1 Corinthians 12:4, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit."
One more quote. This one comes from Bill Johnson: "I try to stay conscious of the God who invades the impossible. Otherwise I will reduce ministry to my ministry gifts."
What we need to understand from the Word of God is that each of us have gifts that we can operate in through the Holy Spirit. These ministry gifts are meant to be used to build one another up in the Body of Christ. They allow us to function outside of natural talents and to be reliant upon the power of God in our lives.
What we need to understand from Bill Johnson's quote is that keeping our focus upon a God who invades the impossible keeps us from functioning just from the gift. Instead...we learn to function from His voice, His direction, and His presence. Some people may question this type of approach especially if they have never had to function outside their gifts. However, it's a complete reliance upon the Giver of the gifts rather than the gift itself.
I'm a firm believer that every follower of Christ has a primary ministry gift. This gift becomes our expression of Christ among other believers. We all have a part of Him that we get to share. This doesn't mean that we are not completely in Him. It just means that as a part of His body we are not the whole. We learn to rely upon His gift within us along with the gifts found in the rest of the body. And as each of us learn to express our part in Him when we come together - He becomes visible.
With all of that being said, I'm very disturbed with how many churches approach the idea of spiritual gifts. Have you ever filled out a "spiritual gift inventory"? I have. In fact, I have handed them out. Most of these inventories ask you a series of questions that are used to pinpoint your particular ministry gift. What I don't like about them is that it becomes a glorified personality test rather than a true marker of spiritual gifts or it tends to trend toward activities people enjoy versus discovering the gifts that God has given them. Some may ask why this process is in place. My opinion? With all the arguments about what gifts are "valid" within the Body of Christ and what ministries are still available, we don't have anyone using the discernment of the Holy Spirit to identify what He has place inside of individuals.
Understanding your primary gifting is important. You and I need to understand how the Lord desires to use us in His church. However, because of the limited understanding many believers possess about spiritual gifts it can leave us lacking or unwilling to function outside of them. Have you ever heard someone say "I'm not gifted to do that"? Dear friends, if you have the Giver of the gifts inside of you then you have access to every ministry gift. You have access to the divine nature of God. His power is always at work in you. As important as understanding your primary gifting in the Body of Christ is, it's equally important to know that you can draw from the God of the impossible in every situation.
Focusing on God rather than the gift makes you ready for anything. If you are in a situation that requires discernment, a word of knowledge, or the prophetic then you must learn to draw from His indwelling presence. All of these things are available in Him. This type of approach also keeps us from trusting in the "specialized" ministry mindset. God is not limited in His capacity to use you unless you have limited Him. And this is how we need to function as the followers of Jesus in the earth. We must live with the awareness that He can invade any situation.
I want you to remember that Jesus is our model for life, ministry, and intimacy with God. Too often we look to our church structures for guidance in the area of ministry. I'm encouraging you to look at the Head of the Body which is Christ Himself. The best laid ministry plans can never trump what God is able to do in one individual who has totally submitted themselves to His use. Jesus functioned in every ministry gift that was available. How is that possible? It's possible because He learned to live with the awareness that God was always with Him, God always heard Him, God always answered Him, and with God all things are possible.
Enjoy the journey!!!
1 comment:
you are invited to follow my blogt
Post a Comment