I Love My Church Week 3
Unwrapping Your Superpower: How God Has Equipped You to Change the World
What do superheroes and Christmas presents have to do with the church? At first glance, the connection might not be obvious. But when you think carefully about both, a powerful truth begins to emerge — one that has everything to do with how God has designed His people to serve one another and the world around them.
More Than Just Powers
Webster's dictionary defines a superhero as a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers. It is a reasonable definition, but it misses something essential. What makes a superhero a hero is not simply what they can do. It is what they do with what they have been given.
Think about it. A person who can fly, shoot webs from their wrists, or demonstrate extraordinary strength, but never uses those abilities to help anyone, is just a person sitting on a couch with impressive potential. Having the power is one thing. Putting it into action is another thing entirely.
The same principle applies to every follower of Jesus Christ.
You Have a Spiritual Superpower
In 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul makes something abundantly clear: God has given every believer at least one spiritual gift. These are not natural talents earned through hard work or developed through years of practice alone. They are Spirit-empowered abilities, distributed by the Holy Spirit, designed specifically to build up the church and serve others.
Paul lists gifts such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, and others. Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4 round out the full picture, offering a rich and varied portrait of how God equips His people. These gifts span four broad categories: revelatory gifts, power gifts, speaking and proclamation gifts, and service and leadership gifts. There are roughly 24 spiritual gifts noted across the New Testament, and depending on how they are counted and grouped, the list is both broader and more diverse than many people realize.
Here is what makes this remarkable: you did not apply for your gift. You did not campaign for it or earn it. God, in His wisdom and love, chose which gifts were best suited for you and for the work He wants to accomplish through you. That means there is no reason to be jealous of someone else's gift. Your energy is far better spent discovering and developing what God has already placed inside of you.
There is also an important distinction worth noting. Natural ability and spiritual gifting are not the same thing. A gifted communicator can inspire through natural talent. But a person exercising the spiritual gift of teaching is subject to the instruction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, so that something beyond information transfer takes place. The difference is the difference between a well-trained boxer throwing a punch and Superman throwing one. Same motion, entirely different level of power.
Discovering What God Has Given You
If you are unsure what your spiritual gifts are, here are four practical starting points.
First, experiment by serving. Get involved somewhere and pay attention to what happens. Try a ministry for a few months and see whether you feel engaged, whether you see results, and whether you sense God working through you to point people toward Jesus.
Second, ask others. Trusted friends who know you well and have watched you serve can often see things in you that you cannot see in yourself. Ask them which gifts come to mind when they think of you, what you are doing when they see Jesus working through you, and how they see you making the community better.
Third, check your energy level. If you consistently dread a particular area of service, feel drained every time, and lack any sense of passion, that may be a sign you are in the wrong place. On the other hand, if you find yourself looking forward to serving and feeling genuinely engaged, that is a strong indicator you are operating in your gift.
Fourth, take a spiritual gifts assessment. These are widely available online and in print, often free of charge. They are not the final word, but they can be a helpful starting point when combined with prayer, serving experience, and the feedback of other believers.
You Were Not Meant to Serve Alone
Here is where the superhero team comes in. The Avengers could not save the world independently. They needed one another, each person contributing a different ability, a different strength, a different perspective.
Paul makes the same point in Romans 12, describing the church as one body with many members, each with different functions, all belonging to one another. The implication is striking. Your spiritual gift was not given for your own benefit. It was given for others. As 1 Corinthians 12 states, a spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
This truth should produce two things in us. Humility, because our gifts are not about making ourselves look good. And responsibility, because there are real people who need to experience the love of God through the gifts He has placed in us.
The Gift That Stays Wrapped
Now consider the Christmas present. Imagine being six or seven years old, walking into a room on Christmas morning and seeing a beautifully wrapped gift with your name on it. No one leaves that gift sitting unopened. You tear into it. You discover what is inside. You enjoy it and use it.
But that is exactly what happens when believers never step into their spiritual gifts. The gift sits there, unopened, unused, waiting. The children who needed encouragement go without it. The young people who needed a mentor never find one. The neighbors who needed someone to show them the love of Jesus never experience it.
God has equipped you. He has placed you in a community of believers where your gifts can be put to work. He has surrounded you with people who need what He has given you. The question is not whether you have a gift. The question is whether you will open it.
Do not leave it wrapped. Discover it. Develop it. Use it for the kingdom of God. The church needs you. The community needs you. And through you, the world can encounter the love of Jesus Christ.
What do superheroes and Christmas presents have to do with the church? At first glance, the connection might not be obvious. But when you think carefully about both, a powerful truth begins to emerge — one that has everything to do with how God has designed His people to serve one another and the world around them.
More Than Just Powers
Webster's dictionary defines a superhero as a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers. It is a reasonable definition, but it misses something essential. What makes a superhero a hero is not simply what they can do. It is what they do with what they have been given.
Think about it. A person who can fly, shoot webs from their wrists, or demonstrate extraordinary strength, but never uses those abilities to help anyone, is just a person sitting on a couch with impressive potential. Having the power is one thing. Putting it into action is another thing entirely.
The same principle applies to every follower of Jesus Christ.
You Have a Spiritual Superpower
In 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul makes something abundantly clear: God has given every believer at least one spiritual gift. These are not natural talents earned through hard work or developed through years of practice alone. They are Spirit-empowered abilities, distributed by the Holy Spirit, designed specifically to build up the church and serve others.
Paul lists gifts such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, and others. Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4 round out the full picture, offering a rich and varied portrait of how God equips His people. These gifts span four broad categories: revelatory gifts, power gifts, speaking and proclamation gifts, and service and leadership gifts. There are roughly 24 spiritual gifts noted across the New Testament, and depending on how they are counted and grouped, the list is both broader and more diverse than many people realize.
Here is what makes this remarkable: you did not apply for your gift. You did not campaign for it or earn it. God, in His wisdom and love, chose which gifts were best suited for you and for the work He wants to accomplish through you. That means there is no reason to be jealous of someone else's gift. Your energy is far better spent discovering and developing what God has already placed inside of you.
There is also an important distinction worth noting. Natural ability and spiritual gifting are not the same thing. A gifted communicator can inspire through natural talent. But a person exercising the spiritual gift of teaching is subject to the instruction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, so that something beyond information transfer takes place. The difference is the difference between a well-trained boxer throwing a punch and Superman throwing one. Same motion, entirely different level of power.
Discovering What God Has Given You
If you are unsure what your spiritual gifts are, here are four practical starting points.
First, experiment by serving. Get involved somewhere and pay attention to what happens. Try a ministry for a few months and see whether you feel engaged, whether you see results, and whether you sense God working through you to point people toward Jesus.
Second, ask others. Trusted friends who know you well and have watched you serve can often see things in you that you cannot see in yourself. Ask them which gifts come to mind when they think of you, what you are doing when they see Jesus working through you, and how they see you making the community better.
Third, check your energy level. If you consistently dread a particular area of service, feel drained every time, and lack any sense of passion, that may be a sign you are in the wrong place. On the other hand, if you find yourself looking forward to serving and feeling genuinely engaged, that is a strong indicator you are operating in your gift.
Fourth, take a spiritual gifts assessment. These are widely available online and in print, often free of charge. They are not the final word, but they can be a helpful starting point when combined with prayer, serving experience, and the feedback of other believers.
You Were Not Meant to Serve Alone
Here is where the superhero team comes in. The Avengers could not save the world independently. They needed one another, each person contributing a different ability, a different strength, a different perspective.
Paul makes the same point in Romans 12, describing the church as one body with many members, each with different functions, all belonging to one another. The implication is striking. Your spiritual gift was not given for your own benefit. It was given for others. As 1 Corinthians 12 states, a spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
This truth should produce two things in us. Humility, because our gifts are not about making ourselves look good. And responsibility, because there are real people who need to experience the love of God through the gifts He has placed in us.
The Gift That Stays Wrapped
Now consider the Christmas present. Imagine being six or seven years old, walking into a room on Christmas morning and seeing a beautifully wrapped gift with your name on it. No one leaves that gift sitting unopened. You tear into it. You discover what is inside. You enjoy it and use it.
But that is exactly what happens when believers never step into their spiritual gifts. The gift sits there, unopened, unused, waiting. The children who needed encouragement go without it. The young people who needed a mentor never find one. The neighbors who needed someone to show them the love of Jesus never experience it.
God has equipped you. He has placed you in a community of believers where your gifts can be put to work. He has surrounded you with people who need what He has given you. The question is not whether you have a gift. The question is whether you will open it.
Do not leave it wrapped. Discover it. Develop it. Use it for the kingdom of God. The church needs you. The community needs you. And through you, the world can encounter the love of Jesus Christ.
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