One Size Fits All (Rethinking Spiritual Gifts)

Most of my life was spent in churches that did not operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. At least...that's what I thought. As I young man I became exposed to churches that run in the charismatic circles which did operate in them. At least...that's what I thought. While I do not consider myself an expert on this matter, I want to invite you to a conversation that I had with a brother in Christ the other day. I hope you will be encouraged to think differently on this important subject.

Over the years I have come to understand spiritual gifts differently than the way I was taught. Most people approach 1 Corinthians 12 from a "gifts" standpoint. By that I mean that it looks a lot like Christmas - every person has a different gift sitting under the tree, different wrapping, different bows, different content, & we each get the one that has our name on it. Some of the more modern Bible translations confuse our understanding even more because of the lack of literal translation. An example from a very popular and easy to read translation: "A spiritual gift (singular) is given to each of us..." You see, they carry over their own thoughts into the translation. The more literal translations of 1 Corinthians 12:7 actually tells us that it's not a gift but a manifestation of the Spirit that is given to each one. WHAT?

That's right folks. A literal understanding of 1 Corinthians 12 will teach you that the gift you are seeing in operation is a manifestation of the Spirit of God in their life. Not only that, but when you look into the original language of the New Testament, you will also discover that the word we translate as "gift" is rooted in the word "grace". These "gifts" are spiritual graces (the operating power of God upon our lives) that are given for the profit of everyone. With all that being said, and looking at the context of these verses, I want to give you my understanding of what Paul is actually saying. Remember that he is dealing with the problems that have come up in the Corinthian church and trying to clarify the purpose of the gifts among them.
Concerning the supernatural I don't want you to be ignorant. There are a diversity of graces, services, and operations but it's the same God, same Lord, and same Holy Spirit. You need to understand that the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man for the profit of everyone. One person is given words of wisdom, another words of knowledge, another faith, etc., etc.
Now...
What is given? The manifestation
Where does it come from? The Holy Spirit
Why? For the profit of every one

Why is this important? It's important because we need to understand that the Lord has given each and every one of us the SAME Holy Spirit. Whether that person is a man, woman, or a child, when it comes to the Holy Spirit - one size fits all. This understanding will also keep us from thinking my gift is better than your gift or that somehow I'm inferior because I didn't operate in that one. It will also create a dependency upon the Holy Spirit in our lives. We will begin to recognize that because we have the Giver of these graces living inside of us then we have all the graces available.

When you carry this understanding over into 1 Corinthians 14 it makes perfect sense. Paul is teaching the church that when they come together that these manifestations will occur. Listen to his language (my paraphrase): When you come together, each of you has a song, a lesson, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let it all be done for the edification of everyone.

This portion of Paul's letter, which included the understanding of love, is provided to us so that we can understand how to operate in the Spirit. Every believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of them. Every brother/sister in Christ can also receive the manifestation of the Spirit in every grace that is listed. While I do believe that we tend to function in primary gifts (that is what we are most comfortable operating in), the Lord can do so much more than what we have realized when we surrender our will to His. This is how every member of the Body functions together so that the Head (Jesus) can manifest Himself in our midst. This is how He has chosen to operate in our lives. This is how He has lead the members of the Body to build one another up in Him. This is what keeps us spiritual in nature rather than just going through some religious form. In the end, it's really up to us how we allow Him to operate. The encouragement that I want to bring to your life is this: The SAME Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells inside of you. You need to let Him out!!!

Establishing the "Norm" of Your Faith

As I type today's blog I am aware of many people in my life that are looking for God to show up in significant ways. I have been down this road several times myself and have learned a valuable lesson: My circumstances no longer control my outlook.

A quote worth considering:
"It is possible to be saved, called, and chosen of God, yet live like the children of Israel, to live and die without ever entering into your promised inheritance. It is possible for your entire Christian walk to be one of wondering and wavering, trials and temptations, never knowing exactly where you are or where you are going." ~ Jim Richards ~ Taking the Limits Off God

Now...I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a fruitful way to live. Always striving. Always questioning. Always wondering if God is going to "show up". However, many believers live in this perception. Their circumstances have become much louder and much more visible than the promises of God. Not only that, but due to this perception (which becomes their reality), the presence of God seems far away.

In this mindset, faith becomes a work rather than a lifestyle. When the norm of our Christian life is simply waiting for God to "break through", we fail to recognize the reality of His presence. 2 Peter 1:3 assures us that "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence". The moment we allow these words to be established in our hearts, the easier we will be able to speak to our circumstances instead of allowing them to speak to us.

A lot of the teaching/preaching on this subject rather than fuel our faith can cause it to falter. We place all of the things we need somewhere outside of our reach. Sermon titles such as "Getting Your Next Breakthrough" or "Expecting Your Next Miracle" will always place your hope in the future rather than in your present. It will also cause you to view things from the mindset of poverty instead of abundance. My friend, God wants you to live in the reality of His presence. He wants you to view things from a fulfilled covenant mindset rather than a futuristic one. It may take a little work on your part but in the end you will discover a faith attitude that you did not realize existed.

Allow me to share some things that helped me in this journey:

#1 - Firmly Establish Yourself in the Love & Goodness of God
When I talk to people who are struggling to see God in their circumstances, it doesn't take long to discover what is really going on. The question that tends to come up is "I know God loves me but why...?" This mentality needs to go and never return. Jesus taught His disciples a very valuable lesson when He said "If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, HOW MUCH MORE will your Heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him?" (Matthew 7:11). This is an abiding truth for every child of God. When you learn to firmly establish yourself in the love and goodness of God then you will not allow your circumstances to sway your feelings. Not only that, but you will stop asking for things that you already have in Him. Take some time to read through the names of God. They reveal His character - which does not change - and you will begin to understand the heart of your Heavenly Father.

#2 - Allow the Promises of God to Fight For You Not Against You
Let me explain. The common problem for most people is that they will place their circumstances against the promises of God and immediately believe that the promise doesn't line up. What happens next is we put ourselves in a position of lack and misunderstanding. The proper way of handling any situation is to take the problem - hold it up against the promises of God - and recognize that it is the problem that isn't lining up. Therefore, the problem needs to change NOT the promise. Make sense? Our circumstances cannot be allow to dictate the promises of God in our life. The Bible clearly tells us that the "promises of God are YES and AMEN in Christ." God doesn't repeal His "yes" or His "amen" because we have a difficulty. Those things are firmly established in Jesus. You get to take God's promises and fight against the problem. Remember, you are fighting from victory - not for it.

#3 - Always Live in the Reality of His Presence
The Holy Spirit indwelling your life means something very significant. It means that He never leaves you and He never forsakes you. In the midst of difficulties, He is with you. Every problem that you face, you do not face alone. The reality of His presence will keep you from feeling isolate. It will keep you from wondering where God is at during your trials. What you need to do right now is practice His presence every day so that when problems arise you aren't trying to figure it out. Do whatever you need to do. Get alone in a quiet place. Put on some worship music. Pray and/or read the Bible. Give Him an opportunity to speak to you. Feel His presence within you. Allow Him to demonstrate to you JUST HOW REAL He is in you. This is something every believer should practice regardless of what they are going through because it will move their faith into the spirit realm rather than focusing on the mind or the flesh.

If I could add one more thing it would be this: REST!!!
The Bible teaches us that there is only one thing we need to labor into and that is rest. Resting in Him means that we completely trust His nature. It means that we have learned the the grace of God is sufficient in our lives. It means that we don't have to figure it out, we don't have to strive, and we don't have to make things happen. We are learning to discover the reality of God in our lives and how to approach life through Him. We are becoming confident in who He is and who we are in Him. We will learn how to throw worry out the window, pray from a place of provision rather than lack, and we will not freak out because things aren't going the way we planned.

Life is a journey and every journey has mountain tops and valleys. You will learn how to walk through them all. You get to establish the norm of your faith. And you will discover what it means to "count it all joy" regardless of what life throws in your direction. Be blessed.

Enduring Love

In case you haven't noticed, our world is looking for love. However, to quote the singer Johnny Lee, they've been "Looking for love in all the wrong places." Believe it or not, the church has the answer.

I was flipping through the channels and came across the movie "The Notebook". It's become a favorite movie for so many because of it's theme of enduring love. As I thought about this theme, I was reminded of the fact that love, although not always sappy, and not always pretty, is determined.

Just take a read through your Bible. Pay attention to the incredible overtones of love. God's love created man. God's love has endured through every generation. Even when it was ugly. Even when it was difficult. God's love never failed. God's love was ultimately put on display through His Son at the Cross (read Romans 5:8). If you want to read a love story then you must read the world's all time best selling book on the matter.

Psalm 100:5, "For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."

1 Corinthians 13:7, "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Somewhere along the way the church has forgotten about God's amazing, unending, unconditional, and enduring love. I'm not sure why this happened. I have my suspicions. But the reality is that what the world needs most, we possess, and we need to share.

I was sharing with a church this weekend about the need for each of us to really know Jesus. My point in sharing is that if we don't know Him then it will be hard for us to share Him. If we don't know Him then we will struggle to know who we are in Him. This is the need for our generation. We need to move out of the mindsets that keep us from believing, accepting, and operating in the unconditional love of God.

1 John 3:16 is an incredible reminder of God's love for us and how it is manifested in our lives:
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." My friends, this is what enduring love looks like. God loved the world so much that He gave. He demonstrated His love through the indescribable gift of His Son. Our response to His love is that we share it, we give it, and if necessary we lay down our lives for it.

What I have discovered in life is that people may argue with your understanding. They may struggle with your theology. However, they cannot argue with unconditional love. Let's just think about it for a minute: WHAT IF...
What if we loved the people in the world regardless of how they lived?
What if we genuinely gave of ourselves without expecting anything in return?
What if we demonstrated love more than we talked about it?
What if we gave the world what God thought we deserved - L-O-V-E?

Let me close with this story:
A few weeks ago we had some friends visiting with us. My son told me on the Monday after their departure that he missed them already. I asked him "Why?". He said that he just likes it when they are around - he likes the way it feels. When I pressed him just a little more he gave me the explanation. He said, "There's just a lot of love in the environment." This love that he describes, that he so passionately want to experience is within each and every one of us. It's the enduring love of God. And when you and I choose to operate in His love, it will make and incredible difference. It will also create an irresistible environment.

Welcome to the Journey

In John 1:36-41 we read about Andrew (Simon Peter's brother) hearing John the Baptist point out Jesus as the Lamb of God. He left John to follow Jesus, found out where he was staying, and immediately went to find his brother. As I read this familiar passage I was reminded of an enduring truth: All I can do is invite you on a journey. The rest is up to you.

After having this thought I decided to look up some images for the blog that had to do with inviting people on a journey. I came across the quote that you see in the image from Charles S. Lauer. I'm always amazed at how what is true in the natural is also true in the spiritual. Too often we get caught up in the idea that people MUST follow where we are going. However, all we can do (as the quote adequately states) is invite them on the journey.

Think about this for a moment:
John the Baptist has quite a following. In fact, a number of his disciples stayed with him up until his death. There were some who immediately left when they encountered Jesus but that was expected...right? It seems that through Scripture we discover that John handled this transition well. He knew the season that he was in, what he was supposed to do, and the his calling was to lead people to the Christ. The only time we see him struggling with his decision was after he was thrown in jail and he sent his disciples to Jesus just to make sure that He was the One.

Life Application:
Your journey is your journey. How you have come to understand God's will for your life can only be answered by you. You may be in a position where you can allow others to come along but the reality is that it's your journey. Depending upon God's purpose for your life it may require that you walk alone, walk with a few, walk with several others, or both. What each and every one of us needs to determine is whether or not we will be confident in what God has called us to do. I'm not supporting arrogance, I'm just saying that not everybody will be able to see what you see.

Over the years I have come to understand this reality. It can be a difficult lesson if you are as relational as I am. When people walk away it can become personal if you are not grounded in your identity in Christ. Not only have I had to understand this in my personal life but also in the corporate life of the church. I can tell you about my experiences, I can share with you what I have learned, and I can challenge you in the same ways that I have been challenged but the reality is that you will have to determine what happens next.

In the case of Andrew, Peter chose to follow and walk alongside his brother in the adventure of knowing Jesus. I can understand this because I too had a brother who began telling me of the joys of walking with Jesus. I was a believer but had allowed myself to get out of fellowship. At first I resisted the urging of my brother but eventually joined him. Our paths are a little different but what I'm discovering is that the closer we get to our understanding of Jesus, the closer we have become in the journey. We see each other on the path. There are times that he gets further ahead and than I am (and vice versa) but I take great comfort in knowing that we are on the journey together.

This is a lesson for each and every one of us. There are others on the path that are in their particular journey. From the novice to the lifetime follower - they are all here. We may choose to fellowship together corporately but the reality is that we each have an individual journey as well. We are called to encourage one another, build up one another, and if necessary correct one another in love along the way. What we do not do is enter into judgement or criticism because their journey has led them further ahead or has caused them to lag behind. In the natural when we are hiking there are some people who are in better shape than others. This means that some have the ability to sprint up ahead while others will be a little more cautious, a little more deliberate, and maybe even rest on a certain portion of the trail. The good news is that we are all heading to the same place. That place? It's not so much a destination as it is a person - being conformed into the image of the Son.

Welcome to the journey that we call following Jesus. We have a map (the Bible) and a guide (the Holy Spirit). While there have been plenty of saints that have blazed the trail before us, this journey may require pioneering a new path. It does not mean that what they have done is wrong but that the Spirit will often say "I know a better way." And the Lord trusts you to follow His leading.

In closing I will leave with an and old Irish blessing. I think it fits since we are talking about the journey.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Enjoy the journey!!!

What Has God Placed Inside You?

Psalms 139:14 declares that you and I were "fearfully and wonderfully made." One of the best interpretations of this verse basically tells us that God has created us in such an awesome way. I believe it's part of our faith journey to discover and/or unlock all that He has placed within us. I think you will be amazed.

Why is it that we have no problem sharing this truth with a child but struggle to believe it about ourselves? Most of us would leap at the opportunity to share with a little one about the wonder they are in all of God's creative genius but will shy away from accepting this truth about ourselves. I don't believe we struggle to believe that this verse is true about the creativity of God in creating us. I think we struggle to see it in ourselves.

If that is true of you then I want to invite you on a journey. I want you to discover all that God has placed within you. There are gifts, abilities, talents, and possibly even areas of creativity that you need to unlock. Parts of you that make you truly unique need to be uncovered. This is one of the greatest ways that I know of that will allow you to reach your potential in life.

The process is quite simple: Ask God to reveal to you all the things that have laid dormant in your life.
The word dormant is an adjective that means:
(of an animal) Having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time; in or as if in a deep sleep.
(of a plant or bud) Alive but not actively growing.
I do believe that there are things that should be alive & growing in our lives. The reason we haven't seen them come forth is because we have never discovered them.

The way this works for most people is that they do not recognize they have certain abilities until they are placed in a position where those skills have to be awakened. Others don't see it in themselves until they hear someone talking about a particular topic and that topic stirs something up inside of them. Regardless of what it takes to come to a realization of the things that God has placed within you, they key to bringing them out is your willingness to partner with the Holy Spirit in your life.

You have heard me say that discovering who you are in Christ is vital to enjoying all the benefits of abundant life in Him. Well...discovering all that God has placed within you is vital to getting all that you can out of life. My encouragement for you is to not only find these things out for yourself but to figure out why you haven't seen them before. It could have been the words of someone you trusted that kept you from recognizing your potential. This is often true when people are physically, mentally, or verbally abused. I have also seen this take place when people with authority handle their power in the wrong way. I know a grown man who never pursued his dreams because he had a guidance counselor in school that basically told him there was no way he could achieve it.

My friend Mark had a similar thought this week when he talked about our ability to love:
"Love isn't learned. Love is and always was in us. Instead, we are to unlearn what hides love - being offended, jealousy, prejudice and comparison. Love is original human DNA." - Mark Durniak

In the same way that we have to unlearn what hides love, we need to unlearn what hides the wonder of who we were created to become. When you and I are willing to partner with the Holy Spirit we can allow these hidden treasures that are within us to come to the surface. Creativity that was once dormant begins to flourish. Confidence that was lacking begins to shine. Abilities that you never thought possible will begin to break through your doubts and fears. All because God wants you to understand that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Too often we see ourselves through our failures. We allow our history to define who we are instead of allowing God to be the sole originator of our definition. Religion at times has also told us to consider ourselves worthless rather than embrace the uniqueness that God has placed inside of each and every person. You were made in the image of God. Don't you think that reality is worth discovering? Then don't allow fear to keep you from embracing it. Don't allow negativity to sway your determination. All that God has placed within you can be discovered. And you will be amazed at what God can do in and through your life.

Go for it!!!