Relevance vs. Power (Part 3)

There are five principles that guide my pastoral leadership in the use and application of the 1 Corinthians 12 manifestation gifts.

#1 -DEMONSTRATION - Model the use of the gifts personally. Insist on genuine traceable results. Celebrate miracles publicly.

Since I spent some time on this first principle in the last post, I will let these summary statements speak for themselves.

#2 - INSTRUCTION - Teach the believer what the gifts are, why they are important for daily life and ministry, and how they should be used.

Spiritual Gifts = Divine explosions of Holy Spirit power to meet human need through the life of a yielded believer. These nine manifestations are available to every believer at all times as needs arise. We should live in anticipation of what God will do through us.

Their Use = We should use these gifts very naturally. When in a public worship gathering, we should use them like we would in any other public place. Worship services are practice sessions for real life. So use them like you would use them in the Mall, or the office...with the same tone and approach.

Avoid sounding spooky, speaking in old English, shouting, etc. Offer the gift in humility and in a way that can be best received by others.

#3 - EXPLANATION - I work hard to explain any expressiveness that occurs in our services.

When we raise our hands, I explain why for the benefit of those who are new. I want to act as a cultural interpreter for those who are not familiar with the way we interact with God. Like a language interpreter puts concepts from one language into words of another, so I want to explain what is happening for those who don't understand.

This is especially important in the use of the gifts. I do a little talk before their use and after. I try to make it as safe and normal as possible. I don't apologize for their use. I am passionate about it. I am excited for what God is doing. But I also am aware of how different this entire experience can be for guests. So I try to bring them along slowly in their experience.

Jack Hayford is someone who models this well. He leads people into a full experience and he explains everything along the way.

#4 - INCLUSION - Probably the most radical and yet the most important step that we have taken is a move to an inclusive approach in the use of the gifts. What does that mean?

Classical Pentecostal style is more of an interruptive style. When a person feels prompted to use a gift, they shout it out from their seat and interrupt the moment.

This is probably the most unusual thing for people who are not used to our church-culture. There is no other place in our current Western culture where a person shouts out informally in the middle of a public meeting. There is nothing wrong with this style. In many cases, however, it is culturally foreign to most visitors.

So we use an inclusive style. When a person is prompted to use a gift, they tell one of our pastoral leaders. We then evaluate whether the gift is something to be shared only with the leadership or whether it is to be immediately shared with the church.

When it is shared, I pastor the moment. I tell people what is about to happen. I allow the person to participate in the use of the gift. We bring the person up onto the platform (or I share it on their behalf). We use the microphone. Then I teach people what to do with what they have heard.

This one step has done so much to make people feel safe in bringing their friends to church. It has also opened the doors for the 'shy' in my congregation to feel the courage to be used.

#5 - COMPASSION - the entire purpose of the gifts is to encourage others.

We need the gifts because there are needs present that we cannot meet with Divine explosions of Holy Spirit power. So we eagerly pursue the gifts so the sick people can receive a gift of healing, and discouraged people a gift of faith, and confused people a word of wisdom.

In fact, we try to design prayer moments our services that are focused on individual needs. We tell our people that if they bring a person with a need, we will have the entire church pray for them specifically.

When answers to prayer happen, we celebrate what God is doing in the lives of those from whom we prayed.

These five principles help to guide me in our practice. I hope they are helpful to you.

What practical steps have you taken to create the balance of relevance and power?