Uniquely Gifted
When it comes to our service for the Lord, I’ve observed two extremes among God’s people in most churches.
At one end of the spectrum are those who seem to think they have nothing of much value to offer.
Some, because of their personality or skill set, would make rather poor teachers in a Sunday School class or Bible study. Likewise, others are quite shy, and the thought of talking to a stranger is overwhelming—cold-call visitation is out for those folks. A whole host of folks in their retirement years feel pretty much neglected and useless. And so on.
At the other end of the spectrum are those who think everyone should be like they are.
Ever been in a church where you’re made to feel like a low-class Christian if you’re not out on “Thursday-night soulwinning”? I have, and at the root of the attitude was a pastor who loved that kind of approach to evangelism. He interacted easily with strangers; therefore, he thought everyone ought to develop the same affinity. Interestingly, though, fewer than 1% of non-staff church members participated. Hmm, wonder why?
Needless to say, neither of these extremes is healthy for the church.
There is a better approach, and Paul reveals it in 1 Corinthians 12. His point? The local church is like the human body, comprised of a wide variety of members, each with a vital role to fulfill. He illustrates this beautifully in vv. 14-25.
In response to the unhealthy extremes, note first that every member of the body is important, having been uniquely gifted by the Holy Spirit (cf. v. 4) and sovereignly placed in the body by God Himself as it has pleased Him (v. 18)!
Therefore, the introvert, the extrovert, the musical, the speaker, the plodder, the flamboyant, the specialist, the generalist…ad infinitum…all have a role to fulfill as they are and as they have been gifted!
Note secondly, that the mission of the church is not to conform everyone into the same personality and giftedness as the pastor. Instead, it is to encourage people—whatever their gifts—to put them to use in serving the body of Christ. When that happens, when every member of the body functions according to his uniqueness, a genuine, harmonious unity occurs.
As Paul puts it, “that there should be no schism in the body” (v. 25).
Either extreme leads to a very frustrating schism: either the frustration of feeling irrelevant, or the frustration of feeling utterly incapable—or both. When a church has a sizable number of frustrated people, that’s a schism, and it’s far from healthy.
So, take an honest look at how God has wired you…consider where He’s plugged you in…and shine in that place as only you can!
At one end of the spectrum are those who seem to think they have nothing of much value to offer.
Some, because of their personality or skill set, would make rather poor teachers in a Sunday School class or Bible study. Likewise, others are quite shy, and the thought of talking to a stranger is overwhelming—cold-call visitation is out for those folks. A whole host of folks in their retirement years feel pretty much neglected and useless. And so on.
At the other end of the spectrum are those who think everyone should be like they are.
Ever been in a church where you’re made to feel like a low-class Christian if you’re not out on “Thursday-night soulwinning”? I have, and at the root of the attitude was a pastor who loved that kind of approach to evangelism. He interacted easily with strangers; therefore, he thought everyone ought to develop the same affinity. Interestingly, though, fewer than 1% of non-staff church members participated. Hmm, wonder why?
Needless to say, neither of these extremes is healthy for the church.
There is a better approach, and Paul reveals it in 1 Corinthians 12. His point? The local church is like the human body, comprised of a wide variety of members, each with a vital role to fulfill. He illustrates this beautifully in vv. 14-25.
In response to the unhealthy extremes, note first that every member of the body is important, having been uniquely gifted by the Holy Spirit (cf. v. 4) and sovereignly placed in the body by God Himself as it has pleased Him (v. 18)!
Therefore, the introvert, the extrovert, the musical, the speaker, the plodder, the flamboyant, the specialist, the generalist…ad infinitum…all have a role to fulfill as they are and as they have been gifted!
Note secondly, that the mission of the church is not to conform everyone into the same personality and giftedness as the pastor. Instead, it is to encourage people—whatever their gifts—to put them to use in serving the body of Christ. When that happens, when every member of the body functions according to his uniqueness, a genuine, harmonious unity occurs.
As Paul puts it, “that there should be no schism in the body” (v. 25).
Either extreme leads to a very frustrating schism: either the frustration of feeling irrelevant, or the frustration of feeling utterly incapable—or both. When a church has a sizable number of frustrated people, that’s a schism, and it’s far from healthy.
So, take an honest look at how God has wired you…consider where He’s plugged you in…and shine in that place as only you can!
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