June 24, 2007 Sunday Evening,

We began our study on the gifts tonight.  Bro Dale brought a lesson on the gift of helps.  All of us have some kind of gift given to us by God whether we are aware of it or not.  These gifts should be used collectively to encourage and build up God’s body, the church.  The gift of helps is one example of these gifts.  Someone with the gift can see a physical/temporal need in another person’s life and willingly, joyfully step in to help out, even without being asked.  Usually, but not always, the person with this gift focuses on the physical needs of another person and frees the recipient to focus on their respective gifts.  For example, Bro Dale illustrated that a particular brother in the congregation recently came over to another brother’s house and fixed a faulty water faucet. He wasn’t asked to, but he heard about the need and his gifting compelled him to jump in and help out. This freed up valuable time for the recipient brother to focus on a spiritual need.  

How do you know if you have the gift of helps?  First of all you must have the ability to sense a need in someone’s life.  Secondly, you must be able to do the job.  Last of all, you must have the right attitude while doing it.  If you cannot do the job willingly and cheerfully, then you would be better off not to try.  It is possible to have a talent to perform certain deeds.  Talents can be learned.  The gift goes beyond a learned talent.  It is something you naturally posses and use to God’s glory.  When we operate within our gift, everything will work smoothly.  When we don’t, it will be like walking in shoes that don’t fit.