For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. (Romans 12:3-8 NRSV)
Have you ever had to complete a a questionaire before applying for a job or before an annual review? There always seems to be that question: “In an honest evaluation of your skills and abilities- What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?”
Every time I see that question I wonder if they truly want me to be honest. If I highlight my weaknesses, will they then see something that they hadn’t previously? What happens if I highlight strengths counter to their own perceptions? Will I be seen as cocky? Not a team player?
Paul writes to the church in Rome for them to have sober judgment (honest evaluation) about themselves-”Don’t think you are better than you really are.” (NLT)
Paul is clear that being the church is a full body experience, a team enterprise. Each of us has God assigned gifts and skills, and we will not function as a body, or as a team, if each member is not doing what is uniquely theirs to do.
If we have been in the church long, we have certainly heard this passage before. We have heard the common refrain: I need you; you need me; we can’t do it alone or without each other.
I think it is the case in most churches that we have not made the honest evaluation, taken the sober judgment. It was a new concept in most every church I served to consider the spiritual gifts of the members. It was either too scary a subject (let those pentecostals talk about it, not us) or it meant responsibility (if I discover my gifts, i’ll have to use them, right?).
I have seen the case in some churches where there are folks excited about their spiritual gifts, and who want to use them, but they did not make an honest evaluation (ex: the worship leader who could not carry a tune in a bucket, but swore she was gifted to lead the music; the person who felt called to work with youth and children, but every youth and child avoided him like the plague).
Pastors sometimes get the idea that God gifted them to do it all. That they have the ability to do everything from preaching and teaching to keeping the books, to fixing the roof. I have met many a pastor that could do a variety of things, but how many of those things were done well? Good pastors have sober judgment, and are quick to discover the parts of the body and members of the team that can shore up their weaknesses.
What are your God given gifts and graces? How are you putting them to work in the church