Spiritual Gifts - Part#1 Ephesians 4

Spiritual Gifts - Part#1 Ephesians 4

The "Fruits of the Spirit" are not the same thing as "Spiritual Gifts".  We all should strive to produce "good fruit" in our Christian walk (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control)(click HERE to read a 9 part series on the Fruits of the Spirit).  Spiritual gifts on the other hand, are talents given to us by God (see Scripture below).

This will be a three part series.  Today we will be focusing on Ephesians 4 and in the next two parts we will be studying Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12.

Many Christians do not know which "Spiritual Gifts" they have been gifted.  Actually, I only found out my gifts about 20 years ago, which means that I spent half of my Christian walk not knowing my gifts.

Before we detail the five gifts listed in Ephesians 4, let's clarify an important point (maybe it is more of a caution).  Once we discover our Spiritual gifts, we can not become arrogant because these gifts are only possible from the power of the Holy Spirit (not by our own strength).  Also, the sole purpose of these gifts is to glorify Jesus Christ and God the Father (not for our own fame or our own profit).

This is explained perfectly in verses 4 to 6 (see below).  All five of these spiritual gifts are:

-part of one body (the church family or Christian flock)

- they happen because of one Spirit (the Holy Spirit)

- one hope

- one faith

- one baptism

- one God and Father of all

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

Ephesians 4:4-6

Let's define each of the five gifts listed in verse 11 of Ephesians 4:

Apostle

 - one sent on a mission by God

- a person who initiates a great moral reform

- an ardent suporter 

Prophet 

- one who utters divinely inspired revelations

- authoritative revealer of God's will

-  one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight

Evangelist 

- one who promotes something enthusiastically

- an individual who is called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ

- sharing the message of salvation through Jesus Christ

 

Pastor 

- a person (minister/priest) having spiritual charge over a congregation or group

- a spiritual overseer

- called to shepherd the flock of God

- pastoral leadership 

Teacher 

- one who instructs others

- one entrusted with the responsibility of imparting wisdom, knowledge & understanding of God's Word to others

- one who shapes character & guides individuals in their faith journey 

Notice in verses 14 to 16 we clearly see that when we use our spiritual gifts, we are protected from the deceit of the world.  We then grow into a mature body of Christ where each part is healthy and supported in Jesus' love.

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

Ephesians 4:14-16

Supporting posts:

The gift of prophecy can manifest in this way:

PRAYER - The Avoidable Train Ride

"Biblical Anatomy" Posts:

#1 - BODY

#2 - MIND

#3 - HEAD

#4 - FACE

#5 - EYES

#6 - EARS

#7 - NOSE

#8 - FOREHEAD

#9 HAIR

#10 CHEEKS

#11 MOUTH

#12 LIPS

#13 TEETH

#14 TONGUE

#15 THROAT

#16 BONES

#17 ARMS

#18 HANDS

#19 FINGERS

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"The Science of Life & Identity - DNA"

Goumi Berries & Baby Boxelder Bugs

Goumi Berries & Baby Boxelder Bugs

Last year we planted a new berry called “Goumi“.  We were thrilled to see that we already have berries during the second year (one year after we planted them).

Goumis are native to China, Korea and Japan.  They look like a more sturdy goji berry but they are not related.  (click HERE to read “How To Start Your Own Goji Berry Plant From a Cutting“)

Goumis are larger and better tasting than Gojis.  About 10 years ago we started growing Gojis because they are a healthy super-food.  Gojis are a little bitter, whereas Goumis are very tart like a sour cherry when bright red and Goumis taste somewhat like pomegranates when they are allowed to ripen to a darker red color.  The skin on the Goumi is strange, and they also have a pit.  However, I prefer the Goumi and am excited for future recipe experiments in the years to come.

You can see the size of the berry bush in the picture above.  The berries are red when ripe and they dangle like Christmas tree ornaments (see picture below).

When I was harvesting some of my Goumi berries, I noticed these tiny bright red bugs (see picture below).  I did a little research and found out that they are baby boxelder bugs!!  Boxelder bugs mainly eat the sap of trees but they also enjoy fruit juices!!!

I will put diatomaceous earth (a natural organic repellent made from algae) on them to hopefully take care of the problem.

It may not seem like many berries but for only the second year - I am thrilled.  Many other berry varieties and/or fruit trees can take five or more years before there is any fruit to harvest.

ENJOY!

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Tuesdays with a Twist Blog Hop #686

Welcome to Tuesdays with a Twist #686!

ENJOY!

Before we get to the blog hop today - 

During the month of June, I will be featuring a strawberry post from the past:

Garden Fresh Strawberry Applesauce

 

Checkout wonderful seeds at Mary's Heirloom Seeds 

click HERE to shop for the best seeds

Or click picture below:

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Also, checkout one of my Bags/Purses available at Zazzle:

Evening Sun Mix Sunflower Tote Bag
by GodsGrowingGarden

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Good Morning and Welcome to another No Rules Party!

Angie @ God's Growing Garden

My Features this Week are:

1. "Newly Planted Vegetable Garden" by Amy's Creative Pursuits

2. "Flag Decor - An Upcycle" by The Apple Street Cottage

3. "Making Memories in May" by Our Grand Lives

If you've been featured I'd love for you to grab a button.

The party starts every Tuesday at 7am EST and will continue until Saturday at 11:59pm.  Feel free to stop back any time and "like" your favorites.  Please visit other blogs if you have a moment. 

Share older posts as well as new ones.  No limit on links!

*Pictures should be your own* 

By linking up you give us permission to use these photos

 (with proper link backs) in our features.   And now for the party!

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Grow your own!
Many wonderful garden products from
 "Mary's Heirloom Seeds"!!
click to view

You're the STAR - Week#3 FAMILY (June 2026)

Perfect weather predicted for the entire week (in the 70's) - Thank you Lord!  

Thank you again for joining us!

There are many ways to follow me:

Angie @ God's Growing Garden

blog  |  TruthSocial  |  facebook  |  pinterest  |  twitter  |  zazzle  |  RUMBLE

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Before we continue onto the Linky party I wanted to share this post from my blog:

Lemon, Mulberry & Pecan Muffins with Crumb Topping

Welcome to week#3 of the June 2026 "You're the Star" Blog Hop!

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WELCOME to FAMILY feature week of the
June 2026 "You're the STAR" blog hop!
Meet your hosts 

This week is FAMILY feature week
Swing by the hosts' blogs:

Michelle @ Moms Are Frugal

Lisa @ At Home With Lisa

Kris @ Kris and Larry . com

Angie @ God's Growing Garden

Colleen @ Butterfly in the Attic

This is a month long Linky party featuring YOU!

There will be 4 different features each week and 4 different feature categories.  Just to be clear - this is NOT a themed party - you may link up ANY family-friendly blog posts any day of each month. 

The "theme" occurs in our weekly features:

WEEK#3 FAMILY - parenting, fitness, health, finances & inspirational (this can include anything about children like: education ideas for children, also self help, beauty etc -  anything family friendly)

(These features were chosen from the May 2026 "You're the STAR" blog hop)

Way To Go Graduate!  Our GRAND Ideas for Gifting Cash by Our Grand Lives

Memorial Day by Cindy's On-Line Recipe Box

Parent's Day Celebration by Debbie-Dabble Blog

Our Mother's Day Weekend by Amy's Creative Pursuits

If you've been featured then please grab a STAR button below:

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All Hosts/CoHosts will post this blog hop on every Monday of each week.

Please link up your family friendly blog posts below!

It wouldn't be a linky party with YOU!

(IMPORTANT NOTE: by linking up you understand that you might be featured next month and if so, we will use some of your photos from your post - rest assured - we will always link back to your lovely blog.  We might also share your fantastic posts on social media.  Also, you may link up as many family-friendly posts as you like & YES - other blog hops &/or giveaways are welcome {giveaways and blog hops will NOT be featured though}  Thank You & ENJOY! )

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By Your FAITH #2 - Ye of Little Faith

By Your FAITH #2 - Ye of Little Faith

Last month we started a new series called: "By Your Faith".  Eventually in this series we will be going through Hebrews chapter 11; studying the faith of many prophets and other important Old Testament people.  Last month we studied Jesus' Miracles and today we will be studying the times when Jesus scolded the disciples about their lack of faith.  In the King James Version the phrase: "Ye of Little Faith" is used (in modern versions it is "You of little faith").

Our topic today is:  Ye of Little Faith

We are studying the four times Jesus admonished the disciples about their faith issues.

Let's study each faith example in more detail.

Worry is definitely one of my weaknesses and I struggle with it almost daily.  The passage above is a wonderfully descriptive passage.  The part about lilies got me wondering what it would be like if lilies worried - it's kind of comical.  A few years ago I wrote a post where I listed what it would be like if lilies of the field worried:  click HERE to read: "Does Worrying Make You Do Silly Things?"

This Scripture passage is also detailed in the Book of Mark - the wording is a little different from Matthew so I also included that below:

Fear can affect every aspect of life.  It is estimated that 42.5 million Americans have a diagnosed anxiety disorder.  However, with our Heavenly Father we have nothing to fear.  I did a series called "FearNot Fridays" and in that series we learned that "fear not" appears 365 times in the Bible which means that there is one verse for each day of the year.  (click HERE to read Have You No Faith? FearNot#3) 

In this example It says "Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus."  I wonder how far Peter actually walked on water before fear pushed his faith away.  

In this final example, we are reminded of the many run-ins that Jesus had with the Pharisees and Sadducees.  

Just a couple examples: 

- the Pharisees scoffed when Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors

- The Pharisees tried to catch Jesus breaking the law when Jesus healed on the Sabbath 

The apostles again came to the wrong conclusion (initially anyway), thinking that Jesus was literally talking about bread but he was warning about the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  Their false teachings spread almost undetected, just like yeast gets to every part of bread.

Instead of being people of little faith, let's strive to be like the people from part#1 who had immense faith in Jesus that resulted in major miracles. 

By Your FAITH (Previous posts in this series)

#1 Jesus' Miracles

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"Prayer Basics & 8 Ways To Find Answers"

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake with Cocoa Whipped Cream

 

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake with Cocoa Whipped Cream

I have created many different twists on the basic "Strawberry Shortcake," but this is definitely the most decadent.  A chocolaty, chocolate chip filled shortcake with a scoop of homegrown strawberries, finally topped with delicious cocoa whipped cream.



Printable Recipe

Chocolate Shortcake(Biscuits)

1/2 cup butter

1 3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoons sugar (plus extra set aside for dipping later)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

a little extra granulated sugar for dipping (I used natural cane sugar - it does not burn and I think it tastes better).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder & salt) together in a large bowl.   Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using either a pie cutter or a fork.  The dough looks crumbly (see picture below - on the right).

 

Stir in the milk using a wooden spoon.  And then stir in the chocolate chips (see both pictures below):

 

Using your hands, form the dough together into a log. 

 Then, slice the roll into 8 similar sized rounds (resembling a hockey puck).  Dip the top of each shortcake into some granulated sugar/cane sugar (or sprinkle sugar on top) to give it a delicate sugary slightly crisp top layer.(see pictures below).

  And then place all sugar topped shortcakes onto a parchment lined cookie sheet (see picture below) 

 Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes (or until desired brownness is achieved)

Cool on baking rack and continue onto preparing the strawberry topping.

Strawberry Topping

1 Pint of garden fresh strawberries

Juice from 1/2 of a lemon

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)

Wash, dry and hull (take out leaves & stem base) the strawberries.  Slice or largely chop the strawberries (see picture below).  Then stir in lemon juice and  sugar (1/2 cup sugar if your taste is more on the sweet side).  Let this sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to bring out the natural strawberry juices.

Whipping Cream Topping

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons of powdered sugar

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

Pour the heavy whipping cream in a large mixing bowl and whip using an electric mixer.  When the whipping cream just starts to form - then add the sugar and cocoa and continue whipping until peaks form (do NOT overwhip otherwise it becomes butter).

To Assemble:   

Take 1 Shortcake and place on a plate (you may break it apart if you desire).

Then scoop some strawberries on top and drizzle some of the scrumptious juice from the strawberries onto the shortcake. 

Top with the whipped cream.

(see pictures below)

Serve & ENJOY!

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