Have you ever had the thought, perhaps just subconsciously, that now that I’m a Christian the big change is over and it’s just a straight road from here? I’ve been realizing more and more that that’s not how it works. We’re a little bit like parents who think that once their child is out of the house the work is done and there won’t be any more worries, needs, etc. Or for the young adult who has graduated and gotten a job, they may feel like “That’s done. Now I can get on with life.” So we get settled down in our work, church, home, and family and we don’t anticipate any major changes. When it comes to spirituality, we may get complacent and feel like it doesn’t make a great deal of difference if we pray, read the Bible, or go to church. We know we “should,” so we go through the routine.
I’m finding that God doesn’t just save us to leave us alone to live our lives. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Verse 22 continues, “In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” And chapter 4 goes on to tell us that these good works, this construction of God, is enabled by the spiritual gifts He has given each of us. So if we’ve got preordained works to do in order to build up the Body of Christ, why are so many of us content to sit back in the pew (or on the couch) relaxed and unconcerned about anything besides our own salvation? Why do we change the channel when the pictures of starving children in Africa come on? Are we afraid we might be compelled to do something about it? When someone asks for volunteers, why do we look away, afraid that if we make eye contact we’ll be drafted for something we don’t want to do?
I think there are several reasons for our complacency:
1) We are comfortable. Nobody likes to be uncomfortable, so we don’t want to do something new or risky. We don’t want to give up any of our abundance because that might make things uncomfortable down the road.
2) We are busy. We’ve got our own jobs and families to care for and worry about. We don’t want to or have time to take on anything else.
3) We don’t see the need. Whether it’s busyness or a lack of information, we don’t understand why someone else may need our help (financially, physically, emotionally, etc.). We all tend to be inward focused.
4) We don’t know what we can do. Even if we know there are people or groups in need in our neighborhood or around the world, we may not know how to help. We may feel inadequate for that particular need. We may be fearful of rejection. Or we may just need some guidance as to what to do and how to do it.
There are probably dozens of other reasons as well. As I’ve been doing some study on spiritual gifts lately, a few things have stood out in my mind. First, God has given the gifts that are needed for any particular time and place. He’s not going to leave us missing key pieces to accomplish His work. That leads to a couple questions—If we have a need (such as teachers), have we communicated the need to those who might have the gifts to contribute? And if we have asked for help and still have a need, are we sure we’re asking for the right thing or is there something we need to be doing differently?
Another thought is that the Body of Christ is the worldwide Church, not just our local congregation. So there are needs around the world that are being met in a variety of ways. There may be a church in Nigeria that can supply a need elsewhere in Africa. There may be a parachurch organization such as World Vision that can assist in places we’ve never even heard of. Many such organizations are worthy of our financial support. We aren’t all called to go overseas in our service for God. Denominational structures exist to help organize our efforts around the world, as well as in our own towns, conferences, and regions. What do we need to do to tap into the resources available to us, and what do we have to offer to those outside our congregation?
Third, I don’t think that most of us have a good understanding of spiritual gifts as opposed to learned abilities, interests, or talents. Even if you’ve gone through one or more “spiritual gift inventory” questionnaires, as I have, it’s still a pretty vague concept. Theologians seem to disagree on some of the key points as well. I had always been told that your spiritual gifts don’t change, but then I read Lloyd Ogilvie’s Enjoying God, in which he writes, “Often we speak of a person who has exercised one of the gifts consistently as one permanently gifted with that gift… This has two debilitating effects: it often keeps the person from being open to using other spiritual tools from the tool chest, and it can lead a person away from moment-by-moment dependence on the Holy Spirit… A further misapprehension is created by thinking of a particular calling in the church as a spiritual gift… A prophet has been called by God into an avenue of ministry. But this calling is not the same as a spiritual gift.” I have to say that just muddied the waters for me. I wish I had some answers, but for now I’m left with more questions.
Henry Blackaby writes in Experiencing God, “God will never give you an assignment that He will not, at the same time, enable you to complete. That is what a spiritual gift is—a supernatural empowering to accomplish the assignment God gives you. Don’t, however, focus on your talents, abilities, and interests in determining God’s will… When He is Lord, your response should be something like this: ‘Lord, I will do anything that Your kingdom requires of me. Wherever You want me to be, I’ll go. Whatever the circumstances, I’m willing to follow. If You want to meet a need through my life, I am Your servant; and I will do whatever is required.’” That seems to go along with Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me,” and John 15:5, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” Whatever God has called you to do He will enable you to accomplish. So then the question becomes, are we listening and looking to see what God might be inviting us to do?
Max Lucado includes the following prayer in Outlive Your Life, and it’s a good place for us to start. “O Lord, I have been called to be part of a holy community. You did not call me in isolation but placed me in the body of Christ, along with every other believer in Jesus throughout the world in every age. Let us grow as a team, work as a team, worship as a team, weep, laugh, and live as a team. Grant me the wisdom and the strength to partner with you and with my brothers and sisters in Christ. For Jesus’ sake and in his name I pray, amen.”
