I'm Tired of Church

"I'm tired of church."  

This was the bold statement our pastor made to us this morning.  He went on to say he remains passionate for God, and he loves us, the people, even more than ever.  He's not tired of God.  He's not tired of us.  He's tired of "church."

Now, I can't speak for him, and what he means, but for me, that statement was revolutionary.

Gifts and Talents

The XXII Olympic Games are scheduled to begin events tomorrow with some new events promised.  I have always enjoyed the Winter Games over the Summer Games, and my very favorite event is figure skating.  This year, the figure skating competition adds a team competition, in addition to the traditional individual events.  This event will showcase the collective talents of ten countries to compete in each of the four disciplines: men, women, pairs and ice dance.  I am looking forward to seeing how our athletes do.  The picture above is the ice dancing part of the USA team: Charlie White and Meryl Davis.  Their precision in dance is beautiful to watch.

I used to be a figure skater.  I still have my skates, and I would still be able to skate without falling (I think).  In my youth, I fell in love with the skaters on TV, and I thought it must be easy.  Let me just settle the question right here: it is not easy.  I learned how to skate without tripping over the toe pick.  I learned how to make those graceful turns and to do the cross-overs (backwards and forwards).  I learned how to pay attention to my skate edges, lean over and skate on one foot, with the other foot behind me above my hip.  This is called a spiral, in case you were interested.  I learned a few jumps and a few spins.  I thought I was doing well.

I found out I was not talented enough for competition.  I did not have the natural talents that the Olympic skaters have.  I practiced and practiced, but I was never able to do the more precise moves, like double jumps or backward spins.  It just wasn't for me.  I was crushed.  I have not skated in years.

God bestows upon us gifts and talents.  Talents are the natural things we can do as a product of a specific combination of genetics.  Both my parents are clumsy.  It would figure my natural talent is not something that requires balance and precise body movements.  Some people have a natural talent for all things athletic, others have musical talents.  Whatever our natural talent is, God would have us use it for the benefit of others.

Spiritual Gifts are different than talents.  The gifts of the Spirit are outlined specifically in 1Corinthians 12 - 14.  Every believer receives a Gift from the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building up the Church.  What I find interesting in the Church today, is that not everyone seems to be aware of their spiritual gift and/or is not using the gift for the purpose it was given.  How many of our churches have the majority of the work being done by just the leadership team, but not by the average congregational member?  How can we learn each other's gifts to work together for God's purpose?

Let's start with the basic step.  Get to know each other.  Meet each other for coffee before the church service starts.  Find out what every person has been gifted to do.  Wouldn't a local church look very different if every believer had a role to play?

As you turn on the Olympic games, pay attention to the team sports and pairs.  Look at the complete dependence the athletes have for each other, and the complete dedication.  To me, this is an illustration of the early church.

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer.  A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.  And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.  They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.  They worshipped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity - all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.  And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.  (Acts 2:42-47 NLT)

Lessons from Football?

Ok.  The truth is out.  I am a Green Bay Packers fan.  I admit it.  This is not a popular team in my family, so I am the weird one.  They have had enormous fun poking at me since the team hasn't been playing well this season.  Actually, the NFC North isn't doing well this year.  It must be a bad year when the Vikings beat the Bears and tie the Packers, and the Lions are better than the rest of us.

The Packers started doing badly this year when their star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers was pulled out for injury.  Since he was pulled, they have not won a game without him.  This team really depends on the leadership of Rodgers.  Without him, they are lost and seemingly without direction.  Even under the leadership of their coach, they are lost.

This made me think about the churches of today, and how dependent we sometimes get on our leaders and pastors.  This is for a variety of reasons.  Some leaders are so charismatic that they naturally draw the attention of the church body.  When the body of the church forgets to check the words spoken by the leader with the Bible, they often begin to take the words of the leader as absolute truth.  What happens when the leader begins to make bad decisions or speak about things that do not line up with the Bible in this scenario?  This would lead to the destruction of the church.

A healthier church runs like a team that has many reliable players that can carry out the plays, with greater emphasis placed on the team's talent, rather than the talents of a single player.  Paul the Apostle was clear about this when he wrote his letter to the early Corinthian church.

"The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body.  So it is with the body of Christ.  Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free.  But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.  Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.  If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the body.  And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am not an eye," how would you hear?  Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?  But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.  How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes there are many parts, but only one body.  The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you."  In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.  All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it."

1 Corinthians 12:12-22, 27 (NLT)

Paul goes on to describe the different gifts and talents God gives to each of us.  We are meant to share our gifts with each other and unify the body of Christ, while keeping Christ as the head.  Think about your talent and how you can contribute to your church.  

On Monday, the Bears will face the Cowboys.  Who will join me in hoping that Tony Romo is on his game and the Cowboys beat the Bears?