Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your
question about the special Abilities the Spirit
gives us, I don't want you to misunderstand this.
1 Corinthians 12:1 (NLT)
"Where do I fit in?"
question about the special Abilities the Spirit
gives us, I don't want you to misunderstand this.
1 Corinthians 12:1 (NLT)
"Where do I fit in?"
That was one of the questions I posed to the men in last night's Bible study class. As disciples of the Lord Jesus, according to the Scriptures, each one of us has been given different kinds of spiritual gifts and abilities by God's Spirit, so that we could all serve the Lord together in brotherly love and harmony.
But since most of the men are fairly new in the faith, I could tell that many of them did not know what their unique gift or gifts might be. So this is what we focused on. We looked at the different gifts and abilities as revealed in the twelfth chapter of the apostle Paul's letter to the church in the city of Corinth, and also in the twelfth chapter of his letter to the Romans, and in Ephesians chapter four.
I then posed questions for them to ask themselves, such as, who am I? What is my role within the church? What does Messiah Jesus expect of me, and how could I better serve my brothers within our fellowship? I was happy to see their enthusiasm to explore these questions and share their thoughts.
For me, it's been an honor and a joy to sit with my brothers and study God's words with them. I've been given the privilege to teach our Wednesday evening class. I have been doing so for several years now.
In addition, I always tell the guys how the Bible studies are just as needful for me as they are or them. I also want the class to be interesting. So I invite the men to ask questions and share their thoughts. Social interaction is stressed. And we have a lot of fun, too. On occasion, I will give out prizes such as Tootsie Rolls for giving correct answers.
All said, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the Lord from behind prison walls. God is no respecter of persons. Messiah Jesus sits with convicts (Matthew 25:36). He sits beside sinners (Luke 15:1-2). He touches lepers (Matthew 8:2-3 - watch a short video of Jesus healing a leper), and He rescues those who are possessed by demons (Mark 5:1-20). And does He do this today? He does it through people like me, as well as all those who've put their faith in Him.
D.B.
But since most of the men are fairly new in the faith, I could tell that many of them did not know what their unique gift or gifts might be. So this is what we focused on. We looked at the different gifts and abilities as revealed in the twelfth chapter of the apostle Paul's letter to the church in the city of Corinth, and also in the twelfth chapter of his letter to the Romans, and in Ephesians chapter four.
I then posed questions for them to ask themselves, such as, who am I? What is my role within the church? What does Messiah Jesus expect of me, and how could I better serve my brothers within our fellowship? I was happy to see their enthusiasm to explore these questions and share their thoughts.
For me, it's been an honor and a joy to sit with my brothers and study God's words with them. I've been given the privilege to teach our Wednesday evening class. I have been doing so for several years now.
In addition, I always tell the guys how the Bible studies are just as needful for me as they are or them. I also want the class to be interesting. So I invite the men to ask questions and share their thoughts. Social interaction is stressed. And we have a lot of fun, too. On occasion, I will give out prizes such as Tootsie Rolls for giving correct answers.
All said, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the Lord from behind prison walls. God is no respecter of persons. Messiah Jesus sits with convicts (Matthew 25:36). He sits beside sinners (Luke 15:1-2). He touches lepers (Matthew 8:2-3 - watch a short video of Jesus healing a leper), and He rescues those who are possessed by demons (Mark 5:1-20). And does He do this today? He does it through people like me, as well as all those who've put their faith in Him.
D.B.
