As older members of the Body of Christ, are we using our spiritual gifts to help and encourage others?
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4.11-13).
For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness (Romans 12.3-8).
Dr Hal Habecker's Comments
Do you know the spiritual gifts God has entrusted to you? Name them. Are you using them throughout these important days and years. His gifts never wear out. There is never a day in which they should be placed on the shelf. Spiritual gifts do not retire. The Spirit of God calls us in this season of life to use them in serving and encouraging others. If you are a part of a small group, ask others in your circle to give you a renewed insight as to how God may calling you to use you spiritual gifts to make a difference in your sphere of influence. That’s why God gave you these gifts.
Commentary (ref www.BibleRef.com)
Paul wrote to Christians living in Rome who were primarily Gentiles. They met in house churches, practicing their faith as a minority in a pagan culture of many deities as well as the cult of emperor worship. These believers were likely well educated, in comparison with some of Paul's other letter recipients. The contents of Romans, especially chapters 1—11, feature some of the most complex writing Paul provides in the New Testament.
The sixth section focuses on the application of Christian living (Romans 12:1—15:13). Believers are called to be different and live differently, in personal life (Romans 12), in relation to government (Romans 13), and in debatable matters (Romans 14:1—15:1