Variety Pack
May 19, 2024
1 Corinthians 12:4-13
There are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit,
and there are varieties of services but the same Lord,
and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God
who activates all of them in everyone.
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The assembly line is synonymous with Henry Ford and Model T cars. Every car went through the same process, creating an affordable and reliable product.
This influenced and shaped churches. It affected the way we taught and prepared our members. Rather than the labor-intensive handcrafting of Christian growth, maturity, faith, and life, we turned to the efficiency and reliability of standardized prepared curricula, classes, and programs. We lifted up uniformity in Christian practices, proclamation, theology, and ministry. To a certain degree, this contributes to the increasing number of young people finding the Christian faith irrelevant.
Our oneness in Christ is a core element of our faith and salvation. But God's intention is for us to develop and become a unique part of the body of Christ.
Through the Holy Spirit, God brings amazing uniqueness - not uniformity. Being one in Christ brings wonderfully different expressions of call and ability - not based on what we can do, but what God can do. Not upon our limited understanding, but on God’s eternal purposes and calling. Not just for ourselves, but for all of God’s people and the world. Not so we can boast, but for the glory of God and bringing people to him in the grace and love of Jesus.
