Author: Jim McMahon

You Are Gifted

Most school districts have some version of a “gifted and talented” program. Children who exhibit intellectual abilities beyond those of the average student in their grade are labeled “gifted” and placed in more academically rigorous courses. The rest of the kids are given fun labels like “normal” or “not special” and placed in classes taught by coaches. Some of you were placed in advanced courses as a child, and you have lived your entire life with the label “gifted” proudly hanging over your head. Others of you were not placed in that program, and maybe you have lived your entire life believing you aren’t that special—that you aren’t gifted.

Regardless of the labels our educational system has given you, I want to share a word from Scripture with you: If you are in Christ, you are gifted.

1 Corinthians 12:7 teaches that every Christian has received a manifestation of the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the body of believers. In other words, each of you has a spiritual gift—a God-given talent and ability to advance the cause of Christ. You have the ability to grow us in our devotion to Christ, our organization in service to him, our understanding of God’s will for us, our service to each other and to the world, and/or our ability to reach the lost with the gospel. You’re gifted—and our church needs your gift.

For some of you, your gifts fit neatly into an established ministry of our church. You can teach children or youth. You can be a warm and welcoming presence for guests on a Sunday morning. You can cook meals for funerals, homebound church members, or special occasions. You can sing, play an instrument, or run a sound board on Sunday mornings. You can teach English to community members who want to learn the language. I would highly encourage each of you to look at the opportunities for service that our church provides and see if your gifts align with any of those ministries.

For others of you, your gifts do not neatly align with any established ministry. God has given you a talent and a passion for something else entirely. In your case, I would encourage you to pursue that ministry to the best of your ability. Don’t wait for the church to set it up; take the ministry and run with it.

In either case, know that you are gifted. We need you. Let’s see what the Holy Spirit can do in our church through you.

In Christ,

Britton

Overcomplicating Evangelism

“I want to share with you the story that changed my life.” A teenager from the Maasai tribe in Kenya stared intently at his friend, hoping his friend would accept the invitation. He repeated, “I have a story I want to share with you.”

For the next ten minutes, this Maasai teenager shared the gospel with his friend, after which his friend also proclaimed faith in Jesus. I stood next to the two, celebrating the moment with them. I went to Kenya to share the gospel, but in that moment, I found myself watching life transformation take place in a language I do not speak among people I’d never met—and I just stood back and praised God for the encounter.

One of the most incredible parts of that story is what took place twenty minutes before it. I was walking on a trail with my translator, when I ran into a Maasai teenager. He was sitting on a boulder, eating fruit, his schedule apparently open for the afternoon, so I stopped to share the gospel with him. He placed his faith in Jesus and became so excited that he asked us to follow him to his friend’s house. Twenty minutes later, I was standing by a mud hut, watching this new believer lead his friend to Christ.

The kid had no seminary training. He had never done Evangelism Explosion. If you would’ve asked him to weigh in on the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism, he would’ve provided no meaningful insights. By all accounts, he was hopelessly ill-equipped for evangelism. Yet there we stood, celebrating with the angels in heaven as a new believer led his friend to the Lord.

Here’s the moral of the story: God can use you to lead people to Christ. If you’ve been saved by the gospel, then you can share the gospel. We should all grow in our understanding of the faith and in our ability to share it, but if you know enough of the gospel to believe it, then you know enough of the gospel to share it.

What would our community look like if we all decided to follow the lead of my teenage Maasai friend? How different would our neighborhoods look if we stepped out in boldness and shared the story that changed our lives? How would our schools and jobs be affected if we spread the hope of the gospel with the people around us? I hope we find out.

In Christ,

Britton