Romans 12:1-8 – Calling: Our Unique Mission

Introduction

Over the years I have seen many Christians struggle with a few major questions: “What is my purpose or value within the church?” and “Is there something significant I can do for Christ’s kingdom?” But, quite often, nobody helps us figure this out. So, we use our society's cheap substitutes for meaning. We buy, sell, and try to achieve in order to numb the emptiness of feeling like we aren’t contributing to the kingdom.

The problem is that it doesn’t work. It leaves us feeling empty, meaningless, like we are wasting our lives. We know deep down inside that we were made for something more, but what is it? Most of us just don’t know…and so, we think to ourselves, “There has to be something significant that I can do for Jesus.”

The series

The life of a disciple of Jesus is like a tree. The roots are our identity as children of God. The trunk is the servant’s heart of Christ. Today we are going to look at the branches and leaves of the tree…our calling or mission from God. Our calling is how we reach beyond ourselves and bring comfort not only to members of Christ’s church, but also to the world around us. We are each empowered by the Holy Spirit in a unique way that God has particularly designed us for.

Today we will see that we are enabled to live lives of worship as we embrace the unique gifts and calling that God has put on our hearts as we have been called to be disciples of Jesus Christ, following him.

Background

The context of Romans 12 is 11:25-36. There Paul explains that all people are bound to disobedience, and so are bound to eternal damnation. But…God is full of mercy. The Father sent his Son to bear the eternal wrath of God that we deserve…this is amazing and mind-blowing. And so Paul ends chapter 11 with an incredible doxology, praising…the God who knows more than we can even imagine, who makes perfect decisions, who owns all and has everything he needs, yet in his mercy came to save us even while we were his enemies.

This leads Paul into chapter 12 where he outlines the logical conclusion of what God has done for us. Romans 12:1-8.

Exposition

Answering God's mercy (vv. 1-2)

Let’s ask ourselves a question, “Who owns us?” If I own myself then I will do what I want to do. But if God owns me then I will do what he wants me to do. Paul understands that he has been redeemed by the mercies of God, bought by the price of Jesus Christ, so he is not his own, Jesus owns him. So…he will do whatever God wants.

What should we do?

Because of what God has done for us, we are to give our bodies, our lives, to God. We are not our own anymore, we are His. So, we should give ourselves to Him dying to self-rule.

Because we have died with Christ in his crucifixion and been buried with him, we must die to a Christless life. We have been made alive in his resurrection, so we offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice.

Why should we do it?

By using the words spiritual worship, Paul is saying that offering our bodies as living sacrifices is the logical thing (spiritual) to do for those who serve (worship) God. We worship him with everything we have because we are grateful for all that we have received in Christ Jesus.

How should it affect us?

There are two things this should do. First, it should keep us from being like the world. Second, it should transform us into what God wants.

When Paul tells us not to be conformed to the world, he is saying, that we must not conform ourselves to the patterns of this world. We are to be notably different from the world. Since the world is at war with God, it would be foolish for those who have been saved and adopted into his family to act like an enemy of God again.

Next Paul explains that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. What he is saying is that we are to be completely changed in our mind by the process of renovation. We must tear down the world’s standards and ideas in our minds, and replace them with God’s. Our lives have been fundamentally changed and so we must put God and others before our personal desires. Christianity gets down into our hearts and makes us judge what our motives and intentions are.

Discerning God's will

Next Paul explains why our minds should be transformed and renewed. We are to have our minds changed so that we can determine what God wants us to do…that which is good, acceptable (well-pleasing to God), and perfect (fullness or maturity).  If our minds are corrupted with the world we won’t do things that please God. We won’t look at things and judge them rightly unless our minds are being renovated.

So how is it that we can be renovated? By spending time with God in prayer. By listening to him in his Word. By meditating on the intentions of our heart, our motives. Our minds cannot be renewed and filled with God if we fill them with the world.

We must remember what God has done for us and make sure that this causes us to devote our lives to God in spiritual worship.  We are to have our minds conformed to God’s standards so that we know what we are to do as part of our spiritual service to him in love and gratitude.

We must live as a sacrifice. Our lives should be about one thing, loving God. This love for God will naturally push out to love for all that he has made and all that he cares for. In dying we live. In giving we gain. In loving we are loved. In sacrifice we are enriched. This is the tie into the next section of this passage. Our meaning and purpose are found in sacrificing ourselves for others. Our life direction is guided using our gifts for the good of others, and thereby loving them.

Receiving and applying God's gifts (vv. 3-8)

To summarize verses 3-8…we should think about ourselves sensibly and do what God has gifted us to do by his grace for the benefit of others.

Our balance (12:3-4)

As people, we often gravitate to extremes: underestimation or overestimation. If asked to evaluate our gifts or talents, we often portray a sense of humility, underestimating ourselves, or we hold a sense of pride, overestimating ourselves.

Paul doesn’t tell us to think poorly of ourselves or look down on ourselves, but rather that we should think sensibly about ourselves. We shouldn’t think too highly or lowly, but reasonably, sensibly, and seriously.

In other words, God has made us who we are. He has given us our faith and our gifts and talents. It is not wise or safe to be too proud or too demeaning of anyone who has been specially designed by God.

In other words, God made us who we are. He gave us our gifts. We must think accurately about ourselves and then use our strengths and gifts to help others. If we always think more highly of ourselves than we should, we won’t do much good because we will operate out of our weaknesses rather than strengths, and if we think of ourselves less than we should, we won’t do anything at all.

Remember what Paul said in Ephesians. We are God’s workmanship, or masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus. I think here he is saying that we should be the masterpiece that we were designed to be, not more or less than that…simply the masterpiece that God has made us.

Our focus (12:5-6a)

But what are we to do as God’s masterpieces? We are all members of one body. This gets back to our identity, the roots of the tree. We saw that we are all children of God. We are all defined by whose we are not who we are. We are God’s children and as such we are now free to not compare ourselves to each other but rather to be one in Christ Jesus.

One body

Jesus is the head of his body, the church. And each person is a part of his body, the bride, the church. We are all knit and joined together in Christ Jesus. There is no more us versus them. There is only us.

Paul tells us that everyone in the church is part of the body. And like a body, it is made up of many different parts that each have a different purpose. Bodies don’t function well if everything does or is the same. Without all the parts the church cannot move toward Christ.

Grace

You get the picture, right? Paul says we all have different gifts, and these gifts are the grace, or special favor, of God. God sees the picture of the body he wants. He sees something beautiful, well put together, functional, and purposeful. He wants us to live as if we are functioning together, all for his glory and for his kingdom purposes of seeing his body completed without spot or wrinkle, without blemish.

God has a plan of a diverse people, with diverse gifts, making up a beautiful body that functions well on the mission that he gave us which is to love him, love others, and be disciples who make disciples of all nations all to his glory.

Our Gifts (12:6b-8)

It does not appear that Paul is trying to give an absolute list of every possible spiritual gift. It seems that these cover the gamut of spiritual gifts and are helpful in showing how valuable it would be if they were working together in the body of Christ.

Perceivers (prophecy)

The first gift is prophecy. In scripture, a prophet seems to have spiritual perception, so we might call them perceivers. They can: 1) rightly understand scripture, 2) rightly interpret scripture, and 3) explain the will of God from it. They have a very real sense of discerning right and wrong. The main purpose of this gift is to reveal God’s will from the Scripture to exhort, encourage, and instruct for the building up of Christ’s body.

Servers (service)

The second gift is service. Throughout the scriptures we see them: 1) providing for the physical, material, or spiritual needs of people 2) taking care of the less fortunate in society such as the poor or the widowed, and 3) helping in the distribution or collection of food, clothing, etc. to give to those in need. They are particularly skilled at seeing the heart of God for mercy and implementing it in tangible ways. They often work in the background providing services that others never see.

Teachers (teaching)

The third gift is teaching. Teachers instruct and give the apostolic tradition in its redemptive-historical content and the moral exhortation that flows from it. They give instruction to the church for its upbuilding, comfort, and spiritual direction. They use sound, rational, and instructive reasoning to convince and help others learn from the Scriptures. They can usually synthesize ideas well and love to share what they have learned.

Encourager (exhorting)

The fourth gift is exhortation or encouraging. This person will 1) edify and exhort 2) give peace to a troubled mind through speaking a message of encouragement and 3) bring joy and comfort. Encouragers can call forth the best in others through encouragement and motivation. They often like to prescribe practical advice. They want to see people improve and succeed. They have the ability to bring new life to people who have lost their determination and feel burnt out.

So far, do you notice what Paul is saying? He is saying, "Let the person who has the gift use their gift." In other words, he isn't saying, "Let the person who has the gift of prophecy exhort." God has given us our gifts for the purpose of using them. We should seek to use our gifts in the way and for the purpose they were given for.

Giving

The fifth gift is giving or contribution. The scriptures show that giving is characterized by: 1) being charitable or having a charitable attitude 2) giving much out of little 3) specifically contributing to the less fortunate and 4) giving of one’s excess or bounty to those who have nothing. Income is not the only way to determine whether someone has the gift of giving. Givers also donate their time through volunteer work or helping others in some way. They are characterized by hospitality. Perhaps the easiest way to identify a Giver is their generous and charitable nature. They are very gracious people.

Ruler (Leadership)

The sixth gift is leadership. The scriptures illustrate how a Ruler will: 1) set good examples 2) provide sound counsel 3) give admonition and warning to the people of dangers they are headed toward 4) reprove for negligence and 5) rule with love versus rigor. Leaders can often see the “big picture.” They look ahead for potential dangers. Their ability to guide people and communicate to them can give them an assertive, take-charge air. They have the ability to bring order by setting up structures, systems, and methods for others to follow. They are good at moving everyone toward a common goal.

Mercy

The last gift is acts of mercy. Those with the gift of Mercy are: 1) compelled to have compassion for people, 2) help people in misery, and 3) pity the ignorant and instruct them. People gifted with Mercy are the first to listen and sympathize when someone is suffering. They feel that sympathizing with others is a valuable use of their time. They often have a strong desire to relieve the pain of others. It is this ability to show compassion and mercy that enables the person with this gift to demonstrate a large amount of patience.

Their use

I have a question for you. Did any of these resonate with you? Or did you feel sad that you have been forced to use these gifts outside the church, but never in any real way within it? If so, you need to participate in the life of the body of Christ using your gifts.

If, however, you have no idea what your gifts are, come chat with me and we can pray and talk through how to discern what your gifts are. Then, ask and look for opportunities to use your gifts. You are a very valuable part of the body of Christ! If your gifts are not being used, then you are missing out on your functioning as a member of Christ’s body. We are members of one another, if you aren't using your gifts, we all suffer.

Because of the mercies of God, your life, your body is supposed to be a living sacrifice for God's service. My guess is that if you are not using your gifts for the body of Christ you may feel lost and empty. I think this is why so many people have a mid-life crisis. They have done or not done everything they were supposed to do. They got a job or career, a house, a car, a spouse, children, and a dog, and think “What is left to do?” So, they go crazy to break the meaninglessness of life, but they can't. Why? They were designed for a different purpose.

It is in God’s grace, or abundant mercy, that you will find what you are looking for. You must find your identity in Christ. You must have the servant's heart of Christ. You must embrace your unique calling of giving yourself and your gifts for the good of the body of Christ, and for the good of others. God has given you the Holy Spirit and gifted you in a unique way. Are you living out your calling?

Application

So, how does this get practical? I might suggest that you take a spiritual gift inventory (www.gifttest.org/survey). This may give you a small idea as to where your gifts lean. It breaks down the gifts into the perceiver, the server, the teacher, the encourager, the giver, the ruler, and one who shows mercy. These are the same gifts that we see in this passage. It doesn't give a result that tells you that you are one thing or another, but rates you on a percentage scale. It shows you which ones you are strongest at, or maybe shows you what your strong suit is.

I, however, don't think that the answer is simply taking a spiritual gifts test. Though it might help, the only way you can really find out is to get engaged on mission with others. Exercise your gifts within a community and see what you like and don't like. See what you're good at and not good at. Find people who are already engaged in these gifts. Ask them if you can tag along and learn with them. If you think you might like something, ask someone who is well-gifted to lead you in it.

We must function in a culture of multiplication. A culture which develops our spiritual gifts. Be mentored by someone and look at yourself soberly. Don't leave your gifts on the table.