“But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is profitable… But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills….But now God has appointed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired….Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 18, 27 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/1co.12.7-27.LSB

There are six marks of the Christian that we need to understand and measure ourselves by to keep ourselves focused on Christlikeness, the goal God has for each of us. These characteristics are not for getting into heaven but for demonstrating to God and the world that heaven has gotten into us! The second public mark of Christianity is our service in the church. Each of us has been chosen by God to participate in the body of Christ for building His kingdom upon the earth as it is in heaven. When we come to Christ, we come to work, to engage the family business, and the Father has a job for us immediately. The Holy Spirit has been given to us when we are born again to lead us into the knowledge of Christ so that we can do the work of Christ with the family of Christ. We are to be active participants in the body of Christ, working and serving to see that the kingdom of God is growing in breadth and depth in our particular area of God’s global enterprise. Serving is not the same as giving. Serving is using our talents and spending our time on God’s things to increase God’s glory on earth. We who are in Christ have been adopted by Christ into the family of God for work and worship with the people of God until the Savior of God returns to establish His rule forever. Faithful is the man the Lord finds busy about the business of God with the people of God until His glorious return, or we are brought before Him for being rewarded based upon that faithfulness.