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An 'urgency': Sensing threats to institutions of society, church leaders make declaration 
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God’s mission accomplished
In normal civilian life they were good. When Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) got them into a room together they were magic:
Willy Armitage (world-class weight lifter); Rollin Hand (make-up and escape artist extraordinaire); Cinnamon Carter (smart and stunning actress and fashion model); Barry Collier (electrical whiz and mechanical genius). Together they eviscerated evil organizations for some nameless, top-secret branch of the U.S. government.
It was intoxicating, and now I know why: it’s Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 and 1 Peter 2:4,5 in action. It was life as good as it gets.
How beautiful it is when the brothers and sisters know their gifts and pitch them all into the pot. Beautiful when they “stir up one another” to be the best they can be, “encouraging one another daily” (Hebrews 10:24,25), and getting a kick out of each other’s gifts. There’s no competing because everybody knows what he’s good at and what he’s not. Everybody knows he’s useful.
There are all kinds of quirky gifts that don’t find their way onto the classical Bible lists. There’s a woman I know who never forgets to commend a restaurant when the service is excellent; she notices if the MacDonald’s bathroom is exceptionally clean, and tells the manager. I know a woman who is uncanny at walking into a crowded party and seeing who is lonely or afraid.
back to top15 Comments to “God’s mission accomplished”
I liked that phrase: “getting a kick out of each other’s gifts”. And, really, aren’t all of our gifts for this reason:
Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
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Once again, Andree gives us food for thought. I read through each one of the scripture she sited.
Three years ago (before we moved) I had two Christian women employees. We were a well timed machine, each with their part in sync with the flow of work. We worked hard, laughed much and hard, cried tears of joy and pain, encouraged one another, and enjoyed it all. I never felt like the “boss”. Since moving, it has never been that good and I miss the depth of that relationship.
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How do you discover or uncover what your gift is. I don’t think I have ever found mine.
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KIM,
Try this:
http://www.nisbett.com/sgifts/sg-01.htm
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Is this the appropriate place to comment on how Tom Cruise destroyed a really great show – moving it from a remarkable team effort to all about him?
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Kim: I have been through gift surveys, etc. and always found them less than helpful.
My suggestion: Attempt things where you see a need in the body and see how it works out. You may find you have a knack for teaching or hate it. Your hospitality may flourish if given the chance or it may flop.
More importantly, what do other people say your strengths are? Generally if you get comments over time from more than one person, they are onto something.
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Kim,
I’d also try asking yourself questions like these:
What have I done that made me think, “I’m glad I took the time to do that, and I’d like to do it more often”?
What kind of issues do I care about so much that I find myself thinking about them, talking about them, learning more about them?
What kind of people do I want to try to help? What people do I enjoy being with and interact with well?
What kind of work have I done (paid or unpaid) that I found most satisfying?
How might the kind of work I do well and enjoy be combined with the issues I care about and the people I care about and want to be with?
The spiritual gift surveys I had taken always indicated teaching, but I knew I wouldn’t do well teaching a traditional Sunday School class. I teach well enough but I’m not good with classroom control. But I discovered I like planning and participating in skits (both to teach Bible stories and show how the application works out in everyday life situations). After a while I found I could even write my own skits pretty well, either for adults to do or for the kids themselves to act out. I like helping to decorate the classroom, find props that are needed, do puppets, etc.
I would never have thought hospitality was a fit for me at all because my house isn’t especially clean, I’m not a great cook (not a bad one either – I just stick to a few things I do well), and I’m an introvert so I’m not good with making strangers feel right at home. But I found that a lot of people were more interested in the fact that I was welcoming them into my home even though it wasn’t as clean as I might like, that I was happy to share whatever food we had even if it wasn’t anything special, and that I was willing to spend time listening to them.
Using your gifts often looks much different from what we think of when we read the lists of gifts.
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Going along with what Pauline wrote (& which popped up when I clicked preview), our gifts tend to be things which we enjoy doing & they may come so naturally we don’t even recognize them as a gift.
One of my dear friends, a younger woman who looks up to me but is herself a great blessing to me, writes the sweetest cards of encouragement &/or thanks. It may not seem to her to be something special, but it is a manifestation of her gift of encouragement, & many people have been blessed by her cards. (And they are “keepers”.)
When I was Women’s Ministries leader at our church, I had 2 women working with me. One took it upon herself to make phone calls when needed, & to arrange rides for women when needed. Much appreciated, but she thought it was just the thing to do, not a big deal.
The other woman didn’t feel that she could minister in a public way, but she was the one who set up the room for our brunches. She was a big help, but didn’t realize this was a gift.
So, if there’s something you especially like to do, chances are it is a gift.
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Kim,
God has placed us wherever we are right now. You are helping with Robin. God put you there to help Robin at this time. We don’t have to be doing something at church to be using the gifts we have been given. You work at a car dealership. You help people get reliable and safe transportation for their job or their family. You are serving people in that profession. Someone who works and a grocery store or as a waiter or waitress are called to serve people in that capacity. Look at whatever you are doing in life as using your gifts to serve Him. Don’t beat yourself up trying to figure out what you need to be doing. You are using those gifts right now. Thank Him for the opportunity.
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Pauline – I have generally been an introvert, too, much of my life. It was a big surprise to me when God called me to be Women’s Ministries leader. Me?!
I would normally have been one of those women sitting safely at a table with trusted friends. But here I was, welcoming the women as they arrived, & introducing myself to guests. And speaking to the whole congregation on WMs night! Me?!
I was amazed & blessed at how God used me, giving me what I needed when I needed it. And sharing my experience has been a good testimony to other women (& my daughters) as I try to encourage them to step out & follow what God has for them.
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Kim,
I am of the opinion that others determine what your gift is. I have a set of skills and am told that I am rather exceptional at some of them. I am generally of the mind-set that “If I can do it, then I assume that most others can do it too.” I have been told repeatedly that this is not so. I guess this is a form of humility. It seems to me that telling yourself (and others) that ‘you have a gift’ and they do not is a bit arrogant. If the Mission Impossible team needs a lock picked and they all turn around and look at you…then maybe you know your gift.
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Hi, gang. Helpful counsel from Outdeep, Pauline, Karen O, Grandma and FVT, and I wasn’t even the one asking the question!
I would just add that those gift surveys can be helpful if used alongside the counsel of mature Christians who know you, and trying out some things around you as experiments. I’ve sensed that some of the surveys I’ve taken were self-fulfilling, tending to confirm what I already thought about my giftedness or lack thereof. Subjective, iow. Another pitfall, as Pauline discusses, is how there are many ways a “teacher” can be manifested. If our preconception of teaching is that it always means instructing a group of 20 or more adult members in theology, for instance, that’s very limiting. Lots of good teaching gets done one-on-one across the kitchen table, too.
So by all means take a survey if you wish, but test it against godly counsel, and remember there’s more than one way a gift may be put to use.
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RR,
What does Christianity have to do with talents? It would seem that you think counsel from anyone NOT Christian is somehow tainted. I find that rather offensive.
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FVThinker – As Christians, we believe that our special abilities & talents are direct gifts from God, to be used for His purposes & our fulfillment. So it follows in this sense that we would seek godly counsel on this matter.
However, we also realize that our non-Christian family & friends may see things in us that we don’t, so their input would be useful, too.
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Great show. Great theme. Great tie-in to God’s word.
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