Service & Support Gifts

May 24th 2026

Series: Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Sermon Title: Service & Support Gifts

Topic: What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament?

Key Passages: 1st Corinthians 12:11-22 & 27-28,

Topic: Holy Spirit, Gifts, Service, Support

Sermon Blurb: In today’s message, we will look the gifts of service and support and how to get involved with our gifts at church.

***1st week ODD months add communion & target message at 15 pages.

***1st week EVEN months add space for dedication, baptism, or ministry highlight & target message at 15 pages.

***Green in sermons means illustration, something we are looking for a response from, and/or a picture that goes on the screens.

***Yellow means what is yellow will be on the screens and in the handout.

Dedication, Baptism, or Ministry Highlight (1st Sunday, every even month):

***SERVE TEAM PUSH HAVE THEM READY IN LOBBY FOR SIGN UPS

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 wrap up our series on learning about the Holy Spirit and the way He gifts us.

Amazing to think this is the 13thweek diving into these gifts.

And today we will wrap it up, talking about two of the most important gifts…

        And then we will end by giving you all some clear next steps on how you can use your gifts here at Family Church.   

The two gifts we are going to talk about today are the hidden strength of the entire church.

        Today we are going to talk about the gifts of help and service.

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

1st Corinthians 12

New Person Bible Connection:

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        After service, we will give you an AMAZING leather-bound study Bible!

Just go to ADD YOUR CAMPUS PLACE and get one for FREE!!!

Or you can always download the Family Church app and follow along on your phone as well.

Simply download the app and click "Sermon Notes" on the main page.

Those of you who have been here for this whole series might remember us spending some time in this passage…

But we did not cover the whole passage.

And the part we are picking up in today is at the end.

This passage is abut what we have been talking about for months as a church.

How we are all gifted differently by God and how 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.

But look in your Bibles…

        This is why you bring your Bibles to church because we cannot have it all on the screens all the time…

        But in verse 1-11 it talks about a bunch of the gifts we have already taught on.

        In verses 12-31 it talks about how we are ALL the body of Jesus.

        And how we all have different purposes in that body.

        Like how we have eyes and ears…

        Different purposes but equally valuable!

In the same way I preach.

        Others lead worship.

        Others lead youth.

        Others lead kids.

        Others make coffee.

        Others open doors.

        Others pass out bulletins.

        Others go on missions trips.

        Others clean the building.

        Others do all kinds of things…

ALL are of EQUAL importance…

        If ANY of those parts are missing…

        Church is not what it could be…and we feel it!

If this build was never cleaned…you would all notice it!

        If we never had kids ministry…kids would miss it.

        If we never had any number of things…it would not be as good as it is.

PAUSE

And in the middle of Paul saying all this he said this in verse 27&28…

1stCorinthians 12:27-28 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

Like we jut talked about….

28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.

Church, when we think about spiritual gifts, we often think about the visible ones:

Preaching

Teaching

Leading

Singing

Speaking

But Paul includes a gift that is rarely platformed.

He simply calls it: “Helping.”

No spotlight.

No microphone.

No title.

Just faithfulness.

And yet Paul says…God appointed it.

Not volunteers appointed it.

Not pastors appointed it.

God appointed it.

That should change how we see it.

PAUSE

The church in Corinth loved impressive gifts.

They were enamored with tongues, prophecy…

Visible power.

God doing BIG things!

Paul responds in 1 Corinthians 12 by saying…

Every part matters.

He uses the body analogy:

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’”

Helps is the hand.

It may not be seen first.

But without it, man, it is hard to peel a banana…

Without your hand…writing…

Doing almost anything not so easy…

People doing the behind-the-scenes stuff is FAR more important than we give them credit for.

Like no one wants to be the guys who get here in winter and snowblow, plow, and put down salt…

        But 100% of you are THANKFUL someone else does it.

People are not knocking down our doors to clean the bathrooms after Sunday.

        But 100% of you are THANKFUL someone else does it.

PAUSE

And throughout the Bible we see the power of these behind-the-scenes people…

Like in Acts 6, when widows were neglected.

The apostles appointed servants to serve the widows.

The early church thrived because people stepped into unseen needs.

PAUSE

Helps looks like:

The person who notices a single mom struggling and quietly fixes her car.

The volunteer who sets up classrooms every Sunday before anyone arrives.

The man who mows the church lawn and never wants recognition or pay.

Helps says:

“If it needs to be done, I’ll do it.”

It is love in motion.

Let me keep painting the picture of how important this is…

Think about the foundation of a building…

        When you walk into a building, you admire the design.

        The paint.

        The cabinetry.

        The trim work.

        The works of art hanging on the walls.

I have never heard a single person compliment the foundation.

But if the foundation cracks, separate…everything collapses.

        The foundation matters MORE than the finishes…

PAUSE

Helps is the foundation gift.

        It prevents burnout.

It supports vision.

It stabilizes the ministry.

This intersects with what we talked about last week with the gift of service….

        It’s not flashy.

It’s faithful.

Jesus modeled this gift.

Mark 10:45 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”

If serving was beneath you, it would have been beneath Jesus.

HEART CHECK

Sometimes we want a platform before we’ve embraced a towel.

But in God’s kingdom.

The towel often comes before the throne.

If you have this gift:

You may feel overlooked.

You may feel unnoticed.

But heaven sees.

And the church stands because of you.

PAUSE

The world celebrates celebrities.

Heaven celebrates servants.

And when Christ returns,

He will not say, “Well done, good and famous servant.”

He will say…

        Who knows what it is????

        Well done what????

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

PAUSE

Church, we need:

Servants with towels.

Leaders with maps.

Givers with vision.

Hosts with open doors.

Not every gift is loud.

Some are structural.

Some are stabilizing.

        Some are never even seen by most.

But every single one is Spirit-appointed.

        Holy Spirit given.

        And of EQUAL importance…

The church will grow and thrive…

NOT because of one gift.

NOT because of one leader.

NOT because of one talented person.

The church will grow and thrive when every part does its work.

        When EVERY person is involved.

        When EVERY person is doing what God created them to do.

PAUSE

So…

        With our time left today…

        After spending 13 weeks talking about all kinds of Gifts that God gives us…

We are going to spend the rest of today talking about how to get involved at Family Church and use the gifts God has given you.

And we are going to spend ½ our message on this because we want to help you ALL see ALL the ways you can get involved in different ministries at Family Church and use these gifts….

        Because we WANT to be like what the bible says in 1st Corinthains 12….lets read it….

Unity and Diversity in the Body

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.

13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—

and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.

16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,

THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN SAYING TODAY!

        Those serving roles behind the scenes are indispensable!

23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,

24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,

25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles,

then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.

29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?

30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

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

So, with our time left lets dive into applying these gifts we have talked about for 13 weeks and how you can use them here at Family Church.

So….

Let’s do this….

In the seat in front of you is a connection card.

Or the seat behind you if you are in the front row.

I want EVERYONE to grab one of those and wave it at me…

COME ON!!!!

Great!

        On the back, it lists all kinds of service teams.

                Do you see that on the screen?

        I am going to walk through these gifts and show you how they apply to different teams and encourage you…

        For the gifts, you have to consider where you might want to jump in and help…

Let’s circle back to the start of this series and the APEST gifts…

        Who remembers those???

Now, all the stuff we are about to talk about is attached to the bulletin you got when you came in today…

How you might serve if you are:

1. Apostolic Gift: launching new campuses or church plants, ministry leader, developing leaders, mentoring staff, building partnerships with other churches, creating new ministry systems, or initiatives.

Why This Gift Is Important:

Apostolic people are builders and pioneers.

They think beyond maintenance and ask, “Where are we going next?”

They help the church:

Stay mission-focused

Expand outward

Build sustainable structures

Without apostolic influence, churches often stagnate.

2. Prophetic Gift: prayer team, intercession ministries, helping shape spiritual direction, discernment in decision-making moments, worship planning.

Why This Gift Is Important:

Prophetic people help keep the church spiritually awake.

They guard purity.

Hear what the Spirit is emphasizing.

Bring conviction and encouragement.

Without prophetic voices, churches drift into routine and lose spiritual sensitivity.

3. Evangelistic Gift: outreach events, community engagement, events to draw in seekers, training on sharing faith, and social media evangelism.

Why This Gift Is Important:

Evangelists keep the church outward-facing.

They remind the church the lost matter.

Carry urgency for salvation.

See gospel opportunities everywhere.

Without evangelistic gifting, churches turn inward.

4. Shepherd Gift: small group leadership, care ministries (hospital visits, counseling, crisis support), follow-up with new believers, marriage and family support, and guest assimilation.

Why This Gift Is Important:

Shepherds nurture and protect.

They notice when someone is missing.

        Create belonging.

        Provide emotional and spiritual stability.

Without shepherds, people feel unseen and drift away.

5. Teacher Gift: Bible classes, disciple-making, writing curriculum, youth or children’s teaching, leadership development.

Why This Gift Is Important:

Teachers bring clarity and depth.

They guard doctrine.

Explain truth clearly.

Without teachers, churches become shallow or easily misled.

PAUSE

Now, if you have the fruit of the Spirit….

Remember from Galatians 5:22–23.

Fruit shapes how gifts operate.

6. How the Fruit of the Spirit serves in the church:

Love → healthy relationships Joy → uplifting worship and teams Peace → conflict resolution Forbearance → unity in diversity

Kindness & Goodness → welcoming culture Faithfulness → dependable volunteers Gentleness → safe leadership Self-control → integrity

Why It’s Important:

Gifts without fruit create damage.

Fruit ensures maturity, credibility, and Christlike witnesses.

PAUSE

Then, after the fruit of the Spirit, we learned about

7. The revelation gifts: Wisdom: Board, team leadership, counseling. Knowledge: Teaching, research, doctrinal development. Distinguishing between spirits: prayer ministry, deliverance teams, and leadership discernment.

8. Power Gifts: Faith: Vision initiatives, capital campaigns, prayer gatherings. Healings: Prayer ministry teams, hospital outreach. Miracles: Strategic breakthrough moments in ministry.

9. Vocal Gifts: Prophecy: Confirming callings, prayer ministry. Tongues: Personal prayer life; corporate use with interpretation. Interpretation of Tongues: Public gatherings when tongues are given.

Then we learned about the motivational and service gifts over the last two weeks.

10. Motivational / Service Gifts: Encouragement: Follow-up ministry, counseling, prayer teams. Service / Helps: Setup teams, hospitality, tech, maintenance. Giving: Financial support, funding initiatives, benevolence, capital campaigns. Leading: Ministry leaders, board members, team captains. Mercy: Care ministry, grief support, prison ministry

PAUSE

I would encourage you…if you are not involved at Family Church…to check off a box…or write down something on the card and get involved today.

PAUSE

Look at the back of the connection card…

Family Kids – If you are a teacher, if you love the next generation, we need your help.

        You could teach.

        You could be a helper.

        You could just check in families and point them towards rooms.

        You could come in mid-week and help stock or clean rooms.

Family Students – If you want to mentor teens, this is for you!

        You could be a small group leader.

        You could be a small group helper.

        You could help make meals for the teens.

        You could help set up or clean up after the teens.

        You could help plan mission trips for teens.

First Impressions – If you like connecting with new people, this is for you!

        You could help answer questions at the info desk.

        You could give new people a Bible or gift card.

        You could pray with people.

Café – If you have the gift of hospitality, this is for you.

        You could make coffee or special drinks for people.

        You could give people donuts.

        Make cookies.

        Or come in mid-week and restock the café.

        Come in mid-week and help clean and prep.

Prayer Team – If you love to pray this is for you!

        You get to pray with our pastors before messages.

        Pray with teams before people arrive.

        Pray with people after services.

        Pray mid-week for all kinds of things.

Safety and Medical –

        You get to protect us from crazy people!

        You get to help people when a medical issue arises…and they do!

Usher –

        You get to hand people bulletins as the enter.

        Or help people find a seat when we get busy.

Welcome / Greeter –

        You get to open doors.

        Be the first face people see.

AVL –

        Run all the tech that makes this place run!

        Run slides for worship and preaching.

        Run sound to make it sound good.

        Help with tech stuff mid-week.

Worship –

        Drum, sing, play the keyboard, and so on.

Facilities –

        Help with the behind-the-scenes cleaning.

        Mowing the lawn.

        Weeding.

        Fixing things.

        And so on.

Special Events –

        Helping us do more events to connect with the community and those inside the church.

Care team –

        Make meals for people who just had a child or got hurt.

        Visit people.

        Love people who are grieving.

Life Team –

        Be a Godly voice for people who are struggling with what to do after finding themselves pregnant and unsure of what to do.

Creative Team –

        Take photos.

        Create social posts.

        Work on websites.

        Help us reach people through technology.

Valet Team -

        Park peoples lambos!!!!!

PAUSE

Church…

Let me end with this…

Why do all these gifts matter…

Apostolic keeps us moving.

Prophetic keeps us pure.

Evangelists keep us reaching.

Shepherds keep us caring.

Teachers keep us grounded.

Revelation gifts keep us discerning.

Power gifts keep us believing.

Vocal gifts keep us responsive.

Service gifts keep us functioning.

And the fruit keeps us Christlike.

The church is healthiest when all the gifts are honored, activated, and matured.

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: Decide how you could better use your gifts to build God’s Kingdom and jump in! 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.