Message Transcript The church exists to introduce you and your family to God, lead you to a lifetime of belonging with others, show you where you can make a difference as you serve the Kingdom of God in healing the world, and ultimately usher you into your hard wired calling and destiny for which you were made. God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ, everything in heaven and on earth. Ephesians 1:9-10 You get joy making a difference in the world. However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say,""When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people""; Notice that it says ""he ascended."" This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Ephesians 4:7-13 Are you an apostle? Apostles are way blazers, riskers, spiritual entrepreneurs, you start things and take people with you. Are you a prophet? Prophets are truth-tellers, lie exposers, you hear things from God and are not afraid to pass it along. Are you an evangelist? Evangelists are gifted in leading people to surrender their lives to Jesus, usually personable and a good listener, direct and persuasive./p> Are you a pastor? Shepherds are there for people in their pain and brokenness, you show up when you sense a need, quick to hug, quick to pray. Are you a teacher? Teachers are not necessarily classroom teachers: they are mentors. Explainers - making the complex simple, they dispense wisdom. Jesus gives gifts. We use our gifts. The world is changed. If you want to experience real joy, then use your gifts to make a difference in the world!