Facing the Limitations of Your Gifting

Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED blog post, the only blog that thinks most of today’s worship songs give a broad range of self-expression to people who know seven words and like to repeat them eleven times.

Quick piece of news: On episode 185 of the CHRIST IS ALL podcast, I participated in an interview focusing on church and discipleship. That episode marked the debut of a concept I’ve termed “The Industrial Religious Complex.”

I intend to delve deeper into the Industrial Religious Complex in an upcoming episode of the show. To ensure you don’t miss this expanded discussion, I encourage you to subscribe to the CHRIST IS ALL podcast, if you aren’t already.

By the way, I also plan to bring Pastor Biff Wellington into the studio for an exclusive interview. He’s the guy who was featured in episode 212: “Things You’ve Never Heard About the Bible (Spoof).”

Now for today’s article.

Let me say at the outset that many of you who read these articles are Christian leaders and many of you are not.

This article contains a message for both groups. So keep reading to the end. 

One of the most frequent complaints I receive from Christian leaders is captured in this quote:

“I can’t seem to get the people in my church (or group) stirred up. I can’t find a way to get them interested in the deeper things of God. I’m unable to transfer my passion for the Lord and His purpose to the others in my fellowship.”

Often, we are blinded from seeing things we have already been exposed to unless someone points them out to us.

So here’s my message for leaders who make this complaint.

You’ve read all about spiritual gifts in the Bible. You nod along, thinking, “Yeah, yeah, different people, different talents. Got it.” But when the rubber meets the road, you act like you’re Superman.

Newsflash: You’re not.

Remember Philip from the Bible? The dude was a rock star at preaching the gospel. He could turn spiritual zombies into passionate believers faster than you can say “Hallelujah.” But guess what? He still needed Peter and John to come in and level up his work.

Philip was great at turning dead stones into living ones, but he needed the apostolic workers to build those stones into a house.

Here’s the cold, hard truth: Just because you’re on fire for God doesn’t mean you can set others ablaze.

It’s not a transferable skill.

But don’t throw in the towel just yet.

There’s a simple solution staring us all in the face: Invite someone who actually has that gift to speak to your church or group. You know, consider inviting the person who lit your own spiritual fire?

Oh, but wait. There are two main obstacles blocking the way:

1) “But what if they outshine me?” (Spoiler alert: They probably will.)

2) “I’d love to invite them to speak, but I can’t afford them!” (Have you even asked? Or are you just assuming? If you never asked, you’re guessing, and it’s likely a cover for a deeper reason, such as reason #1.)

Look, I get it. The ego of the typical Christian leader is like that clingy ex-girlfriend/boyfriend who just won’t let go.

But here’s a radical idea: How about doing what’s best for the people you serve instead of what’s best for your fragile self-esteem?

(Same advice for politicians. Do what’s best for your country rather than for yourself.)

How about walking your ego to the cross and anticipating the amazing things God can do as a result?

It’s time to face facts: This ego-driven, “I can do it all” mentality among countless pastors and teachers is keeping the body of Christ in diapers. We’re talking spiritual Peter Pan syndrome here, folks.

(Or just as worse, “I’ll only invite those who are part of the good old boys network I’m part of,” something I’ve addressed in the past.)

So what are you going to do about it?

If you’re a leader, it’s time to lace up your boots and:

Invite guest speakers to your own gig (churches/conferences/schools/small groups).

Let your ego take a backseat and watch the magic happen.

If you don’t consider yourself a leader, then:

Suggest speakers you’ve found inspiring to other pastors and event organizers, asking them to invite those individuals to speak. Maybe they’ll invite them. Maybe.

An example: Jimi Hendrix was invited to play at the Monterey Pop Festival because of Paul McCartney. McCartney heard Hendrix play, and he was gob smacked. So he recommended the event coordinators of the Pop festival to invite Hendrix to perform.

They did, and history was made. That festival put Hendrix on the map. And today he’s widely regarded as the greatest guitarist who ever lived. We can thank Paul McCartney for that. I’m sure Jimi did.

(Yeah, I just dropped a rock ‘n’ roll reference in a Christian article. Deal with it.)

The bottom line?

The body of Christ will remain in the crib if Ephesians 4:7-16 continues to be ignored.

So for you leaders reading this, stop nodding along like a dashboard bobblehead and take action. Your spiritual growth – and everyone else’s – depends on it.

No pressure.

For more, check out:

Speaking Invitations * Books * Podcasts * YouTube