck. And so he says, everybody has 0:09:06.780 --> 0:09:12.150 different gifts. So embrace the gift that you have. Celebrate it, 0:09:12.150 --> 0:09:15.840 and don't make it feel like your gift is better 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:22.050 than anybody else's gift. I've discovered that usually whatever we've 0:09:22.050 --> 0:09:25.469 been raised with, most people think that whatever they are 0:09:25.500 --> 0:09:31.110 is better than other people. It happens ethnically. It happens 0:09:31.110 --> 0:09:34.920 job wise. It happens personality wise. I've seen it in 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:37.560 the church. Let me give you an example. I had 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:39.780 a brother not too long ago come and approach me. 0:09:39.780 --> 0:09:43.440 And he was really into prayer. And he said, pastor, 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:45.060 let me just tell you, I think we need to 0:09:45.059 --> 0:09:47.819 pray more in this church. I said, I agree, we 0:09:47.820 --> 0:09:49.710 need to pray more. And he says, you know, I 0:09:49.710 --> 0:09:52.740 don't think we should be out there helping the community, 0:09:52.770 --> 0:09:56.160 doing community service we need to do is pray those 0:09:56.160 --> 0:09:58.740 people are out there trying to do like classes and 0:09:58.740 --> 0:10:03.950 help after school programs. We need more prayer. I had 0:10:03.950 --> 0:10:06.380 another brother approach me not too long ago and say, brother, 0:10:06.380 --> 0:10:09.050 can I talk to you? I said, sure brother. What 0:10:09.050 --> 0:10:12.500 we need is more evangelism. Some people, all they do 0:10:12.500 --> 0:10:15.980 is want to pray, pray, pray. They just close themselves 0:10:15.980 --> 0:10:17.600 in the closet and pray. And they want to pray 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:19.579 about everything. We need to stop praying and we need 0:10:19.580 --> 0:10:22.040 to do more evangelism. We need to get out of 0:10:22.040 --> 0:10:24.320 our prayer closet. We need to get on the streets. 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:27.410 We need to hit the pavement. Tell people about Jesus. 0:10:27.410 --> 0:10:34.429 Stop praying. It's time to evangelize. Mm. Well who's right? 0:10:34.910 --> 0:10:38.959 Do we need more prayer? Do we need more evangelism, 0:10:38.990 --> 0:10:41.990 or do we need more social action helping out the community? 0:10:42.020 --> 0:10:44.150 Well who's right? Well, let me tell you, all of 0:10:44.150 --> 0:10:47.840 them are right. But but they're wrong in their approach. 0:10:48.860 --> 0:10:52.790 If they understood that everybody has different gifts, and whatever 0:10:52.790 --> 0:10:55.640 your gift is will give you a passion for it. 0:10:55.670 --> 0:10:59.450 The people that are have a heart for evangelism. They 0:10:59.450 --> 0:11:01.950 would team up with the prayer people and they would say, hey, 0:11:01.950 --> 0:11:04.740 we're going out on Tuesday to do evangelism. Hey, could 0:11:04.740 --> 0:11:07.260 you guys pray and fast for us because we need 0:11:07.260 --> 0:11:10.079 your help in praying that God would open up doors 0:11:10.110 --> 0:11:11.970 and God would protect us, and God would give us 0:11:11.970 --> 0:11:16.980 divine appointments. So we love your prayer emphasis. Pray for us. 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:19.830 And if the prayer people understood, they would be telling 0:11:19.830 --> 0:11:22.380 the people in evangelism, hey, we love the fact that 0:11:22.380 --> 0:11:25.199 you're doing evangelism. We want to pray for you. We 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:28.410 want to partner with you. And if they understood the 0:11:28.410 --> 0:11:32.459 people that are doing social work services and acts of kindness, 0:11:32.460 --> 0:11:36.000 the evangelism people would say, hey, bless you that you're 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:40.050 teaching kids after school and tutoring them because many people 0:11:40.050 --> 0:11:42.959 will not hear the good news of Jesus unless they 0:11:42.960 --> 0:11:46.440 see the good works of Jesus first. So bless you. 0:11:46.470 --> 0:11:48.989 Let's work together. Do you see how it works? 0:11:54.150 --> 0:11:56.309 Well, we're going to pause our message from Mark Jobe 0:11:56.309 --> 0:11:59.280 here for just a moment to thank our partners who 0:11:59.309 --> 0:12:01.130 make bold steps possible. Mark. 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:05.240 Yeah, and a bold step partner is a partner that says, 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:08.510 you know, I love what you guys are doing. I 0:12:08.540 --> 0:12:11.059 connect with this message and I want to help get 0:12:11.059 --> 0:12:14.690 the message out. So they commit to a monthly donation 0:12:14.720 --> 0:12:18.500 of any amount. But it's a monthly donation, auto donation. 0:12:18.500 --> 0:12:20.660 You have no idea how much that helps, just to 0:12:20.690 --> 0:12:23.390 know that we can count on you as a bold partner. 0:12:23.390 --> 0:12:26.150 Here's Gabrielle who wrote to us. Mark, listen to what 0:12:26.150 --> 0:12:30.740 she says. I absolutely love and adore Moody Radio. It's 0:12:30.740 --> 0:12:33.770 my one stop shop. I love the teachings, the fellowship 0:12:33.770 --> 0:12:36.770 and participation. I knew a while back that my calling 0:12:36.770 --> 0:12:39.890 was to live, eat and breathe the gospel and Bold 0:12:39.890 --> 0:12:43.099 Steps definitely fills me up and pays a huge part 0:12:43.100 --> 0:12:46.699 of my gospel grocery bill, so to speak. Well, Gabrielle, 0:12:46.700 --> 0:12:48.620 that's just such a good way to put it, don't 0:12:48.620 --> 0:12:48.920 you think? 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:52.220 I love that, Gabrielle. What an encouraging word you sent 0:12:52.220 --> 0:12:53.750 to us. And by the way, I want to say 0:12:53.750 --> 0:12:57.920 that we read these comments that send in. We we 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:00.360 can't see you face to face. We know that you're 0:13:00.360 --> 0:13:02.670 on the other end, but when you send us comments 0:13:02.670 --> 0:13:05.100 like this and just let us know that you're listening, praying, 0:13:05.100 --> 0:13:08.610 it really encourages us. So thank you. Gabriel. I love 0:13:08.610 --> 0:13:11.130 that my one stop shop. 0:13:11.130 --> 0:13:15.030 My gospel grocery bill. She says, well, thank you. And 0:13:15.030 --> 0:13:16.860 if you would like to become a bold partner, as 0:13:16.860 --> 0:13:19.620 Mark said, to give a gift of any amount each month. 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:22.590 That would be appreciated. But for those who give $30 0:13:22.590 --> 0:13:25.440 or more each month, you get the added benefit of 0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:29.370 a 50% discount on any item in the Moody Publishers catalog. 0:13:29.370 --> 0:13:31.950 You get a signed copy of Mark's book unstuck and 0:13:31.950 --> 0:13:35.069 other resources as well. So become a bold partner today 0:13:35.070 --> 0:13:38.850 by going to Bold Steps. Org. Now back to the 0:13:38.850 --> 0:13:40.470 message with Mark Jobe. 0:13:44.910 --> 0:13:48.390 Some people have the gift of mercy. When someone walks 0:13:48.390 --> 0:13:50.820 in and they're broken and a kid drops out of 0:13:50.820 --> 0:13:52.800 high school and they're having a lot of problems in 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:54.960 their home and their parents are alcoholic. The gift of 0:13:54.960 --> 0:13:56.849 mercy just comes in and wants to hug on them. 0:13:56.850 --> 0:13:59.280 Love on them, encourage them. Listen, you can do it. 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:02.180 You can make it. The person that has the gift 0:14:02.179 --> 0:14:05.750 of exhortation, which challenges people to go forward. They want 0:14:05.780 --> 0:14:07.970 to go in and say, hey, stop your crying, whining. 0:14:07.970 --> 0:14:09.710 We've all had a tough life. Just get with it. 0:14:09.710 --> 0:14:13.609 Join a program, join school, make it go do it now. 0:14:13.610 --> 0:14:17.750 Who's right? Both of them are right. We need some exhortation, 0:14:17.750 --> 0:14:21.860 but we need some mercy. When we understand that everybody 0:14:21.860 --> 0:14:25.070 in the body has different gifts, we start using our 0:14:25.070 --> 0:14:29.240 gifts and we don't magnify our gifts above other people's gifts. 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:31.550 We don't act like our gift is the only gift, 0:14:31.550 --> 0:14:34.760 and everybody needs to have our gift. We acknowledge that 0:14:34.760 --> 0:14:37.100 there are other gifts in the body of Christ that 0:14:37.100 --> 0:14:40.729 we need each other. And when we're all functioning in 0:14:40.730 --> 0:14:46.580 our gifts, we become this incredible, powerful, life giving community 0:14:46.580 --> 0:14:51.440 of faith that is unstoppable and doing incredible things for God. Amen. 0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:53.330 And that's where we want to be. We want to 0:14:53.330 --> 0:15:00.580 be that kind of church. So don't magnify your gift. 0:15:00.610 --> 0:15:03.820 Don't think that your gift is better than anybody else's gift. 0:15:03.850 --> 0:15:06.790 Don't minimize your gift. Don't compare your gift with others 0:15:06.790 --> 0:15:08.950 and say, well, my gift is nothing if I only 0:15:08.950 --> 0:15:13.810 had that gift. Maybe you have the gift of administration, 0:15:13.810 --> 0:15:16.600 but you really wish you had the gift of worship. 0:15:16.990 --> 0:15:20.320 You say, oh, you know, I input data in computer. 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:23.980 I'm organized. But I wish I could sing and I 0:15:23.980 --> 0:15:25.990 wish I could get up there like Julie and just 0:15:25.990 --> 0:15:29.770 lead people or like John, and just the whole congregation 0:15:29.770 --> 0:15:34.360 is inspired by it. All I have is this dumb 0:15:34.360 --> 0:15:42.250 little administrative gift I'm going to try to sing. Listen, if. 0:15:47.020 --> 0:15:52.120 I love your heart and all. But you don't. You 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:54.670 know you don't have the gift. When you try to 0:15:54.670 --> 0:15:57.520 lead people in singing. And they're kind of going like. 0:16:00.380 --> 0:16:03.890 We're looking at each other a little bit. Embrace your 0:16:03.890 --> 0:16:06.680 gift and sing in the shower as loud as you can. 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:11.750 But don't try to have a gift that you don't have. 0:16:12.140 --> 0:16:15.500 Embrace the gift that you have. Thank God for the 0:16:15.530 --> 0:16:18.650 gift that you have. Learn to be good at the 0:16:18.680 --> 0:16:23.120 gift that you that you have because your gift is incredible. 0:16:23.120 --> 0:16:29.900 So don't. Don't minimize the gift that God has given you. 0:16:30.290 --> 0:16:33.500 Don't magnify your gift. Don't minimize your gift. And don't 0:16:33.500 --> 0:16:37.040 misunderstand your gift. Don't think that you have your gift 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:40.160 because you're better or worse. The Bible says the gift 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:44.600 of God are given by God. However he wants to 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:47.630 give them. He doesn't give you a gift because he 0:16:47.630 --> 0:16:49.670 thought he looked at you and said, wow, you've been 0:16:49.670 --> 0:16:52.040 really good. Let me give you this really good gift 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:53.900 and this person has been really bad. Let me give 0:16:53.900 --> 0:16:57.740 them this sort of crummy gift. No, God doesn't operate 0:16:57.740 --> 0:17:01.740 that way. You can't boast about the gift that you have. 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:05.730 You have whatever gift you have. Use it. Celebrate it, 0:17:05.730 --> 0:17:08.280 but don't boast and act like it's yours because it's 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:16.440 not yours. It's God's. And lastly, it says in verse four, 0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:19.170 just as each one of you has one body with 0:17:19.170 --> 0:17:21.179 many members, and these members do not all have the 0:17:21.180 --> 0:17:25.440 same function. So in Christ we are many form one body, 0:17:25.440 --> 0:17:31.680 and each member belongs to all the other members. First 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:34.740 Corinthians 1218 to 22. The eye cannot say to the hand, 0:17:34.770 --> 0:17:37.169 I don't need you, and the head cannot say to 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:39.780 the feet, I don't need you. Those parts of the 0:17:39.780 --> 0:17:45.330 body that seem weaker are indispensable. Lastly, number four, take 0:17:45.330 --> 0:17:48.840 your gifting and use it to the full potential of 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:53.369 your calling. Verse six says, we have different gifts according 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:57.090 to the grace that's given to us. God has dispensed 0:17:57.119 --> 0:18:00.859 to all of us different gifts according to his grace, 0:18:01.310 --> 0:18:05.899 his favor, not our merit. If a man has the 0:18:05.900 --> 0:18:09.379 gift of prophesying, let him use it in proportion to 0:18:09.410 --> 0:18:14.540 his faith. If someone has the gift of serving, then serve. Teaching. 0:18:14.540 --> 0:18:18.350 Then let him teach. Encouraging. Then let him encourage. If 0:18:18.350 --> 0:18:21.379 contributing to the needs of others, then let him give generously. 0:18:21.410 --> 0:18:26.960 If it's leadership, then let him govern diligently is showing mercy. 0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:30.620 Let him do it cheerfully. In other words, what Paul 0:18:30.619 --> 0:18:36.590 is saying is, whatever gift God has given you, you 0:18:36.590 --> 0:18:44.960 have the responsibility to use it. It's your gift, but 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:50.360 you're robbing God and you're robbing others. When you have 0:18:50.359 --> 0:18:55.490 a gift that you don't use, maybe you're here today saying, pastor, 0:18:55.490 --> 0:18:57.050 I want to use my gift. I just don't know 0:18:57.050 --> 0:19:00.250 what it is. Let me tell you how you discover 0:19:00.250 --> 0:19:09.670 your gift. You discover your gift by doing something you don't. 0:19:09.670 --> 0:19:13.330 Discover your gift by sitting there and thinking. Mhm. Remember 0:19:13.330 --> 0:19:16.330 my gift is. Mm. I hope I have a gift. 0:19:16.359 --> 0:19:18.189 You're never going to know if you're good at teaching 0:19:18.190 --> 0:19:21.909 unless you teach. You're never going to know if you're 0:19:21.910 --> 0:19:25.570 good at mercy unless you show mercy. You're never going 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:29.170 to know what you're good at unless you start experimenting 0:19:29.170 --> 0:19:33.280 and trying and testing and seeing what other people affirm 0:19:33.280 --> 0:19:35.800 you at what you have a heart for and what 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:39.070 you show, what you start showing fruit in. And when 0:19:39.070 --> 0:19:43.090 you get active and get involved, then you'll start. It's 0:19:43.090 --> 0:19:46.810 like playing sports. You can't sit behind a desk and say, well, 0:19:46.810 --> 0:19:49.270 I think I'm good at football. Well, you've never tried football. 0:19:49.300 --> 0:19:51.850 I think I'm good at track. Have you ever done track? 0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:54.430 I think I'm great at volleyball. Well. Hey, you. Hey, 0:19:54.430 --> 0:19:57.010 you have to get out there and you have to 0:19:57.040 --> 0:20:00.290 experiment a little bit. Try a little bit and it 0:20:00.290 --> 0:20:03.770 will become very evident what you're good at as you're 0:20:03.770 --> 0:20:06.109 doing something. What I've discovered is a lot of people 0:20:06.109 --> 0:20:10.160 have an inferiority complex and they never get active, they 0:20:10.160 --> 0:20:13.940 never get involved, so they never discover what they're really 0:20:13.940 --> 0:20:20.960 good at. I believe it's time to roll up your sleeves, 0:20:22.609 --> 0:20:26.359 to look to the heavens and say, God, I've been 0:20:26.359 --> 0:20:36.230 underestimating your grace in my life. By God's grace. I 0:20:36.230 --> 0:20:40.520 want to acknowledge you've poured something in me. And I 0:20:40.520 --> 0:20:45.020 have something to pour back. Help me discover my place. 0:20:47.210 --> 0:20:50.720 So that I can be used for your honor and 0:20:50.720 --> 0:20:54.950 your glory. Maybe you already know your gift. And you 0:20:54.950 --> 0:20:58.190 just need to say, hey, let me roll up my sleeves, 0:20:58.190 --> 0:21:01.110 fill up with God and plunge into what God has 0:21:01.109 --> 0:21:05.010 called me to do. I think everybody should be active 0:21:05.010 --> 0:21:08.670 in something, and it should be something that stretches you, 0:21:08.700 --> 0:21:12.060 not just, well, let me check it off the list. 0:21:12.060 --> 0:21:17.310 I guess I'll serve in the nursery once every eight weeks. Check. 0:21:18.270 --> 0:21:19.260 No no no no no. 0:21:19.290 --> 0:21:23.609 Can you put a little heart into it? It's an 0:21:23.609 --> 0:21:26.940 act of worship. Next time you go to hold a 0:21:26.940 --> 0:21:30.629 baby in the nursery, you need to say I'm worshiping 0:21:30.630 --> 0:21:34.710 God by taking care of babies. Thank you, Lord Jesus. 0:21:36.000 --> 0:21:38.490 If you're here and you're not involved, I want to 0:21:38.490 --> 0:21:42.660 challenge you to pick a place. Some of you look 0:21:42.690 --> 0:21:45.480 at yourself and you say, God could never use me, 0:21:45.480 --> 0:21:48.330 and God's looking at you and say, hey, you don't 0:21:48.359 --> 0:21:50.700 know what I could use because I don't care where 0:21:50.700 --> 0:21:53.520 you've been, how long you've been there, how dirty you 0:21:53.520 --> 0:21:56.399 may think you are. God is telling you, I'm the 0:21:56.400 --> 0:22:00.350 master of the cleanup, of the transformation of the renewal. 0:22:00.350 --> 0:22:05.870 So don't disqualify yourself because God has not disqualified you. 0:22:06.230 --> 0:22:08.510 I'm asking you to use me, Lord. I'm not going 0:22:08.540 --> 0:22:10.939 to let fear. I'm not going to let my past. 0:22:10.940 --> 0:22:13.640 I'm not going to let my insecurities. I'm not going 0:22:13.670 --> 0:22:17.389 to let this stuff in my life that I need 0:22:17.390 --> 0:22:19.670 to clean up. Hold me back, God, because I want 0:22:19.670 --> 0:22:21.080 you to use me, Lord. 0:22:27.890 --> 0:22:30.889 You've been listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, who's 0:22:30.890 --> 0:22:32.780 here with me in the studio. Mark, let's talk about 0:22:32.780 --> 0:22:35.600 this message. A challenge today to take the gifts that 0:22:35.600 --> 0:22:38.420 God has given us and use them to our full potential. 0:22:38.420 --> 0:22:41.120 You know, as a pastor, a church is a great 0:22:41.119 --> 0:22:42.740 way to find out our calling, isn't it? 0:22:42.770 --> 0:22:45.740 It is, Wayne. And this challenge is one to get 0:22:45.740 --> 0:22:50.990 out of the consumer seat and into the game. And 0:22:50.990 --> 0:22:55.160 there's so much potential that just is sitting there and 0:22:55.160 --> 0:22:57.889 you've heard this message, so you know you have a 0:22:57.890 --> 0:23:02.310 calling on your life If you are not engaged in 0:23:02.310 --> 0:23:06.389 some form of ministry, some form of using your gifts, 0:23:06.390 --> 0:23:09.450 then not only are you robbing others, but you are 0:23:09.450 --> 0:23:10.440 also robbing yourself. 0:23:10.470 --> 0:23:11.850 And there's a place for everyone. 0:23:11.850 --> 0:23:15.060 There's absolutely a place for everyone. As a pastor of 0:23:15.060 --> 0:23:20.070 a local church, I've spent years mobilizing people and from 0:23:20.070 --> 0:23:24.060 food pantries to ushering to greeting to small group leaders. 0:23:24.060 --> 0:23:27.180 And I love to tell people this you have a 0:23:27.210 --> 0:23:30.570 gifting that's unique to yourself. Now we have to find 0:23:30.570 --> 0:23:34.620 the ministry opportunity that matches your gifting. But I want 0:23:34.650 --> 0:23:37.530 to challenge you if you are a believer, whether you 0:23:37.530 --> 0:23:40.710 are three months into it or whether you are 20 0:23:40.710 --> 0:23:43.290 years into it, you need to go to your local 0:23:43.290 --> 0:23:46.409 church and you need to ask someone, the pastor, a leader. 0:23:46.410 --> 0:23:49.770 You need to say, where can I serve? Help me 0:23:49.800 --> 0:23:54.210 find a place to serve and then don't. Hey, if 0:23:54.210 --> 0:23:57.270 they say you could start by cleaning bathrooms, then grab 0:23:57.270 --> 0:23:57.659 a bucket. 0:23:57.690 --> 0:23:58.470 Do it with a smile. 0:23:58.740 --> 0:24:00.140 And do it with a smile. 0:24:00.170 --> 0:24:03.170 I like that, thank you. Mark. Hey, you can sign 0:24:03.170 --> 0:24:06.410 up for Mark's weekly email devotional. The Bold Stepper Weekly. 0:24:06.410 --> 0:24:08.960 You can share a powerful gospel video with someone who 0:24:08.960 --> 0:24:12.260 needs to hear it, or request our latest Bold Steps gift. 0:24:12.260 --> 0:24:16.670 It's all at Bold steps.org. You know, history shows us 0:24:16.670 --> 0:24:19.640 that the church's greatest moments of renewal often emerge from 0:24:19.640 --> 0:24:24.139 periods of uncertainty. In a timely book titled A Non-anxious presence, 0:24:24.140 --> 0:24:27.440 author Mark Sayers helps us understand how to lead with 0:24:27.440 --> 0:24:31.369 courage and hope, even when everything around us feels unstable. 0:24:31.400 --> 0:24:34.609 This powerful book will equip you to face change and 0:24:34.609 --> 0:24:38.960 chaos and conflict with confidence, instead of just surviving change. 0:24:38.990 --> 0:24:41.990 Learn how to participate in God's work of renewal by 0:24:41.990 --> 0:24:45.200 requesting this insightful, bold step gift. Today, we'll be glad 0:24:45.200 --> 0:24:48.260 to send you a copy of a Non-anxious presence. When 0:24:48.260 --> 0:24:51.200 you give a gift of any amount to bold steps, again, 0:24:51.200 --> 0:24:57.050 just call (800) 356-6639 or go online to give a gift 0:24:57.050 --> 0:25:00.990 of support and request the book at bold steps and 0:25:00.990 --> 0:25:03.540 you can even send your donation in the mail. Just 0:25:03.540 --> 0:25:07.889 write to us at bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, 0:25:07.920 --> 0:25:14.220 Illinois 60,610. Once again, that's 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, 0:25:14.250 --> 0:25:18.630 Illinois 606 ten. And by the way, if you haven't already, 0:25:18.630 --> 0:25:21.179 be sure to subscribe to our Bold Steps podcast on 0:25:21.180 --> 0:25:24.240 your phone or mobile device and take these daily messages 0:25:24.240 --> 0:25:28.020 with you wherever you go. Simply open up your podcast app, 0:25:28.020 --> 0:25:31.200 search for bold steps with doctor Mark Jobe and hit 0:25:31.200 --> 0:25:34.830 that subscribe button. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Join us tomorrow when 0:25:34.830 --> 0:25:38.430 we'll wind down our Step Up Living Higher series. Learn 0:25:38.430 --> 0:25:41.760 how you can step up to a new You Wednesday 0:25:41.790 --> 0:25:46.139 when you listen to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold 0:25:46.140 --> 0:25:49.080 steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of 0:25:49.109 --> 0:25:50.730 Moody Bible Institute.