Craig T. Owens

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Last week I concluded by saying I wanted to help all of us discover our God-given gifts so that we could stretch outside of our comfort zone. Remember that your comfort zone is much smaller than your gift zone. 

I’m concerned that some people might be confused about what I mean by “gifts.” Some people look at someone who can preach, or write, or sing, or compose music, or paint, and say, “They are so gifted! I could never do anything like that.” Yes, those are very visible gifts, but let’s not limit “gifts” to just those kinds of things. 

God has designed our physical bodies to do some astounding things! We see some people using their bodies to run fast, jump high, lift heavy things, or catch a ball, and we may marvel at their talents. These amazing feats are only possible because of a thousand other gifts. Even the simplest of tasks is far from simplistic. Isaac Newton noted, “In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God’s existence.” 

Something that is invisible to the human eye but indispensable to absolutely everything that happens in our physical bodies is the vital functions of enzymes. 

Enzymes are proteins that help facilitate metabolism, or coordinate a chemical reaction. Some enzymes build things up and some break things down. Enzymes help with things like… 

• turning the food we eat into energy 
• breathing 
• building muscle 
• nerve function 
• ridding our bodies of toxins 

There are thousands of individual enzymes in the body. Each type of enzyme only has one job. 

For example, consider the enzyme sucrase. If it is deficient in the body, sucrose from food isn’t broken down to glucose and fructose. As a result we would experience dehydration, malnutrition, and developmental delay. 

Every enzyme is vital. It’s not coincidental at all the the New Testament uses the analogy of our physical bodies to portray the Body of Christ (Romans 12:3-6; 1 Corinthians 12:6, 18, 27). 

(Check out all of the verses in this post by clicking here.)

In the New Testament church it’s easy to spot the highly visible gifts like preaching, evangelism, and church leadership, just as it’s easy to spot physical accomplishments like a professional athlete or a world-class pianist. But let’s not overlook the thousands of indispensable “enzymes” in the Church that allow the Body of Christ to function in a healthy way. 

Read through the Book of Acts and you will see gifts in the form of people who…

• agreed together in prayer 
• affirmed God-honoring, biblical decisions 
• organized feeding programs 
• hosted people in their homes (house churches) 
• prepared food for others 
• handed out that food 
• sewed clothes for those who needed them 
• faithfully visited the sick and imprisoned 
• earned a paycheck to pay for ministry expenses 
• distributed funds to those in need 
• used their official positions open doors or provide protection 
• wrote important correspondence

Peter wrote, “God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10). 

What happens if an “enzyme” is missing? Quite simply: The Church cannot grow to our full potential (1 Corinthians 12:26 AMPC; Ephesians 4:12-13). 

Each of us needs all of us. All of us needs each of us. Jesus hasn’t just saved you from death, He has also saved you to life—an abundant life for you, for the Body of Christ, and for those who don’t know Him as their Lord and Savior yet. 

You are gifted. More precisely said: You ARE a gift! 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in this series, you can check them all out here. 

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