God uses weak people.
Brett and Noelle are busy penciling in 200 dots in the spiritual gifts inventory they’ve been given by their local church. Nervously concentrating, Brett and Noelle work their way to question 200, hand in their sheets, and anxiously wait until next Sunday to discover their spiritual gifts. Next Sunday, they reconvene and eagerly open their manila envelopes. It seems that Brett has the gift of administration. Noelle has the gift of service.
Coincidentally, it turns out that Brett is a parts manager at the VW dealership and Noelle is on the cleaning staff at a large assisted living community.
Uninspired and disenchanted, Brett and Noelle trudge somberly toward the parking lot. It looks like ‘spiritual service’ at church is going to look a whole lot like their current jobs. Soon, Brett is counting the offering each week, while Noelle works on a rotation in the nursery. Are spiritual gifts really meant to work like this?
Loss of Market Share
Since the 1970s, much of the Evangelical world was losing market share to a charismatic phenomenon that was sweeping the world. New churches emerged offering worship designed to engage the emotions of a believer. For many, this held great appeal when compared with dueling piano/organ combinations separated by an arm-waving, hymn conductor.
The preaching seemed more free-flowing, more alive. With a constituency that was growing bored with a starched-collared, three points and a poem, semi-robotic approach to preaching, many found these changes refreshing. But the pièce de résistance of the charismatic wave was an emphasis on spiritual gifts. This charismatic trademark offered something that seemed truly spiritual to many—something that transported their dreary ...
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