{"id":585,"date":"2008-11-06T00:01:33","date_gmt":"2008-11-06T00:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/spiritual-gifts-in-the-body-of-christ-introduction.html"},"modified":"2008-11-06T00:01:33","modified_gmt":"2008-11-06T00:01:33","slug":"spiritual-gifts-in-the-body-of-christ-introduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/spiritual-gifts-in-the-body-of-christ-introduction.html","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ: Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 1 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nI just recently finished an extended series on the church as the body of Christ<\/a>. Building on that foundation, I want now to consider the function of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. Little is more important for the health and growth of the body of Christ than the power of the Holy Spirit manifested in what we call spiritual gifts. Through such bits of grace, the Spirit builds the body of Christ. In fact, it wouldn\u2019t be too far off the mark to say that the Holy Spirit is a bodybuilder.
\nDuring my freshman year of college I took a job washing dishes in one of the Harvard dorms on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings. After spending a couple of hours in a hot, steamy dish room, I was pretty hot and steamy myself, so I took advantage of my condition and worked out in the weight room of the Indoor Athletic Building. I wasn\u2019t planning to bulk up or anything like that. I just wanted to remain in reasonably decent shape.
\nEvery time I went to the weight room, there was Mike. He was a honors English major at Harvard. Now if this description conjures up in your mind an image of a skinny person with glasses whose head is buried in a book of obscure poetry, you’d be partly right, but only about the poetry. Mike did love his poetry! But he was, besides a fan of English literature, a committed body builder. He looked more like Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator<\/em> than Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter<\/em>!
\nMike approached weight lifting from a completely different perspective than I did. In thirty minutes, I’d quickly work each muscle group and be ready to hit the showers. Mike, on the other hand, would focus the whole time on one particular muscle. I found it fascinating to ask him: “So, what are you doing tonight?” He’d point to a place on his body and say, “I’m working on my left anterior deltoid. It’s a little bit smaller than the right one and I need to be more balanced.” Then, by using free weights to exercise this particular muscle, Mike would continue to mold his body as if working with clay. This molding, however, took not a few minutes of artistic manipulation, but years of strenuous exertion. Mike’s goal was to have a perfectly shaped body, a paragon of physical strength. All of his effort paid off in the end when Mike won the title of Mr. Collegiate America. (Photo: No, not a picture of Mike. Not a picture of me either.)
\nThe Holy Spirit is a bodybuilder rather like Mike. With even more dedication than he demonstrated, the Spirit of God seeks to build up the church as the body of Christ. Like a committed bodybuilder, the Spirit invests years\u2013indeed, millennia\u2013of effort to help the church grow to perfection. Of course ultimate perfection won\u2019t come this side of the eschaton. But, in the meanwhile, the Spirit molds the church, using members of the church\u2013people like you and me\u2013in the process.
\nIn order to help us build and shape the church, the Spirit gives us gifts of power. These gifts are described in detail in 1 Corinthians 12-14. To this passage and its context we\u2019ll turn in my next post in this series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 1 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series I just recently finished an extended series on the church as the body of Christ. Building on that foundation, I want now to consider the function of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. Little…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spiritual-gifts"],"yoast_head":"\nSpiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ: Introduction - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/spiritual-gifts-in-the-body-of-christ-introduction.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ: Introduction - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Part 1 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series I just recently finished an extended series on the church as the body of Christ. Building on that foundation, I want now to consider the function of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}