This past Monday-Wednesday I had the honor of traveling to Washington D.C. to co-host (with Baltimore’s Douglas Arthur) a small conference devoted to the spiritual art and calling of "Church Building." The third annual Church Builders’ Workshop convened near Dulles airport in the town of Reston Virginia, where we heard tremendous lessons from elders, teachers, evangelists, and missionaries.
Two things smacked me upside the head: Fred Faller’s treatment of "spiritual gifts" as delineated in 1 Corinthians 12, and Mike Fontenot’s closing speech about the relationship of the preached word to our faith. I think these two issues are HUGE right now for the Seattle church.
Fred pointed out that identifying and using our God-given gifts for the body of Christ and for the lost help us live zealous lives for Jesus. If we don’t know what our gifts are, or if we neglect to use them for God, we tend to feel a little lost as a Christian, and drift into being spectators instead of players on the field of life.
I think my "gifts" are these: I’m a good motivator, strategic thinker, communicator, listener, and counselor. I’m not bad at volleyball.
Readers: are you using your gifts for the body and for the lost? If not, why not? I predict that when you dedicate yourself to this proposition, you will find incredible fulfillment as a disciple. You will have found "your calling" in the spiritual realms, and your role as a personal missionary for Jesus will be a great joy to you, not a burden.
So let’s do it! I am recommitting myself to these very things, and starting this Sunday, I will call every group in the Seattle church to do likewise. When we all give our gifts, the church will look like Christmas
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