The Gift That Awakens

I was attending a pastor’s conference recently when I started getting sleepy. I got up from our round table and poured a cup of coffee. A little later, I went back for a second cup, because I was still tired.

Then another pastor began to speak, and everything changed. I was captivated as he quoted Scripture, and the Spirit lifted me up while he spoke. I was no longer tired but inspired. The man has a gift from God.

I have had this experience before. Years ago, at another conference, I was struggling to stay focused. It was after lunch, and the speaker droned on, draining my energy. Then Bob Mumford got up to speak, and I felt like I had been plugged into an electrical circuit. I was recharged within minutes by his powerful message.

When it comes to sermons and conference speakers, I’m hard to please. I want to hear the Word, but I want it delivered with fire and spice. Jesus emphasized these elements when he said, “I will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matt. 3:11) He said, in Matt. 5:13 “If the salt has lost its savor, it is good for nothing.”

Jesus wasn’t referring to a speaker simply yelling. He was talking about an anointing from the Spirit that enables us to speak truth with power. Every believer receives a gift from the Holy Spirit. Is the dynamic preacher more gifted than the less dynamic speaker? Not necessarily. The quieter speaker may have a great gift of administration. He may be able to make the whole church run smoothly. The dynamic preacher could make a mess if he were in charge of the organization.

On a trip to Italy, when our bus was late, my friend Joe Tosini said, “Hell is where the Italians are responsible for the organization, the French are the engineers, the English prepare the menu, and the Germans are the charge of romance. Heaven is where the Germans are the engineers, the Swiss handle the administration, the French prepare the food and the Italians are in charge of romance.”

In the Church world, heaven is when evangelicals are responsible for the administration, the charismatics lead the worship, the preachers are anointed, liturgical saints lead communion and the offering has been covered anonymously.

In most growing churches today, there is a blend of people using their gifts to complement each other. They use their different spiritual gifts to build the body of Christ together.
My friend Brian Smith leads Hope Church Movement. They are a charismatic church movement that operates with a dedicated staff and administrative excellence. As a result, it is opening new campus locations and reaching thousands of college students each year with the gospel.

I went to Christ’s Church of the Valley (CCV) with my daughter Kathryn and her husband Sam one Saturday night this summer. CCV has more than 50,000 people attending across nineteen locations in the Phoenix metro area. Their services are highly structured with worship, communion and excellent teaching.

At the end of the message, their lead pastor, Ashley Wooldridge, gave three words of knowledge (specific insights for individuals). These words were delivered in a natural way, without any weirdness. One of the words touched my heart. The combination of administrative excellence, relevant teaching and charismatic gifts has given CCV an effectiveness that is bearing a lot of fruit.

Young Life says, “It’s a sin to bore kids with the gospel.” Young Life makes delivering the gospel in a relevant and relatable way their priority. Their disciplined and loving ministry brings thousands of kids to Christ every year.

If we can appreciate the gifts God has given to each of us and put people in positions to use their gifts and strengths, every ministry can experience the fullness and fruitfulness of Christ.
One observer said, “If you laid out all the people who get sleepy in church end to end on a beach…they would be a lot more comfortable.”

My goal is not to make people more comfortable but to wake them up with a glimpse of the glory of God. Ephesians 5:14 puts it this way, “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

The gift that awakens us is the Spirit who reveals that Jesus Christ is alive. If Christ is in you, let your light shine brightly, in every way you can.