Individual Gifts and Talents

Today I've been thinking about the charismatic church experience, which is what I'm most familiar with, and something has been highlighted to me by Holy Spirit which I never quite saw this way before.  Here's the scripture that got me started down this road:

"Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly." -Romans 12:4-8

We are each part of the body of Christ.  We each have special gifts and talents, and we each need to be equipped to fulfill our particular role.  We are not supposed to fulfill the same role many times over, we are each called to be something different from anyone else around us.  We say we understand this, and yet how much of the time are we comparing ourselves to each other?  We see someone touched at the altar and think that they have something that we don't have because they fell down under the anointing of the Spirit and we didn't.  Or they gave a word in tongues and interpreted during a church service and we've never done that, so we think they are some how better than we are, more loved by God, more anointed, etc.  We think that in order to be more valuable in the Kingdom of God we need to do what someone we look up to is doing.

And yet, in this passage of scripture, some of the gifts listed don't seem that impressive.  Prophesy, yes, that's something we all want and go after.  But serving others?  Like, offering to clean the church, or working in the kitchen, or watching the babies while their parents are in the main church service?  Encouraging others?  Giving? Showing kindness?  How are these important gifts? We don't see them as having value in the Kingdom of God because they seem too easy.  Out of the list of 7, we only think there is true honor in 3 of them: prophesy, teaching, and leadership, and somehow we think we have to fit ourselves into one of these 3 or we're not being effective for the Kingdom of God.  We all think in order to really do something for God we need to be a leader in some way.  We need to fall into one of the 5-fold ministry positions.  Usually the first thing someone who's on fire for God wants to do is go into full-time ministry.

Where did this idea come from?  Certainly not from God, because here equal value is placed on all the gifts, even those gifts that we think are easy, like encouraging others, or giving.  We have equated being effective for God as standing up in front of people.  You've "made it" if you've got a pulpit from which to speak.  But I don't need a pulpit to be a giver.  I don't need to pulpit to encourage others.  I don't need a pulpit to be kind to the people around me.  And apparently, to God, those gifts are just as vitally important as being a leader or a prophet.

So the question then is, when are we going to start valuing each other for what gifts and talents we are bringing to the Body of Christ?  And when are we going to see the value in ourselves?

God Didn't Screw Up

Here's something I just wrote in my journal:

"Trying to make yourself into someone you are not is like telling God He screwed up when He created you."

Over the last week or so Holy Spirit has really been focusing on the fact that Christians are not meant to be a homogeneous group of people.  We are not meant to fit into a mold of the "mature Christian" and all act, talk, walk, and look alike.  And yet the church has been trying to get us to all "fit the mold" for ages.  We look at the pastor, or elders, or someone held in high esteem in our local assembly, and think that we should just be more like them.  They say they matured in God because they got up early at 4 am and read their Bible and prayed for 3 hours before work, and we have one of two reactions.

Reaction #1 - "I want to be like elder so-and-so, so if they grew to maturity by doing this, then I'm going to do it too!"  

Reaction #2 - "I can't get up and spend 3 hours reading the Bible and praying.  I'll NEVER be able to have as close a relationship with God as elder so-and so!"

In both reactions we see maturity in God reduced to a formula - elder so-and-so did "x" and got "y" result.  Therefore, if I do exactly what they did, I will get exactly what they got, and if I do not, I will not.  We also see limited, worldly thinking, in that we are limiting God to doing things only one way, because that's the way that worked for someone else.  

The other thing that I see in this type of reasoning is that we tend to take someone else's experience and allow it to carry more weight than what God is speaking to us.  We take something someone else did under inspiration of Holy Spirit, and make it into a formula that will work for anyone.  Then if the formula doesn't work for us, we wonder what we did wrong, instead of understanding that we are all created to be different.

I have done this for years.  Literally.  I limited my relationship with God because I thought that to really get close to Him and and walk in unity with Him I needed to do x,y, and z, and if I couldn't make those things happen, then I was out of luck.  I thought I needed to do all these things in a certain way, whether those things worked in my life or not, or God would withhold part of Himself from me because I wasn't doing it "right".

The other thing I've fallen prey to is thinking that the people of God are all supposed to be outgoing, friendly, talkative, bold extroverts who are happy all the time and want to be going and doing for God all the time.  Are there some people who absolutely are this way?  Sure!  But when you are a shy, quiet, smart introvert and your only example of people on fire for God are bold extroverts, it's really easy to think that you are broken, or that you just need to pretend in order to be effective for God.  It's really easy to hate who you are because you are not able to make yourself into someone different.  It's also really easy to be jealous and envious of those people for whom being extroverted is natural.  Especially since there is such a push to go out and evangelize the world, which to most of us means going out and doing things that most introverts are VERY uncomfortable doing.  

But I'm coming to realize that if we are called to be parts of the Body of Christ, we each have an individual part to fill.  We each have our part to play, and we each have something that we contribute, whether we are a people-person or a book nerd, whatever our personality or home life, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.  God is with us, and willing to reveal to us where we fit, if we just stop looking to others for answers and look to Him.  Holy Spirit will teach us not only who we are in Christ, but what we need to do to grow in Him, and what Christ looks like in US.

Father, I just ask for everyone reading today to get a fresh revelation of who You created them to be, and how You will use their gifts, talents, and abilities to transform the world around them.  I thank you Father that there is no one way, there are no limitations on You, and that You will work in our lives as we seek You.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

*I apologize if this seems scattered today - I was having a difficult time getting the thoughts from my mind to the page, probably because I mostly likely could write a book on this subject!

"Greasy Grace" - Why I Don't Agree

Greasy grace - boy, do I hate that term.  It's most often heard from the people in the church who are most afraid that giving extravagant grace will allow people to just do whatever they want.  My question is, if it's the love of Christ that constrains us (2 Corinthians 5:14), then if someone is actually walking in relationship with God they won't want to do the things that we consider "sin".  Plus, we can't crucify sin without Christ - we don't have the ability or the power to do it for ourselves.  I can know that I shouldn't do something, and actually not want to do it, but trying to change in my own power and ability is virtually useless.  People don't like to preach that type of grace - that nothing is being held against you any longer and Christ has paid ALL THE PRICE needed for you to come into relationship with God - because of fear.  It's totally and completely fear based - if we tell people that they don't have to pay a price through their behavior then they won't change their behavior, and we'll have drunks and druggies and gays and all manner of sinner in our church!  Then we'll have to deal with these people in love!  And we'll need to explain their behavior to our kids!  It's fear of those different than us, and it's why we've tried to homogenize the church.  We've put forward the idea that we all need to look the same, act the same, follow the same rules, and then we can be unified in love.  But we aren't all the same.  We don't all have the same struggles, but we do all have struggles.  We all have areas of sin in our lives that we can not overcome unless Jesus helps us.  Things that we have tried to conquer on our own over and over and over again and failed miserably each time.  

The thing is that each failure actually tends to push us away from God instead of toward Him, because we feel like it's our responsibility to clean ourselves up to make us worthy of His attention and love.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  The Father wants us to come with Him with a clear understanding that we can not fix ourselves, and submit ourselves to His love and mercy so that He, as the Master Potter, can.

Father, I ask today that you give us a more complete understanding of Your grace for us.  I ask for each reader that You come in and do the work in them that they can not do themselves.  We ask together that Your hands be on us, molding and shaping us into the people You created us to be.  And we thank you that there is NOTHING that can separate us from Your love and mercy.  Nothing stands in the way of our relationship with You in Christ.  Thank you for your love.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Moving right along...

Man, I can't believe how God is moving in my life right now.  I just find it totally amazing, because it's not that long ago that I thought He needed to fix and change everything in order to release me to be who He's called me to be.  And now, nothing has really changed, but I've moved up into a leadership position (Prophet) in my church, not by my own doing, but by God's promotion of me; and NOTHING has changed.  My husband still doesn't believe, my kids are still tagged with the "autism" label, but I am in such a good place right now.  I'm learning and growing in my relationship with Him, I'm seeing things change and shift in our local church body that I've been "seeing" for several years now, and that is SO exciting for me.  I'm being given ideas of ways to teach the people around me how to walk in closer communion with God, how to hear His voice, and so much else it's amazing. 

The biggest thing for me right now is that people are starting to "catch" where God is taking us, but we've still got so many religious mindsets blocking full revelation of what God is trying to get across to us.  It makes me frustrated when people determine to hold on to their false constructs than to go forward with what God is showing us.  Not just showing me, but confirming both in His written Word and in His revealed Word for us today.  We get so tied up in knots trying to explain things, we desire so much to get a mental understanding of things, that we make up reasons as to why something happens, rather than trusting in the Word of God.  Hence the Cessationists.  I don't really understand why we do that - we say we trust in God, we believe His Word is truth, and then we make up reasons as to why we don't really believe the Bible to be the truth after all.  The great commission - we love it.  What does it tell us to do?   

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” -Mathew 28:18-20 NLT 

So we see that part of the great commission was to teach the new disciples to obey everything Jesus commanded the original disciples to do.  What were some of the things He told them to do?  Let's look! 

Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: ....Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!  Matthew 10:5-8 NLT 

One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  Luke 9:1-2 NLT

Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ - Luke 10:9 NLT 

To me, it seems rather obvious that we, as the people of God, believers in Christ, should be going out and healing the sick and telling people about the Kingdom of God.  It's pretty clearly laid out if you look at it. And yet, as a church culture, we've come up with reasons why God doesn't heal any more, or why God won't heal someone through me, or why some people get healed and others don't.  We come up with tons and tons of reasons to not do what we've been told to do, instead of actually trusting God and stepping out in faith.

I personally am tired of it.  I'm especially tired of being in a church culture which gives voice to the idea that God heals, always wants healing, is a good God, etc., etc., and yet doesn't actually put their money where their mouth is.  Talking a good game doesn't accomplish anything unless you actually start pursuing the things you say you believe.  I can say I believe God heals and can heal through me, but unless I actually do the stuff like laying on of hands, anointing with oil, or even praying in faith for the sick, I am never actually going to see anyone healed through my belief alone.

For example, I can be given a gift by a close friend.  I have been told by the friend, who is someone I trust, that there is an iPod in the package, so I firmly believe that to be true.  But, if I never unwrap the package, never take the iPod out, and never use it, what good is it to me?  Sure, I have possession of an iPod.  I technically own an iPod, but it is of no use to me, not because it's not mine, but because I refuse to take hold of it and use it.  It is the same as not having the gift at all.  I can walk around all day and tell everyone I know that I have an iPod - which is absolutely true.  But I have not received the benefit of owning the iPod because I refuse to use it.

We treat the gifts of God in the exactly same manner - we talk about how He's made provision for something, and yet we do not take the action necessary to lay hold of it.  We say He's given us peace, and yet we do nothing to take it for ourselves like casting down the imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.  We say that we have been given the ability to lay hands on the sick and see them recover - but we don't actually step out to do it because of our fear that people won't recover.  We say we have the joy of the Lord, and yet we allow every bad mood that crosses our mind to take control of us!

I want to walk in fullness of His truth, and do everything I can to appropriate and take for my own everything that God has for me.  And I want everyone else to want this as well!  Come, grab hold of what God has for you in Christ with me!  You can do it!