January 16, 2015
To Each is Given
Yesterday I visited with a
pastor who shared his concern about how to reach what he referred to as, “this
lost generation.” The preacher was thinking in terms of outreach programs. I
know ministers wear multiple hats, but it suddenly occurred to me that they do
so by choice and/or job description. The
Epistles lists attributes that are given to believers – preachers, teachers, administrators,
prophets, healers, interpreters, etc. (1 Cor 12:8-10, 28; Eph 4:11). However, none
of these passages refer to believers wearing multiple hats. Scripture doesn’t
say some were called to be prophets and
evangelists; or prophets and
Apostles. We are all a part of the body; not parts of the body. I’m wondering if a preacher’s gift for preaching
isn’t marginalized when he also tries to be a teacher, evangelist, and
administrator. “He gives them to each
one, just as he determines” (1 Cor 12:11 NIV).
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----Ultimately, I think you’re right. But all technicalities belong to pure situations. And this is not a world of purity. I am a CPA. What business do I have writing anything on your Christian blog? Yet I can clean the nastiest booger out of a carpet, because I’m a pretty good janitor, too. And I admit, I had to install the water pump on my pickup with at least one stud, because, well, I kind of almost stripped the threads from a bolt-hole. And it took me three tries and one broken, aluminum, thermostat housing to successfully replace a thermostat. But I did both, along with a new battery, starter, solenoid, fuel pump, manual choke, power steering hose, starter button-switch, and bench seat! My office is clean enough to work in, though not clean enough to be impressive (because I clean far better than I clean often.) My truck runs well by my own wrenching, though I could never earn a dime as a mechanic. I earn my dime as a CPA and save it by doing for myself whatever else I can (including peeling myself off the pavement, assessing the risk of my injuries, and telling the ambulance to get lost. I saved a lot of money that day.)
-----I’m not gifted. I’m stubborn. And cheap! So I figure out how to do a lot of things. And consequently, I waste a lot of what we don’t have to buy - time. But the world’s chaos is great enough to absorb my effort’s errors and use their benefits. That I can not even do all of my CPA work perfectly is both a testament to my humanity and to the fact that neither must any of the other things I do have to be done perfectly.
-----I remember the past Denver Bronco’s coach, Dan Reeves, better than I do any of the rest of them. Maybe it was his penchant for settling for field goals instead of straining for touchdowns, settling for B-rate running backs instead of searching to the ends of the earth for the best, and settling for “smoke and mirror” instead of “stop my steamroller if you can” offensive strategies that led me to call him Jeige Dan, for “Just enough is good enough.” No. Perfection does not fit this world. But just enough doesn’t serve it. Yet just more than enough does. So. Although the stud holding my water pump in place demeans my mechanic skills, the water pump is working fine and won’t fall off. And. From the water pump I learned studs for the thermostat housing made it much easier to install. Neither will the new cast-iron ‘stat housing break under the weight of my carelessness! I threaten to clean my office more often this year, and it’s a little cleaner. Yet, I still don’t wear my janitor hat enough.
-----I don’t think Paul was talking tech about the gifts of the Spirit and the giving of servants. This world is so broken that just some ability helps a little. More ability helps more. And developing a lot of ability may not be commensurate with what Paul was referring to as Spiritual gifts, but it still benefits a lot. I remember a preacher who would not do visitation, perform any weddings or funerals, teach any Sunday school classes, or do much of anything else except write and preach sermons. I suppose He thought He was really gifted by the Spirit to only preach. But if he would have added any effort of his own, maybe he could have preached better, done more, known more, and understood more. None of us are pure situations in this world.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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