You Have a Purpose: Using Your God-Given Gift (Christmas Service)

You have a purpose, and it is tied to a special gift God placed inside you. That is the heart of this Christmas-week message at NTC Ministries. The speaker teaches that having a gift and having a purpose go hand in hand. Your first purpose begins the moment you receive Jesus: to share the good news by how you live. From there she follows David, Saul of Tarsus and Ananias to show that God finishes what He starts, and she ends with the personal purpose every believer carries at home and at work.

The service also includes Christmas worship, a short teaching on giving from Galatians 6, and communion. Below you will find the full video, a structured summary of the message, every key Scripture (linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway), a timestamped outline, and practical steps for this week.

Sermon at a Glance

This Sunday service was posted by NTC Ministries on December 22, 2020, the week of Christmas, and runs about 71 minutes. It opens with Joy to the World and O Come, All Ye Faithful, a time of giving and announcements, prayer for the church family, and an extended time of worship. The message itself begins at about the 35-minute mark, when the service leader welcomes his sister to the pulpit.

She tells the church she never thought she would be speaking and teaching. She was the shyest little girl and never talked. Her own story becomes a thread through the message: a special gift she did not recognize until later in life, and a purpose that only began to be fulfilled once she started using it.

Sowing to the Spirit at Christmas

The service leader opens by reminding the church that for Christians, Christmas is every day, because we receive the gifts of Jesus Christ every day. Before the offering he answers people who say the church is just out for their money. He points to Galatians 6:7–8: God is not mocked, and whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Whoever sows to the flesh reaps corruption, but whoever sows to the Spirit reaps everlasting life.

Sowing to the flesh, he explains, sounds like I need this, I want that, I am not sure I can afford a gift to God. He contrasts the bumper sticker about dying with the most toys with the truth that heaven and earth will pass away but God’s Word remains (Matthew 24:35). He wants to be a doer of the Word, because that is what lasts.

The tithe is the Lord’s, he says, recalling how God told Israel they had robbed Him in tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:8). The church is the army of the living God, not spectators. As we apply the Word it works, and we become like a tree planted by rivers of water whose leaf does not wither and whatever we do prospers (Psalm 1:3).

He thanks the church for giving that helped send roughly 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of food to a mission team that serves fifty people three meals a day. He shares Christmas Eve service plans, an ornament exchange in which families pray all year for the household whose ornament they receive, and the children’s ministry meeting. Then he leads prayer for church members who are sick or grieving, reminding the church to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

You Have a Purpose and a Special Gift

The speaker begins with her conviction that each and every person has a purpose in life. You have a purpose, she tells the church. Sometimes it is hard to find, she admits, but God puts a special gift inside each of us. “Having a gift and having a purpose goes hand in hand,” she says. When we start to use that gift, we start to fulfill our purpose.

She had a choice, she says. She could use her special gift and fulfill a purpose, or she could carry that gift to the grave unused. God will always fulfill His purpose. If one person will not let Him use the gift, He will pass it on to someone else.

She reads Psalm 16:7, where David blesses the LORD who has given him counsel and says his heart also instructs him in the night seasons. God wants a willing person, she explains. He looks for someone who says, I have this special gift now, so what am I going to do with it? Someone who says, here I am, Lord, send me (Isaiah 6:8). Someone who can be counseled and instructed and then move forward.

Many people wander through life feeling hopeless, as if they have no purpose at all. The speaker says the first step is simple. The minute you ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you from your sin, you have a purpose. Then Jesus says, in effect, you have a special gift now; go and use it.

That shapes the three points of her message, summarized below.

Preach the Gospel by How You Live

The first purpose of every believer, she says, is to tell people about Jesus. She reads Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” and shares how The Passion Translation puts it: preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race.

You have a purpose from the day you are saved, she says, even if you cannot see it yet. She received Jesus as a very young girl, but she was far too shy to tell anyone. She had Jesus in her heart the whole time, even in her darkest hour. It was only when she grew up and dedicated her life to living for the Lord that people began to see a change in her. She could spend time with friends who were not saved without joining in their sin, and that became an open door to show the love of Jesus.

Preaching the gospel, she explains, does not mean walking around with a Bible on your hip. It happens through your actions, how you live and your words. In her job she works with children and adults. When a mother came in with a difficult pregnancy, she did not grab her Bible and preach. She simply asked if she could pray with her.

When she sees a family hurting through divorce, she does not cram out Scripture verses; she says, I am here for you, what do you need? She tells the middle and high school students she teaches that God has a special gift inside them and that they have a purpose. Being the best student they can be is already fulfilling a purpose, and it opens a door for their future.

In John 8:12 Jesus says He is the light of the world, and whoever follows Him shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life. When you accept Jesus, she says, you have light inside you. The question is where it will shine: in your marriage, your family, your community and your workplace. The world is full of darkness, and we need to be that light now more than ever.

David: Come and Find Me

To show that a special gift and a purpose remain even after failure, the speaker turns to David. From children’s church we know the stories, she says. He was a shepherd boy who played the harp and wrote psalms, and the only one of his brothers anointed to be king (1 Samuel 16:13). God gave him supernatural strength to kill a lion and a bear (1 Samuel 17:34–36). With a sling and a stone he brought down a giant and saved a whole army (1 Samuel 17:48–50).

David knew from the moment he was anointed that he had a calling on his life. But once he was king, she says, he became a little puffed up. With everything at his fingertips, his life began to drift into darkness. He lusted after a married woman and had her husband killed so he could have her (2 Samuel 11:2–17). He still had the gift and the purpose, but he had walked away from the Lord.

Even in his darkest hour, David cried out to God. She reads Psalm 119:176: “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments.” In her words, David was saying, God, You are not done with me yet. The shepherd who cared for his own lost sheep asked God to come and find him.

David kept moving forward, and in the end God called him a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22). The speaker turns this toward anyone listening who is in their own darkest hour. Cry out to God, she says. He is not done with you, and you have a purpose still. No sin is greater than His forgiveness, and there is still a purpose inside you to fulfill.

Saul, Ananias and Souls Saved

Her second point is to see souls saved, and there is no time like the present. In Acts 9:1–2, Saul, full of threats and murder, asks the high priest for letters so he can arrest followers of the Way in Damascus and drag them back to Jerusalem. The speaker points out that Saul clearly had a gift and a voice, and he was using them to tear down the people of God. He did not even have Jesus in his own heart.

Then, near Damascus, a light from heaven flashed around him (Acts 9:3–9). He fell to the ground and heard a voice: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? Saul did not even recognize the voice and asked who was speaking. She loves Jesus’ answer, which in her translation calls Him Jesus the Victorious, the one Saul was persecuting. Jesus will not let a gift like that be used to steal, kill and destroy; He stops Saul in his tracks to turn it around for His glory. Saul rose blind and went three days without food or water.

In Acts 9:10–14, the Lord sends a believer named Ananias to pray for Saul. Ananias protests that he has heard how much harm this man has done. The speaker admits she is not sure she could have done what Ananias did. Sometimes, she says, God uses you to help someone else fulfill their purpose, and no matter what, He will see that purpose done.

The Lord tells Ananias that Saul is His chosen vessel to carry His name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15–16). When Ananias prays, something like scales falls from Saul’s eyes, he is baptized, and immediately he preaches in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 9:18–20).

The same passion that once imprisoned believers now went into seeing souls saved, the speaker says. Saul became Paul, encouraged the church and wrote much of the New Testament. Her application is direct: you have a purpose, and it does not matter what your past is or where you came from. God used Saul, He used David, He used a shy little girl, and He can use you.

Your Personal Purpose at Home and at Work

Her third point is the personal purpose each of us carries, which she says can be the hardest thing to find. She did not know hers until later in life. Speaking and helping people was a gift she had to learn to receive. For you, she suggests, your personal purpose might be to be the best husband or wife you can be, to be there for your children, or to be the most loyal and dedicated employee your boss has ever had.

She reads 2 Corinthians 6:17: come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Jesus spent time with believers and unbelievers alike, but He never took part in sin. She applies that personal purpose to three places.

In marriage: if your marriage is on the rocks, that is not the time to belittle your spouse, stab them in the back or gossip about them. It is the time to rise up and say, God, You are going to restore my marriage, and the joy of the Lord is going to fill my household.

As a parent: if your child is not living for the Lord, that is not the time to wash your hands of them. It is the time to get on your knees. God gave you that child to pray them through. Call them, tell them you love them, speak blessings over them and help them use their own special gift, even when they talk back.

At work: when everyone else in the lunchroom is criticizing the boss and the company, step out from among them. Your personal purpose at work is to be the employee who goes above and beyond, who wants the company to grow, because your blessings come from heaven. You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13–14).

And if you fall, she says, a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again (Proverbs 24:16), because he has a purpose. You have a purpose too. Even if you feel you are in a grave, God can reach down, pull you out and breathe new life into your lungs.

Living Out Your Purpose This Week

The message closes with communion. The speaker reminds the church that Jesus had a purpose too, and He fulfilled it while carrying the cross with you on His mind. It was not easy for Him, it was not easy for David, and the road may not be smooth for you. That is where God refines you. Once you fulfill one purpose, she says, you find another and keep moving forward. She ends with Ephesians 3:20: God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Here are practical steps drawn from the message:

• Name your special gift. Ask the Lord, as Psalm 16:7 describes, to counsel and instruct you about the gift He has placed in you.
• Preach with your life. Look for one open door this week to pray with someone or simply ask, what do you need from me?
• Cry out if you have wandered. Like David, tell God He is not done with you and ask Him to come and find you.
• Help someone else’s purpose. Like Ananias, be willing to pray for a person others have written off.
• Be faithful at home and at work. Refuse gossip about your spouse, pray for your children, and work as someone whose reward comes from heaven.
• Sow to the Spirit. Give to God with a willing heart, remembering Galatians 6:8.

Her final encouragement is that even if you do not yet know your personal purpose, the hope is living inside you. You have a purpose, so step out in your special gift and start using it.

Timestamped Outline

• 0:00 Christmas welcome and Joy to the World
• 4:56 Worship and Galatians 6 on sowing
• 11:18 The tithe is the Lord’s
• 13:08 Mission giving and Christmas concert
• 14:00 Christmas Eve service and ornament exchange
• 17:32 Prayer for the church family
• 21:12 O Come, All Ye Faithful and worship
• 35:43 Welcome to the speaker
• 37:00 A gift and a purpose go hand in hand
• 38:01 Psalm 16:7: God wants willing people
• 39:08 Point one: Mark 16:15
• 41:14 Preaching through actions and prayer
• 43:33 John 8:12: be the light
• 44:44 David’s gift and his fall
• 47:12 Psalm 119:176: come and find me
• 49:36 Point two: Saul on the road to Damascus
• 53:28 Ananias is sent to Saul
• 56:00 Saul preaches Jesus within the hour
• 58:36 Point three: your personal purpose
• 59:43 Marriage, parenting and 2 Corinthians 6:17
• 1:02:13 Being a loyal worker
• 1:05:57 Communion: Jesus fulfilled His purpose
• 1:08:29 Ephesians 3:20 and closing prayer

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I have not found my personal purpose yet?

The speaker says she did not know her own purpose until later in life, and that finding it can be one of the hardest things. Her starting point is that receiving Jesus already gives you a purpose: to share the good news. From there, ask God to counsel you, use the gift you have, and be faithful where you are. In her words, the hope is living inside you even before you see the whole plan.

Can God still use me after a serious failure?

Yes, according to this message. She points to David, who committed adultery and arranged a murder yet cried out to God and was still called a man after God’s own heart. She also points to Saul, who persecuted believers before becoming Paul. Her conclusion is that your past and where you came from do not cancel the gift God placed in you.

Why does the service include a teaching on tithing?

Before the message, the service leader addresses the offering because some people say the church only wants their money. He answers from Galatians 6 that sowing to the flesh reaps corruption while sowing to the Spirit reaps everlasting life. He thanks the church for giving that supplied food to a mission team and describes giving as part of being a doer of the Word.

Scripture References

All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:

• Mark 16:15 — go into all the world
• Psalm 16:7 — the Lord who gives counsel
• John 8:12 — the light of the world
• Psalm 119:176 — gone astray like a lost sheep
• Acts 9:3–9 — Saul on the road to Damascus
• Acts 9:15–16 — a chosen vessel
• 2 Corinthians 6:17 — come out and be separate
• Galatians 6:7–8 — sowing to the Spirit
• Ephesians 3:20 — exceedingly abundantly above all

How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.

Watch More Messages

If this message encouraged you, there are hundreds more teachings from NTC Ministries waiting for you. Browse the full sermon archive and keep discovering the purpose God has placed in your life.