Imparting Spiritual Gifts

So I decided to do a personal study of Romans and post some of my thoughts here, for anyone who is interested.

"I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong--that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." Romans 1:11-12

This really caught my eye because it shows the power of building one another up. We are not only saying nice words, but we are imparting a spiritual gift to them. By being examples for each other, encouraging each other, we are imparting spiritual gifts!

In the conservative christian world it is more common to see people tearing one another down with accusations, gossip all in the name of "Building one another up" and "rebuking in love." But I think that real love would be to live ones own life in faith and to encourage another with your own faith. This will not tear down but rather "impart" spiritual gifts to the other person passing to them what you are doing yourself. Perhaps this is why Jesus talked about us having a plank in our own eye when we try to pluck it out of someone else's. We should be teaching others we think are stumbling by example and encouragement, not by pointing out the splinter in their eye, because chances are, we have a plank in ours!

Romans 1:16 "I am not ashamed to preach the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes"

This verse makes me think about a story someone told me once. If someone had found the cure for a deathly disease that everyone in this world had, would they be ashamed to share it? Would they withhold it? Wouldn't they be wrong in doing so? "Yes" you might say, but no one knows they have the disease of death and separation from God. Does this make it any less deadly? Many feel deeply they have some sort of disease, something wrong with them, a pointlessness to their existence, a brokeness, loneliness, desire for something more out of life would you be ashamed to diagnose their pain and give them the cure?

That is what sharing the gospel is. Diagnosing pain that someone feels and giving them the cure. And then their is rejoicing because none of us are alone in our pain, we all have the same deep core desires, and the answer to every problem of the world is found in Jesus.