By Meica Campbell
5 “For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:5-9
Let’s pretend a ministry acquaintance calls to say they are driving through town tomorrow and need a place to stay. You graciously say they can stay with you. But then, what do you do? Depending on how you’re wired, your focus of what happens next will be drastically different. Some would find themselves focusing on the state of their home- is it tidy? Are the counters wiped down? Are there refreshments and a comfortable place to sit? Some might focus on the internal state of their heart- what do they want to talk about, should I be worried, and how shall I respond? Some might not think a thing about it at all, and some might even naturally desire to invite others over to provide the best experience for the guest coming. There are probably a myriad of other ways in which one might respond to this scenario, but suffice to say they all come from a place inside of us that has to do with our giftings, our baggage, our personality, life stage, etc.
Back to real-life: We are living with more habits and behaviors than we realize, but Jesus has said he is coming soon to stay. When we are reminded of this fact through a sermon, Bible verse, or a season like advent however, a great debate often ensues amongst us about what to focus on. Do we focus on the state of our home (i.e. earth care, the Church building and people, etc)? Do we focus on the internal state of our hearts (i.e. our deeper walk, confession, and behavior)? Or do we focus on inviting more people into the experience (i.e. outreach, evangelism, etc.)? Any way you naturally think about it, this passage reminds us of a few things that bring refreshment to the state we find ourselves in as a Church.
“For in him you have been enriched in every way…therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait…”
It is important to remember Jesus is coming again- and soon. This is a season where we celebrate waiting for his coming! However, can we also celebrate that while we wait, some will prepare differently than others- see Ephesians 4:11-12. We see this difference where some think outwardly (evangelist), some focus on the state of our internal heart (shepherd/teacher), and still some on the home we are in (prophet). I wonder what it would look like if we allowed ourselves the creativity and freedom to operate as we were intended to in relation to Jesus’ coming with what he has called us to do? And to take it a step further, to rely on those that will think differently about it than we do! Of course, like the example of the guest in your house, the way in which you respond will be a combination of your gifting, your personality and your baggage, but I sense God will bless that and use it to his advancement if we merely surrender to it.