• Main Idea: When we are confronted with the mercy of God, we should respond by giving our lives to him and exercising our gifts for the good of others.
• Head Change: To know that God has given each of us unique gifts.
• Heart Change: To feel excited to use our gifts in our local church.
• Life Change: To worship God by practicing our spiritual gifts for the good of our local church and its members.

What is the best gift you’ve ever received? Did you want to share it with others? Why, or why not?

 We all enjoy receiving gifts, but we’re not always as eager to share them as we are to receive them. When we become Christians, God gives us spiritual gifts, or abilities, strengths, or talents we can share with the church. These gifts are meant for the building up of his body, the church.

In this session, J.D. will show us why the local church is both where we learn what our spiritual gifts are and where we are called to practice them.

Read Romans 12:1–8.

Show Session 8: Romans 12:1–8 (14 minutes).

Paul starts verse 1 by encouraging us to live, “in view of the mercies of God.” The gospel is the foundation for our whole lives. We don’t live to earn God’s mercy—we live in light of God’s mercy. How has God been merciful to you? In what ways does his mercy affect your daily habits and decisions? 

Paul writes that we are to respond to God’s mercy by offering ourselves as a living sacrifice, a worship offering, to him. What do you think it looks like to present your body as a living sacrifice to God? What could you do to be more intentional about presenting your body to God for his glory?

After urging readers to offer themselves wholly to God, Paul drives his point home further. “This is your true worship,” he says at the end of verse 1. So, worship isn’t only confined to singing in church like we sometimes assume; it is an ongoing, everyday mark of our lives. How do you seek to worship God with your whole life? At your job? In your home?  

In verse 2, Paul offers a warning. He says, “Do not be conformed to this age.” What does it look like to be conformed to the age in which we live? How can we guard ourselves against disobeying Paul’s warning here?

Instead of adapting to think, behave, and hope like the popular culture, Paul instructs us to be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind[s].” J.D. used the example of a caterpillar to help us understand what it means to be transformed, saying we become “changed from within.” In what ways does God change us from within when he saves us? How does this inward change differ from what J.D. called “religious change”? What are some of the ways we can know we’ve been changed from within?

We are to be transformed, Paul says, “by the renewing of [our] mind[s].” Real change begins in our minds. What occupies your stray thoughts, daydreams, and anxieties? Where do you normally focus your attention? What things could you focus on less? What things could you focus on more?

In verse 2, we learn that we renew our minds so that we “may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God,” or, in other words, the way that we are to live. Have you ever wondered what God’s will is for your life? What was it like for you to wrestle through that question? What conclusion(s) did you arrive at?

Paul calls the will of God “good,” “pleasing,” and “perfect.” How can we trust that God’s will is good, pleasing, and perfect? In the moments when you wonder what God’s will is, how can these three words encourage you?

In verse 3, Paul urges readers not to think of themselves more highly than they should. What are some of the characteristics of someone who thinks more highly of themselves than they should? How can we guard against proud behavior? 

In the next sentence, Paul offers an alternative. “Instead,” he says, “think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.” Paul calls us to think about ourselves wisely, humbly, and with prudence. In what ways is sensible thinking a healthy alternative to thinking too highly of oneself?

 Paul introduces readers to an important metaphor that’s used in multiple places in the New Testament. He says, just like our own body, Christians are members of one body in Christ, with each member having its own unique function while still belonging to the one body. How does Paul’s metaphor help you understand your own place in the body of Christ? In what ways does Paul’s metaphor apply to the local church where you belong and your contribution there?

J.D. applied Paul’s metaphor to the local church—especially as it pertains to spiritual gifts—saying the local church is where you learn and exercise your spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are abilities, talents, and strengths God gives us to help the church. Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? How do you exercise those gifts within your local church?

In verse 6, Paul wades directly into the topic of spiritual gifts. He introduces them this way: “According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts.” Have you ever thought of your spiritual gifts as gifts of God’s grace? What changes about the way you use your gifts when you remember they’re a gift from God? In what ways can this verse help us guard against jealousy or envy of someone else’s gifts?

Paul then lists seven different spiritual gifts: prophecy, service, teaching, exhorting, giving, leading, and showing mercy. Which of these gifts stands out to you? Why? Do you know anyone who possesses one or more of these gifts? Have you ever complimented them or given them specific encouragement for the way they exercise their gift?

J.D. gave us a helpful tool to help us think through our spiritual gifts. He discussed our ability, affinity, and affirmation—where those three categories overlap is typically a spiritual gift. Spend some time discussing your spiritual gifts as a group using the Venn diagram that J.D. discussed. What do you think your spiritual gifts are? What gifts are represented in the room? In what ways are those gifts being exercised?

Paul attaches a quick instruction on how to use our gifts appropriately. For example, with giving he says to give “with generosity”; with leading, he says to lead “with diligence”; and with showing mercy, he says to do it “with cheerfulness.” Why do you think it is important to consider our hearts when we practice our gifts? Why do you think we should hold ourselves to a high standard when we lead, give, or show mercy?

In this session, J.D. emphasized the importance of belonging to a local church. He said that the local church is where we go to discover and exercise our spiritual gifts. How has the local church helped you discover and exercise your spiritual gifts?

Do you currently belong to a local church? Where are you serving within that church? How can you use your gifts even more at your local church?

When Christ saves us the Spirit gives each of us spiritual gifts. Some of us are gifted with mercy, others with the ability to teach, and some with the gift of leadership. No matter who we are, if we have been saved then we’ve been given a spiritual gift that God calls us to use to serve others and build his kingdom.

One of the best ways for us to discover how we’ve been gifted is to be active in a local church—the living expression of the “one body in Christ” of which we’re “members.” The people in your church need your gifts and you, likewise, need theirs. The body can only thrive when we depend on one another. Commit to investing deeper in the life of the church by using our gifts for the good of the body and its members.