How the Church Grows Through You
There’s a moment in life when you start asking different questions—not just “What can I get out of this?” but “What do I have to give?”
It happens slowly, often quietly. Maybe it’s when someone invites you to serve. Or when you see someone else light up while using their gifts and you wonder if you have something like that too. Or maybe it’s when you realize that just showing up isn’t enough anymore—you want to be part of something that matters.
Paul, writing from prison of all places, gives us a picture of the church that’s not passive or program-driven, but vibrant, alive, and growing. And how does it grow? Through grace. Through people. Through you.
It All Starts with the Giver
Every good and perfect gift starts in the hands of Jesus. He descended into the mess and frailty of humanity—not just to save us, but to gift us. To equip us. To entrust us with a part to play in His mission.
When Paul says, “grace was given to each one of us,” he’s not talking about forgiveness this time—he’s talking about the grace to build. To serve. To bring healing. To strengthen.
Imagine that: Jesus rose in victory, not just to rescue us but to hand us tools—spiritual gifts—to be used to build something beautiful together.
More Than Spectators
Some gifts are visible—like pastors and teachers, evangelists and shepherds. Others are quieter, but just as essential—hospitality, prayer, encouragement, generosity, wisdom.
It’s tempting to think, “I’m not the up-front type,” or “Someone else probably has that covered.” But Paul crushes that kind of thinking. He says every person has been gifted. Every one of us has something Jesus Himself has entrusted to us for the good of His church.
Your presence is not enough. You are called to participate. Not because you have to—but because you get to.
What Makes the Church Grow?
Not flash. Not strategy. Not programs or personalities.
The church grows when ordinary people use their God-given gifts in ordinary ways, consistently, humbly, and together.
• When a volunteer gently comforts a child in kids ministry.
• When someone shows up early to make coffee, to greet, to run slides.
• When someone who’s had a hard week still brings a meal to a hurting family.
• When a quiet encourager speaks a word that turns someone’s day—or even their faith—around.
The church grows not because someone at the front gets it right, but because the whole body is at work, “fitted and knit together,” just as Paul says.
From Consuming to Contributing
Pablo Picasso once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
That’s true of art. It’s truer of the church.
And here’s the kicker: You grow when you give.
You mature not just through what you learn, but through how you love.
God designed it this way. You will come to know Jesus more deeply not just through study—but through service. When your gifts meet real needs in the lives of real people, your faith deepens, your love expands, and your heart begins to beat more in rhythm with His.
So Let Me Ask You…
What makes your heart come alive when you do it for others?
What gifts might God have placed in you that you’ve never unwrapped?
What’s holding you back from stepping in and building up?
You’re not here by accident. If God has placed you in this church, He intends to work through you. Not one person is unnecessary. Not one gift is too small.
So let’s build together.
Let’s grow together.
Let’s become a people of grace—each of us, all of us—serving, loving, and growing into Jesus, who holds it all together.