Pastor Weekly - 4/22/26
Hello ICC Family!
We started looking at spiritual gifts in our study of Corinthians last Sunday. I didn’t give you a definition last week but let me share one with you now. Wayne Grudem says that a spiritual gift is any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any ministry of the church. I like this definition because it uses the word “any” - there are not a small, set number of gifts. The gift also has to be empowered by the Spirit, meaning it’s both given by the Spirit and charged by the Spirit. It’s not just like a cell phone with a dead battery. Finally, the gift is used in the context of the church. A spiritual gift is not useful at all if the person that receives it is not involved with the church!
We are going to be continuing to talk about spiritual gifts this Sunday, looking specifically at the gifts of prophecy and tongues in chapter 14. I encourage you to read ahead and start thinking about this fascinating passage right now.
And then I’m copying an illustration from Charles Stanley about spiritual gifts below…
In his book, How to Reach Your Full Potential for God, Charles Stanley tells a story about a young woman named Sammi. More than one person who knew Sammi said to her, "Sammi, you have a real heart for God. I believe God is raising you up to lead praise and worship at our church." But there was one problem with this prediction—Sammi wasn't a good singer. If you've watched American Idol, you know how dangerous it is to tell a young person she's a gifted singer when she's not. This was one of those times.
When Sammi auditioned for the worship team, she learned a hard lesson. She was used to singing in the congregation where she could belt out notes with reckless abandon. But singing in front of others was different. She sang horribly off key. The audition was a disaster!
When her audition mercifully came to an end, the worship pastor asked Sammi to stay behind while the rest of the worship team packed up the equipment. He asked her what she liked doing and asked her about her relationship with Christ. As they talked, she joked with him about how, when she was younger, her grandfather taught her to play the accordion. She loved playing it, but it was pretty old-fashioned; there weren't many opportunities to play it anyways. Then, the worship pastor said something unexpected, "Have you ever thought of playing it in praise to God?" he asked.
"No," she said. The thought hadn't really entered her mind.
"Bring your accordion to church next Sunday and, after the service, play me a song."
So she did, and when she did, the worship pastor was blown away. No more stage fright. No more anxiety-induced paralysis. But, freedom and, yes, sweet music played perfectly. She played the accordion better than anyone he'd ever heard.
The next week, the worship team added its first ever accordionist to its praise set. The week after that, Stanley writes, "Sammi brought down the house with her rendition of 'We're Marching to Zion,' a classic gospel hymn" familiar to older church members.
So, it turns out the adults in the church who made prophetic predictions about Sammi were right after all. She may not have been gifted in the ways they thought, but she was gifted. All she needed was to find out how her particular gifts could be used in the right way in the right place at the right time.
Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
We started looking at spiritual gifts in our study of Corinthians last Sunday. I didn’t give you a definition last week but let me share one with you now. Wayne Grudem says that a spiritual gift is any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any ministry of the church. I like this definition because it uses the word “any” - there are not a small, set number of gifts. The gift also has to be empowered by the Spirit, meaning it’s both given by the Spirit and charged by the Spirit. It’s not just like a cell phone with a dead battery. Finally, the gift is used in the context of the church. A spiritual gift is not useful at all if the person that receives it is not involved with the church!
We are going to be continuing to talk about spiritual gifts this Sunday, looking specifically at the gifts of prophecy and tongues in chapter 14. I encourage you to read ahead and start thinking about this fascinating passage right now.
And then I’m copying an illustration from Charles Stanley about spiritual gifts below…
In his book, How to Reach Your Full Potential for God, Charles Stanley tells a story about a young woman named Sammi. More than one person who knew Sammi said to her, "Sammi, you have a real heart for God. I believe God is raising you up to lead praise and worship at our church." But there was one problem with this prediction—Sammi wasn't a good singer. If you've watched American Idol, you know how dangerous it is to tell a young person she's a gifted singer when she's not. This was one of those times.
When Sammi auditioned for the worship team, she learned a hard lesson. She was used to singing in the congregation where she could belt out notes with reckless abandon. But singing in front of others was different. She sang horribly off key. The audition was a disaster!
When her audition mercifully came to an end, the worship pastor asked Sammi to stay behind while the rest of the worship team packed up the equipment. He asked her what she liked doing and asked her about her relationship with Christ. As they talked, she joked with him about how, when she was younger, her grandfather taught her to play the accordion. She loved playing it, but it was pretty old-fashioned; there weren't many opportunities to play it anyways. Then, the worship pastor said something unexpected, "Have you ever thought of playing it in praise to God?" he asked.
"No," she said. The thought hadn't really entered her mind.
"Bring your accordion to church next Sunday and, after the service, play me a song."
So she did, and when she did, the worship pastor was blown away. No more stage fright. No more anxiety-induced paralysis. But, freedom and, yes, sweet music played perfectly. She played the accordion better than anyone he'd ever heard.
The next week, the worship team added its first ever accordionist to its praise set. The week after that, Stanley writes, "Sammi brought down the house with her rendition of 'We're Marching to Zion,' a classic gospel hymn" familiar to older church members.
So, it turns out the adults in the church who made prophetic predictions about Sammi were right after all. She may not have been gifted in the ways they thought, but she was gifted. All she needed was to find out how her particular gifts could be used in the right way in the right place at the right time.
Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
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