This is a copy of my talk given at Ayia Kyriaki and Saint Luke’s in the Anglican Church of Paphos on Sunday 23 August 2026. The Bible Reading was Romans 12:1-8.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for Your word.
By the power of Your Holy Spirit,
May You speak to my heart,
And change my life.
In the precious name of Jesus I pray.
Amen. 

Our Spiritual act of Worship

When we say we are a Christian we are saying that we know Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour. It is, that we, alongside Peter, declare Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16). However, being a Christian is not just about recognising Jesus as Saviour/Messiah and being on the receiving end of God’s grace and love, it’s about being active in our faith. It’s about what we give back in loving service.

And if Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God why would we not want to offer our lives to him? In doing so, Paul presents us with quite a challenge in 12:1: Therefore, I urge you brothers (and sisters) in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.

How do we understand, living sacrifice and spiritual worship? It is not worship that is offered in buildings but, rather, worship that is lived out 24/7 in our daily lives. Yes, worship is something we may ‘do’ inwardly, but it is also expressed in visible acts of service. Being a living sacrifice is the offering of the most treasured possession in our lives, our bodies, to God in Christian service.

In vs2, we are encouraged: … not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed … in the Greek this is Metamorphousthe which is where we get the English word, metamorphosis. The example of metamorphosis that comes to mind is the caterpillar, which is transformed into a butterfly. The caterpillar is not beautiful, but a butterfly is. Gardeners don’t like caterpillars, but they grow plants to attract butterflies.

So, it is by the grace of God, and the work of the Holy Spirit, that we who were one thing can be transformed (metamorphosised) by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

This is a call to holy living that the people of God have been challenged to throughout scripture and the history of the Church. 2 Peter 2:4-5 refers to the priesthood of all believers and reminds us that it is the responsibility of all God’s people to be living holy lives set apart for Him in service.

We are all called to Christian Service

There were people in the Bible, just as today, who always had a reason for not doing what God had called them to: Abraham; Gideon; Elijah etc. Sometimes, it’s not so much our ability that counts, but our availability. Every single person who has ever tasted of the forgiving grace of God is called to serve.  Every believer has a special calling from God, John 15:16: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.

When the Crusades were taking place in the 10C to Christianise the Muslim countries, many mercenaries were drafted into the Holy armies to bolster the numbers but, because they were a supposed ‘Christian’ army, they would ensure that the mercenaries were baptised before they went into battle. However, those mercenaries wouldn’t let go of their swords when they were baptised and would hold them up out of the water whilst the rest of their body was covered. It’s almost as if they were almost saying to God: You can have my body/soul but you’re not going to have my sword.

I can’t help but think how much of an illustration that is of a Christian who doesn’t quite give everything to the Lord. For the mercenaries it was their sword which they held back. What might it be for us? It may well be our wallet/purse, our talents, our time, our heart? It may be making our own decisions about how we want to serve the Lord but not actually doing what He is asking us to do. It may be holding back because the road ahead looks a bit rough.

Effective Christian Service depends on using our Spiritual Gifts

There’s no doubt that the early church taught that God had equipped them with a spiritual gift(s) that they were responsible to discover and exercise in His service. As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:10: Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

In the first instance, it’s worth recognising that spiritual gifts are not a mark of spiritual­ity – they are a Grace Gift. Remember GRACE: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. We don’t earn them; they are given to us. I think they are two categories of these spiritual/grace gifts which I’ll call Natural Grace Gifts and Saving Grace Gifts. What do I mean by those?

a) Natural Grace Gifts: If God is the God of creation, then it follows that all the gifts and talents people possess have their origins in God’s grace. We call these natural talents. It might be a musical ability or flower arranging or gift of the gab or cooking or gardening or sport or DIY. (It’s interesting how many people find employment in areas that suit their natural abilities.) But I believe that natural gifts become supernatural gifts when the Holy Spirit is allowed to use them to God’s glory.

b) Saving Grace Gifts: Saving grace gifts, on the other hand, are not natural talents and abilities but are gifts given by God for service – such as: Teaching; Leadership; Prophecy; Intercession etc. There are several lists of spiritual gifts found in Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4; Romans 12. There is a wide variety of gifts but it’s interesting to note that whilst the list from 1 Corinthians tends to focus on the Charismata supernatural gifts (tongues; prophecy; miracles; healing) the gifts in Romans 12, apart from prophecy, are of a practical nature.

In 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul reminds us that it is the sovereign God who distributes gifts to his church. No-one Christian will have every spiritual gift going – though some people do have more than one to function in a particular area of ministry and service.

It’s obvious that God didn’t use the same mould when he created us. He loves variety! God made introverts and extroverts. He made people who love routine and those who love variety. He made some people ‘thinkers’ and others ‘feelers’. Some people work best when given an individual assignment while others work better with a team. N.T.Wright:

God regularly works through ordinary people, doing what they normally do, who with a mixture of half-faith and devotion are holding themselves ready for whatever God has in mind.

We just have to look through some of the characters in the Bible to see plenty of proof that God uses all types of personalities. Moses (introvert); David (warrior king); Nehemiah (visionary); Jeremiah (depressive); Peter (impulsive) and so on. How would you describe some of the character traits of people in this congregation? We won’t go there!!

But what we can conclude is that there isn’t a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ temperament for ministry. We need all kinds of personalities to balance the church and to give it flavour – people come in more than 57 varieties!  However, we must remember that all of us designed to work in conjunction with, and to compliment, each other.

Romans 12:4-5: Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Paul continues in Romans 12:6-8: We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a persons gift is prophesying, let them use it in proportion to their faith. If it is serving, let them serve; if it is teaching, let them teach; if it is encouraging, let them encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let them give generously; if it is leadership, let them govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let them do it cheerfully.

Identifying Spiritual Gifts

How do we find and develop our spiritual gifts for ministry? In one sense our natural abilities can be a pointer. How did you discover that you were artistic or musical or athletic? You probably began with a process of trial and error based on some sort of desire. You had an interest and then tried something and liked it.

You might have watched someone do something and pictured yourself doing it. Some Christians don’t believe they’ve received a supernatural gift from God, yet the Bible makes it clear that all of us received the Holy Spirit when we first became Christians.

I believe some of our spiritual gifts may lie dormant for years because we simply haven’t utilised the gifts we’ve been given. It is our responsibility to open the Grace Gift God has given us. We don’t receive a present from someone and leave it on the table, unopened, commenting how beautifully wrapped it is and how appropriate the choice of wrapping paper was etc. We open it to see what it is we’ve been given. James 4:2: You do not have because you do not ask God.

Conclusion: The Parable of The Carpenter’s Tools

Brother Hammer, because he was too noisy, was asked by the other tools to leave the shop. But he said, “If I am to leave this carpenter’s shop, Sister Drill must go too. She is so insignificant and makes very little impression.” Sister Drill arose and said, “All right, but Brother Screw must go too. You have to turn him around again and again to get him anywhere.” 

Brother Screw responded, “If you wish, I will go, but Brother Plane must leave also. All his work is on the surface; there is no depth to him at all.”  Brother Plane replied, “Well, Sister Rule will have to withdraw if I do, for she is always measuring others as though she were the only one who is right.”

Sister Rule complained against Brother Sandpaper, saying, “He is rougher than he ought to be. He is always rubbing people the wrong way.”

In the midst of the discussion, the Carpenter of Nazareth walked in to perform his day’s work. He put on his apron and went to the bench to make a pulpit from which to preach the gospel. He employed the screw, the drill, the sandpaper, the saw, the hammer, the plane, the rule and all the other tools.

After the days’ work was over and the pulpit was finished, Brother Saw said, “Brothers and Sisters, I believe that all of us are labourers together with God. Let us appreciate and celebrate our diverse gifts. There is a place for each one of us in the Master’s service.”

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER The text contained in this sermon (except where stated) is solely owned by its author, Revd Paul A. Carr. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name.