Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. - 1
Corinthians 12:1
In First Corinthians 12 and Romans
12, the apostle Paul is teaching us about the role of spiritual gifts in the
Church. He correlates these gifts to a human body, telling us that each
person's gift helps the whole Body of the Church. This is such an important principle
for us to learn. I must say I learned this principle regarding my own spiritual
gift the hard way.
"God will never speak as
strongly to you as to someone else," said my mentor to me one day. The
statement shocked me. "What in the world do you mean by that?" I
argued with him.
"Your spiritual gift of
administration/leading is one of the most dangerous gifts in the whole Body of
Christ. The reason is that you can see the big picture better than anyone else,
and you're so task-oriented that you will run people into the ground getting
your project completed because you think you see it so clearly. That is why the
best friend you could ever have is someone with a prophetic gift to discern
whether the big picture you see is actually the picture God is directing. It is
the one gift that can almost stand alone better than any other - at least that
is the opinion of the one with that gift."
Oh, how I have learned this lesson
the hard way! He was so right. There have been many a church staff destroyed by
a person with the gift of administration. Os Hillman said, "during my years as an ad agency
owner, I saw how I stressed out my staff because of the tremendous load I put
on them with multiple projects. It was so easy for me because the more balls I
had juggling, the better I felt. I was oblivious to how my multi-task
personality impacted those around me".
Today, I have some special
relationships with intercessors and prophetic people whom I depend on for
confirmation of direction. I have learned their spiritual gifts of discernment
are of great value in determining strategic direction. I have learned that God
has placed within each person a spiritual gift that is designed to make the
Body of Christ function better for His purposes. When we discover the spiritual
gifts God has placed in those around us, we are better able to see the Body
function as a real body-totally dependent on one another. Some of us are more
sensitive to God's voice because God has gifted us in that way. Others of us
are less sensitive because God wants us to depend on others in the Body for
their gifts. Find out whom God has placed around you today and discover a new
dimension of spiritual productivity.
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