Motivational & Grace Gifts
Gifts of the Holy Spirit • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewIn today’s message, we will look the gifts that are listed in Romans 12.
Notes
Transcript
Handout
May 24th 2026
Series: Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Sermon Title: Motivational & Grace Gifts
Topic: What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament?
Key Passages: Romans 12:1-8
Topic: Holy Spirit, Gifts, Fruit of the Spirit
Sermon Blurb: In today’s message, we will look the gifts that are listed in Romans 12.
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Dedication, Baptism, or Ministry Highlight (1st Sunday, every even month):
Sermon:
Hello, Family Church!
Welcome, whether you are here in person or online.
Family Moment –
Start with something personal from your family life recently to help people get to know you.
Celebrate salvation/rededications/baptisms last week.
Celebrate new disciples and disciple-makers.
PAUSE
If you are new to Family Church, we are SO happy you are here today!
Today, we continue in our series learning about the Holy Spirit.
For those of you who are new, or newer, to Family Church.
We are focusing on how the Holy Spirit in the New Testament gifted people.
For the last few weeks, we have looked at what is known more as the Charismatic gifts.
This week and next, we will shift to discussing some of the motivational and grace gifts.
PAUSE
Let’s see where these gifts come from in the Bible.
If you have your Bible with you —and I hope you do —open it to
Romans 12
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Church, let me give you some context for the chapter in the Bible we are about to pick up and read.
You will see that Romans 12 does not begin by talking about gifts.
It begins with mercy.
Why?
Well…
Romans chapter 1 through Romans chapter 11, Paul explained to the Roman church the concept of salvation:
· How we are justified by faith.
· How God gives grace for sinners.
· How there is no condemnation in Christ.
· How nothing can separate us from the love of God.
That is why Paul starts out saying in verse 1….
Romans 12:1-8 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
In view of that mercy…
The mercy we get in Jesus giving us salvation…
Look in your Bibles…
OFFER yourselves to God.
FREELY….
So these gifts….
They are NOT about self-expression.
They are grateful for the response.
They are about us living like Jesus…
Which is why Paul goes on to say:
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
AKA, if you are a Christian, people at school should see you living differently from other students.
If you are a Christian in the business world…you should look different from other business people.
If you are a Christian, you should NOT look like the world!
You should be TRANSFORMED by the Holy Spirit working in your mind!
You should be transformed as you begin to live like Jesus.
Which is how Paul says:
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Stop there…
Just like we have been saying through this series…
We are ALL gifted differently by God, and that is a GOOD thing.
We do NOT have the same talents and abilities.
We all have different functions for God.
And when we all do what we are good at, that is how we grow the church.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
Again…different gifts…
Different gifts.
Same grace from God.
And we are ONE body, one church.
And here are the gifts:
If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;
7 if it is serving, then serve;
if it is teaching, then teach;
8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;
if it is giving, then give generously;
if it is to lead, do it diligently;
if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Those gifts are often called motivational or grace gifts because they reflect how God uniquely wires believers to serve consistently and joyfully.
And bear in mind the church…
Paul wrote this to a divided church.
A church divided by Jews and Gentiles who were wrestling over identity, culture, and preference.
Sounds like America as well!
Divided by identity politics!
Culture politics!
Preference politics!
Which is why Paul started in verse three with:
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought…”
AKA you're not as special as you think you are.
AKA this is NOT about you anyway!
All these gifts are from God, and it is NOT about you!!!
PAUSE
Spiritual gifts were never meant to create hierarchy.
They were meant to create harmony.
You will actually see that note in your handout…why don’t you write that down?
Spiritual gifts were never meant to create hierarchy. They were meant to create harmony.
(Repeat)
PAUSE
So with our time left today…
Let’s dive into those gifts that were just listed.
Verse 6 said:
If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;
We have talked about this one in prior weeks…So I won’t spend a lot of time here…
But…prophecy is not primarily predictive; it is Spirit-enabled truth-telling according to “the measure of faith.”
In the early church, prophecy strengthened and corrected believers (1 Corinthians 14:3).
It is speaking God’s truth clearly and faithfully.
PAUSE
Prophecy today might look like:
A believer lovingly confronting compromise.
A small group leader sensing something spiritually off and addressing it with Scripture.
A parent speaking truth into a drifting child’s life.
It’s not dramatic.
It’s courageous clarity.
Prophecy says, “God’s Word says this… and we must align with it.”
Verse 7 adds two more gifts:
7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;
Some people are gifted at serving other people.
This is the gift of the person who sees a need before anyone announces it.
Like in Acts 6, where they appointed deacons to serve widows so the church would remain unified and focused.
Servants are the people who come in here every week and clean the building after services and set up things for the next week.
The one who stays after events to help and doesn’t just jet and leave it for others to do.
The one who quietly brings meals to the sick.
They may never preach…
They may never be known…
But the church would struggle without them.
Service is love with sleeves rolled up.
PAUSE
Teaching, we have also talked about before….
But teaching explains and applies truth accurately.
Teachers:
Love Scripture.
Care about context.
Clarify confusion.
Light bulbs turn on.
Teachers don’t just give information.
They build foundations.
Without teachers, churches drift into opinion.
With teachers, churches grow in depth.
Then, in verse 8, we have several more gifts.
8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;
The word encouragement means “to come alongside.”
Encouragers strengthen others.
Cheer others to keep going.
Like Barnabas in the Bible, who believed in Paul when others doubted him.
Who elevated Paul when others were afraid.
Who put Paul into positions of influence when others didn’t think he was ready.
Barnabas was Paul’s encourager…
And without him…Paul may never have become who he was…
Encouragers:
Write notes.
Send texts.
Speak life into tired souls.
Cheer the weary back into the game.
Encouragement is like oxygen to a fire.
It makes people ROAR!!!!
When encouragement is absent, churches grow harsh.
When it’s present, people flourish.
PAUSE
The next one…is an interesting one that I bet surprises some of you…
if it is giving, then give generously;
Anyone surprised to see giving as a gift from God?
Generosity…
Let me park here for a second.
Would you all agree that Family Church is a generous church?
We are generous because we want to reflect this charter of God into our culture, which is NOT generous.
We are generous because we want to show you that God wants you live.
And let me be super clear here…
Paul is NOT just talking about tithing alone.
Now, if you are newer to church, you might not know what the word “Tithe” means…
Tithing is found throughout the Bible.
And it is this expectation from God that ALL believers are to give back to God the first 10% of what He blesses them with.
So, if you have a job and make $100, you give God $10.
If you make $100,000 a year, you give God $10,000.
Super easy math…just move the decimal over one spot.
Paul is NOT talking about that.
That is something everyone here should do.
And yes, that includes me… and yes, I tithe 10% of my income to Family Church.
PAUSE
Paul is talking about people that God gives a gift to who are beyond that.
Who are generous people.
And you all know the kind of people I am talking about.
The kind of people who will always pay when you go out with them.
They kind of people who always send you a gift.
The kind of people who love to bless others.
The kind of people who find JOY in giving.
There are some who are especially wired to fund kingdom work.
There are some people here who God has SOOOOO blessed financially, because He wants to funnel money through you to build His kingdom.
And some of you might be thinking…well I would be more generous if God just gave me more…
And understand it is NOT about the amount!!!
It is about the heart!!!!
And maybe if you started being generous with the little God has given you, he might entrust you with more!
PAUSE
Can I share a true and funny story with you about this topic???
I knew a guy who was faithful to tithe.
He always gave God the first 10% of what he made.
And then he was like this verse and gave beyond.
And God blessed this guy like crazy…
And he kept getting promoted….
Kept getting raises…
Getting bonuses…
And one day sat down with his pastor….
He went on to say God has blessed him so much…
And it used to be easier to tithe and give beyond because it was not all that much money…
But now…
Now he was struggling because tithing meant he would give the church enough to cover a person’s salary.
And then to be generous meant beyond that…
And he was struggling…
And so his pastor said…
I get it…
I know exactly what to do…
And the guy LEANED IN…
EXCITED TO LEARN…
And his pastor said…
I am going to pray over you…
And I am going to ask God to shrink your income back down to the place where it is easier for you…
And Pastor Adam leaned back and SAID NO NO NO NO NO….
100% true story about our lead pastor…
That was a turning point for him.
The light bulb went off that it was ALL God’s.
And how could He not generously give God the first 10% and beyond!
Which is why we now as a church do the same!
We as a church make sure the first 10% of our income goes DIRECTLY to missions…
And yearly, we always go beyond that!
PAUSE
In 2 Corinthians 9:6–8 Paul says, “God loves a cheerful giver.”
The giver sees money differently.
They see it as a seed.
Some people hear about a need and immediately think, “How can I help fund that?”
They don’t give reluctantly.
They give joyfully.
Giving isn’t about amount…it’s about willingness.
Without generous people, the church could not function.
With generous people… churches can serve in amazing ways!
PAUSE
He goes on to say…
if it is to lead, do it diligently;
Some people are gifted by God to lead.
Some are not.
Leaders:
Bring clarity in chaos.
Create structure where there is confusion.
Help people move in the same direction.
Leadership isn’t control.
It’s about moving something forward.
Guiding.
Developing.
Growing.
Without leadership, vision dies.
With godly leadership, mission advances.
PAUSE
And the last one….
if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Mercy feels what others feel.
Mercy is the person who will cry with you.
Sit next to you in the hospital for hours.
Mercy doesn’t just see pain.
It moves toward it.
Mercy is the person:
Who sits with the grieving.
Who notices the lonely.
Who feels deeply for the broken.
Without mercy, churches become cold.
With mercy, they become safe.
But also note what Paul said…
And Paul said, “Show mercy with cheerfulness.”
Not pity.
Not an obligation.
But joyful compassion.
PAUSE
The giver fuels vision.
The leader organizes the movement.
The merciful care for the people.
When every gift operates…the body thrives.
When one gift dominates…imbalance happens.
PAUSE
Let me close with an illustration…(Blessing video)
Think of a symphony.
Different instruments.
Different sounds.
Different ways of playing.
Add singers..
Add a great son…
With one conductor.
All playing the SAME song.
All singing the SAME song..
If everyone played violin…it would be beautiful…but it could be more…
Let me show you…
Sit back…
Listen…
Worship…
PLAY BLESSING VIDEO….
Church…
We are called to look like that.
All of us using our gifts together.
To create something beautiful.
When ALL of us operate in our gifts…
We will have the power to do more than we can imagine…
God did not call you to be someone else.
He called you to be faithful with the gifts given to you.
Church,
Don’t chase the spotlight.
Chase faithfulness.
Because when every part does its work….
That is how we become the body of Christ.
PAUSE
Let’s wrap things up today with your life application.
If you are new or newer to Family Church, we LOVE to end our messages with something for you to talk about with someone else.
Something to help you apply the message to your life.
So, here is this week’s Life Application…
Life Application: Gifts are often revealed by what moves you. Ask yourself: What burdens me? What energizes me? Where do I consistently serve with joy? As a result of today’s message, I will….
Prayer:
Make sure to do a salvation call!
Offering:
Thank you all for being here today!
If you would like to continue your worship through giving, there are offering boxes by the doors as you exit, or behind me on the screens. You can also see other ways to give here at Family Church.
You can also place any connection cards you filled out in there.
***Each week we want to highlight a different way to give.
