You may have been privileged to receive some kind of honor or award for a significant accomplishment. Perhaps you gained scholarship recognition. Maybe it’s been a military medal or a sport-related achievement. Perhaps you are an esteemed author, speaker, or political leader. You may be one of many of us who have simply made it through required levels of school, kissed your diploma, moved your tassel from right to left, and landed a job worthy of supporting daily living. That, too, is a worthy honor and accomplishment.
The Best Honor
Even if you have not been given honors in your life, there is one honor given to every person who trusts Jesus for forgiveness of sins and eternal life. If you believe, this honor is yours. You become a child of God. His very own. You even become His friend.
As a Christian, you are part of the Body of Christ. How amazing to join all the other Christians around the world and across the centuries to form His complete Body. God lives inside you. How many people on this earth can claim that the all-powerful great God lives inside them? But it is true for the person who believes. When this really lands in your mind, it is nothing less than stunning! God’s very essence – His Spirit – dwelling in you. What an unthinkable honor. And how often this is taken for granted. Yet, it is the greatest honor any person could ever be given.
There is a double honor for you as God’s child, His friend. Not only does He live inside your spirit. You also have very special work to carry out for His Kingdom. God has given you specific abilities and skill sets that will edify other believers.
Spiritual Gifts
First, God has given you spiritual gifts. Here is a list. Which gift(s) do you have? The point is not how many, but are you engaging what you’ve been given?
- Wisdom
- Knowledge
- Faith
- Healing
- Miracle power
- Prophecy
- Discernment
- Speaking in tongues
- Interpreting tongues
These build up the Body of Christ.
Spiritual Roles/Positions
There are additional abilities God has given you. These are roles we are exploring in this article. They focus on specific positions with rights, responsibilities, and privileges of those posts. You occupy these roles much like a career position, where you exercise skills sets and abilities to accomplish tasks entrusted to you. Here are positions available in God’s Kingdom:
- Apostle – a kind of pioneer, missionary, administrative communication leader heading the work.
- Prophet – foretelling OR (more commonly) divinely inspired instruction or exhortation.
- Teacher – passing on knowledge, skills, instructions, “how-to” steps.
- Worker of miracles – exercising God’s power to accomplish extraordinary acts for His glory.
- Healer – applying power to heal people: body, mind, emotions. Included is godly counseling.
- Helper – an ordinary word describing an extraordinary person with discernment to know what is needed, and with abilities to make it
happen. - Administrator – supervisor, operator, executive, manager who oversees processes to success.
- Speaking linguist – ability to speak in a heavenly language, or perhaps another earthly language as needed – but always with an interpreter and for the purpose of drawing attention to God.
You may want to explore these positions and roles to see how God has designed you and how He wants to empower you to edify and encourage His Body of believers. Don’t worry if you don’t immediately know. God will show you, train you, and increase your skills as you ask Him to give you understanding.
When you trust God enough to practice what He shows you and begin training in these skill sets and abilities, you may feel you are stepping out of your comfort zone. That is normal for a person trying new strides. Yet, taking risks as you obey God proves you believe Him and love Him. It proves your testimony that He is the One leading you, empowering you, and blessing your faithful work in the role He has called you to.
Honor – Double Honor
The honor and the double honor given to you are undeserved. They are extravagant displays of mercy and grace, of partnership and friendship with God. They elevate you to God’s original position of splendor, royalty, and purpose for your life.
So honor #1 – Christ lives in you! Honor #2 – Christ has given you special abilities and a specific position from which to serve Him and His Kingdom. The rest will come clear as you faithfully carry out what you know.
Be open, humble, and eager. You will become an amazing person as you train in these honors! And even in hard times, life will still have adventure and purpose.
How can you engage both honors in your daily life? What skill sets might you pursue additional training in? How can you push yourself, as in a career with professional development goals, to better your service for Jesus Christ? Yes, this is a responsibility – but it is also an adventure of exploration.
While you think and pray for guidance and training in God’s design and plan for you, remember there are greater gifts than spiritual gifts or positions. The greater gifts are faith, hope, and love. And the greatest is love. (1 Cor. 13:13) How are you developing these greater gifts each day?
This article, developed from 1 Cor.12:27-30, is part of a great study tool: E-PISTLES for an I-GENERATION! This book takes a modern look at 1 and 2 Corinthians, letters Paul wrote to first century believers. Letters used to be engraved on parchment and scrolls. This 68 session study book shows that God wants to engrave His love and principles on human hearts. E-PISTLES provides deep encouragement and practical ways your life can be an “e-pistle” to the i-generation you live in. You will want to order a copy!
