Harmony

This transcript was generated automatically. Its accuracy may vary

Short Summary
The discourse explores two definitions of harmony, emphasizing the primary one as a diverse yet unified beauty working together, illustrated through hymns and scriptural references about the body of Christ. It highlights the importance of recognizing and valuing individual spiritual gifts and personalities within a community to build unity and effectiveness, cautioning against fear of difference, conformity pressures, and misguided judgments. Practical tools like the “six types of working genius” are introduced to help individuals identify their strengths and collaborate better, fostering a harmonious and supportive ecclesia.

Long Summary
Detailed Summary of the Discourse on Harmony and Spiritual Gifts

Introduction and Definitions of Harmony:
– The speaker begins by engaging the audience with a question: “How would you define harmony?”
– Audience responses included ideas like “peaceful coexistence,” “two voices,” “proper balance,” “the sound of many waters,” and “love.”
– The speaker distinguishes two types of harmony:
Type One Harmony: A structure or beauty found in a variety that works as a whole in a consistent direction (emphasizing diversity unified in purpose).
Type Two Harmony: Agreement or consistency, a common direction or accord.
– The speaker prefers the first definition, highlighting variety and complementary differences working together harmoniously.

Hymns as Examples of Harmony:
– The speaker shares a hymn, “A Little Talk with Jesus,” to illustrate type one harmony—diverse elements coming together beautifully.
– Another hymn, “How Great Thou Art,” is shared at the end to reinforce the theme of harmony.

Harmony Beyond Music:
– The concept of harmony is extended beyond music to ideas, business, sports teams, and importantly, the Lord’s people.
– Harmony is seen as diversity complementing and amplifying each other to bring value.

Threats to Harmony:
– The speaker lists common threats that undermine harmony in groups:
1. Fear of difference or variety: Change and diversity can cause discomfort.
2. Lack of trust: Trusting familiar methods but being suspicious of unfamiliar approaches.
3. Pressure to conform: Tunnel vision focusing on what is important to oneself, leading to a lack of empathy and pressuring others to conform.
– These threats can cause groups to focus on the wrong details and lose sight of the bigger picture.

Illustrative Examples from History and Business:
WWII Bomber Plane Example: Damage surveys focused on bullet holes on returning planes initially suggested reinforcing heavily damaged areas. A statistician pointed out that the undamaged areas on surviving planes were actually the critical spots to reinforce, illustrating hidden perspectives and the danger of surface assumptions.
Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Example: Data on engine failures at different temperatures initially suggested no problem racing at 40°F. However, success data showed no races at under 65°F had succeeded, pointing to a hidden risk — paralleling the actual cause of the Challenger disaster. This illustrates the importance of seeking complete information and being open to new perspectives.

Spiritual Application – Harmony in the Ecclesia (Church):
– Scriptural references emphasize unity amid diversity:
Acts 2:1 – “They were all with one accord in one place.” (Type Two Harmony)
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 – The body of Christ has many members with different functions; all are indispensable.
Romans 12:4-8 – Different spiritual gifts (prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, generosity, leadership, mercy) are given to different members, each contributing uniquely.
Ephesians 4:11-13 – God gave different roles (apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, teachers) to build up the body toward unity.
Ephesians 4:16 – The body is joined and held together by every joint, growing in love.
Galatians 6:4-5 – Each should test his own work and not compare with others; each bears his own load.
John 21:21-22 – Jesus tells Peter to mind his own work and not worry about others’ roles.
Matthew 7:3-5 – Warning against judging others while ignoring one’s own faults.
1 Peter 4:10 – Use gifts in serving one another as good stewards of God’s grace.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.
Hebrews 12:1 – Encouragement to run the race with endurance, laying aside sin.

Personal Reflections on Gifts and Roles:
– The speaker shares personal experiences with spiritual gifts and areas of strength and weakness.
– Emphasizes that no one is gifted in all areas; collaboration and mutual appreciation of differences are essential.
– Encourages recognizing and valuing diverse gifts in the ecclesia rather than comparing or competing.

Introduction of “Six Types of Working Genius”:
– A modern framework created by a Christian pastor to help understand productivity and teamwork.
– Six categories of “genius” or working strengths:
1. Wonder: Identifying potential, questioning, curiosity, reflection.
2. Invention: Creating new ideas and solutions.
3. Discernment: Intuition and good judgment in assessing ideas.
4. Galvanizing: Motivating and rallying others to action.
5. Enablement: Supporting and assisting others effectively.
6. Tenacity: Completing tasks and pushing projects to completion.
– People usually have two “geniuses” that energize them, two neutral areas, and two that drain them.
– Recognizing these helps individuals serve in ways that match their strengths and collaborate effectively.

Practical Applications for the Ecclesia:
– Encourages individuals to identify their own gifts and those of others.
– Suggests handing off tasks to those better suited to them to avoid frustration and maximize effectiveness.
– Promotes collaboration over competition or coercion.
– Recognizes that every member’s contribution is vital to the health and growth of the body.
– Advises fighting the temptation to compare oneself with others and instead focusing on one’s own gifts and service.

Final Action Plan:
1. Reflect on your unique gifts and roles in the body.
2. Identify weaknesses, especially tendencies to compare or be distracted by others’ gifts.
3. Seek opportunities to use your gifts to build up others and strengthen the ecclesia.
4. Collaborate with others who have complementary gifts for mutual benefit.
5. Encourage and recognize others for their unique contributions to foster value and belonging.

Closing Thoughts:
– Harmony, like a choir, is richer and more fulfilling when diverse voices and gifts work together.
– The body of Christ thrives when each member serves as God intended.
– The discourse concludes with the hymn “How Great Thou Art,” reinforcing the theme of harmony in worship.

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Key Bible Verses Mentioned:

– Acts 2:1
– 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
– Romans 12:4-8
– Ephesians 4:11-13, 16
– Galatians 6:4-5
– John 21:21-22
– Matthew 7:3-5
– 1 Peter 4:10
– Ecclesiastes 9:10
– Hebrews 12:1
– Matthew 25:14-30 (Parable of the Talents referenced)

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Summary:

This discourse explores the rich and nuanced concept of harmony, distinguishing between simple agreement and a more profound unity that celebrates diversity. Through hymns, historical and business examples, and scriptural insights, it illustrates how different gifts and roles in the body of Christ complement one another to build a stronger ecclesia. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing and valuing diverse spiritual gifts, avoiding comparison, and cooperating for mutual edification. The introduction of the “Six Types of Working Genius” provides a practical framework to understand and apply this harmony in service. The message encourages each believer to find their place, serve with joy, and foster a harmonious, loving community that glorifies God.

Transcript

That was sort of a secret hymn that we started or it was non standard. I’m going to. I’m going to have a secondary hymn I’m going to play for you in a minute. But before we do, I want to ask you a question. What is if you were asked to define harmony, how would you describe it?

And this is interactive. We shout it out or raise your hand or how would someone out there define harmony for us?

Peaceful. Okay, I heard peacefully coexisting. Okay, that’s a good one.

Brother Paul said two voices. Did I hear another proper balance? Okay.

The sound of many waters. I like that. That’s going in a direction. I want to pursue love. Okay.

Love is a synonym. All right, thank you. That’s a good start. So I’m going to describe this as what I would call. Thank you.

I’m going to separate into two definitions. One I’m going to call type one harmony, which is a structure or a beauty found in a variety that works as a whole in a consistent direction. So this is why I like that Mini Waters definition, right? Because it’s a little different than the other definition which I really was expecting, which is agreement or consistency or a lot of these other suggestions that were this common direction, and I’m calling that latter definition the common direction, the secondary one.

Even though I think it’s more often the first definition, the comes to mind for many of us. But I want to give you a another little song here. I’m going to add to highlight for you the definition that I like of harmony.

And let’s see, Here we go.

I’m going to do my best. I’m going to have to mic this creatively like I said.

Okay, here we go.

Oh, I got them backwards. This is not good.

Got to play the correct one. There we go.

I once was lost in sin but Jesus took me in, and little L from heaven filled my soul.

He bathed my heart in love and wrote my name above, and just a little talk with Jesus made me whole.

Little have a little talk with Jesus Little tell him all about our troubles. He will hear our faint description. He will answer by and by knowing you feel Little prayer will turn into gold. No little fire is burning. You will find the little talk with Jesus makes it right.

I may have doubts and fears My eyes be filled with fear. Mother, Jesus is a friend who watches day and night.

I go to him in prayer. He knows my every care, and just a little talk with Jesus makes him.

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus Tell about our troubles. Hear, hear. Our finest crying who will answer by and by the wind who feel it Prayer will turn into gold no little fire is bur you will find A little talk with Jesus makes it right and you will find a little talk with Jesus makes it go so that was the definition I had in mind when I decided to put these thoughts together.

So I mixed it up a little bit specifically because I didn’t want to bias your answers to that first question. Originally I intended to open with that, but then everyone would have known where I was going and I didn’t want to do it that so again, I want to call that example of harmony our primary definition that we want to talk about today.

For example, if I were to say that I imagined a day when people of this world live together in harmony, I would be surprised if the majority of you conjured up images that emphasize the diversity of the world. I’m thinking that’s not the first thing we think of when we think of we’re going to eventually live in harmony as opposed to simply living together in agreement or common direction, which is where we often default. But it’s that first definition, that one highlighted by that hymn. For our Western ears, we’re most familiar with the concept of four part harmony with two levels of female voices, two levels of male voices, and when done correctly and done well, it is a treat for our ears. But are there applications for this concept of harmony outside the realm of music?

Can you imagine a harmony of ideas in the business world? Or maybe with a bit of a stretch, imagine a basketball team that plays together in harmony, not just in one direction, but with this diversity that raises the level.

And could you further imagine how such a harmony, complementing and amplifying each other, could bring value to the Lord’s people? Before we explore that thought in greater depth, first let’s discuss the kinds of things that often threaten harmony.

Can you think of any threats to this idea of a varied group that is more than the sum of its parts? Some of the examples that came to my mind are a fear of difference or variety. Difference in change can be uncomfortable for many of us.

It’s tricky because what can be valuable for one sister might be off putting for another or a lack of trust. We trust what we know and we can be suspicious of that which is unfamiliar. Closely related to that is a fear of difference in or to a fear of difference is a discomfort and lack of trust in the way you perhaps approach something or the conclusions you draw. Something that vary widely from what our own instincts say. Even if these Things come from our brethren, we can become fearful.

Or three, a pressure to conform. Somewhat parallel to that first example. It’s part of human nature to be focused on what is important to us, and this can in turn lead us to tunnel vision and a lack of empathy for anybody who isn’t in that view that we have, and we can therefore pressure those around us to be and to do the things that we find important and valuable.

Missing the fact that they aren’t as valuable to everyone in the same way they may be valuable to us. I’ll summarize that third point by saying we can sometimes focus on the wrong details. The details themselves aren’t wrong, they’re just perhaps facts. But they can distract us from a bigger picture, a deeper truth, another perspective. So let me demonstrate our first example to do with bomber planes.

In World War II, a research group was assembled and tasked with examining the damage done to aircraft that had returned from missions. Here’s a hypothetical image of all the holes in a sampling of several aircraft that returned. So they got several of these bombers and this is where all the bullet holes across, across all those bombers were where they were hit. So based on this information, what areas do we need to reinforce and add extra armor to the planes? Now the real life, there’s a real life committee tasked with this and they were initially leaning towards putting extra armor on all those places where there’s the greatest concentration of holes.

Fortunately, they had a statistician on the team who had a very good counter argument. Those holes are present on all the aircraft that survived to return. So apparently those holes don’t really impact the chances that aircraft is coming back. He further suggested that bombers with holes in the other areas never made it back. That’s why we don’t see holes in those areas at all.

So his recommendation was put armor on all those untouched areas. You want to keep those untouched. Now, after I explain this one time, I think it makes a lot of sense and many of you will say, sure, yeah, we should do that. But can you see this human failing of thinking we have the right answer simply because a different perspective has not yet been presented to us and our gut is perhaps misleading us. Allow me to show one more example in this case.

Let’s imagine that the data you’re looking at is of engine failure in a car running at different outdoor temperatures. Now, there’s a big race coming up that’s of great importance to your racing team, and it’s expected to be pretty cold, about 40 degrees Fahrenheit on this day. That the race is going to occur based on this evidence of this is incidence of damage, by the way, if you can’t read it all the way in the back. So we have incidents of damage ranging from I’m guessing around 54 degrees up to 75 degrees, but very, very few incidents of damage.

Some one incident, some two, some three.

So based on this evidence, we need as a business team to determine is it safe to race at 40 degrees? And there’s pressure. It’s a big race. It’s important. We’ve invested a lot of money.

It could be worth a lot of money to us. Meanwhile, if we blow an engine, that could be embarrassing or maybe dangerous to the driver. So how do we decide? Now, this is a real challenge. Based on real world data that is actually presented to business students, how do you, as business students decide is it safe to race or not at 40 degrees?

Many of these teams decide there’s not enough obvious evidence to prevent the driver from racing. There’s just not enough proof. There’s not enough incidence of damages. After all, is there really a clear link between temperature and damage? It seems like it’s pretty kind of horizontal.

Accidents happen. But is it a huge spike? Not necessarily.

However, based on our previous example and the fact that I’m even asking this question in the first place, maybe there’s another question we should be asking. Is there additional information that would help us make a better decision? Is there anything else we should know? Anyone have ideas on what other information would be helpful?

Wind. That’s a good idea. In this case, we have, we have something slightly different. We are going to show you the other races in temperatures where there were no failures. You know, how often was it successful?

So those are the successful races compared to the unsuccess, the races where there was damage. Now, hopefully one thing you notice right away is that every single race that did not have engine damage was 65 degrees or more. That’s kind of important to know. Before, we didn’t know that it could have been anything. But now we’re like, oh, look, it’s really a bad idea to race below 65.

So sometimes seeing the big picture, seeing this extra information can shift our perspective. Now, that hypothetical that is taught to actual business school students is real data, but it’s not from racing. It has to do with failure of the O rings in the space shuttle program.

So back in 1986, the Challenger disaster was this circumstance. It was 40 degrees and it had never been successful below 65.

Now it may seem we’ve drifted away from spiritual topics. But I promise I do have a point, and it’s this simple. I want to highlight that we can have strong feelings and be very confident in our intuition and in our decisions based on the information we have, and yet we can find ourselves falling victim to assumptions and errors in judgment, and today we’re exploring how those errors in judgment can affect the harmony of the group.

Let’s take a look at some scriptures that relate to harmony, some that come quickly to mind. Acts 2:1 and when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. I call that Type two harmony. Right? That’s we’re all in the same direction.

We have numerous scriptures about gifts and talents. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one we were all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or freedom, and all were made to drink of one spirit. For the body does not consist of one member, but of many. If the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body.

And if the ear should say, because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?

As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. Nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.

Now you are the body of Christ, and individually members of it, and God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?

Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? Do all?

There is so much to dig into. This passage alone we are baptized into one body, and we are of one spirit, and the foot, the hand, the eye, they’re all incredibly different. They are not in any less sense a part of the body. Just so we’re different and yet we bring indispensable contributions to the body.

I want to repeat that in order to emphasize it. I think we all know that this is true. We all know these verses, and yet I’m positive it’s not always something we’re thinking about. There are those moments where we are in a state of reaction, and we are certain that what would be better for our brother or sister is to be more like a hand, like us, and less like that foot.

The mind is a wonderful tool of rationalization. Unless we’re very diligent, it will find a way to lead us into fleshly error. Some are skilled at carrying the message. I think of our many brethren who thrive on serving brethren in Africa or India. Others are great at witnessing outside our fellowship.

And still others are gifted at ministering.

Excuse me, under each class and within that group, we can distinguish between those who are skilled and comfortable providing discourses for those who are maybe much more at home leading a testimony meeting or a study. I can promise you that while I am quite comfortable being here presenting this discourse, it is psychologically painful for me to sit still long enough to write out my thoughts. I enjoy the creative process immensely. I enjoy fitting together these thoughts into a single message. I enjoy thinking about that message.

But the part where you sit down and you actually have to write it all out, suddenly I really need to empty the garbage, organize my desk, reply to those emails, maybe clean out my inbox, and it’s not to say I don’t do what I need to do. There are always times we must do things outside our primary skill set. But it requires great effort for me, because that portion, the actual grind of writing, is not my skill.

Romans 12, verses 4 through 8 for as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function. So we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. If prophecy in proportion to our faith, if service in our serving the one who teaches in his teaching, the one who exhorts in his exhortation, the one who contributes in generosity, the one who leads with zeal, the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness. While this overlaps with the Corinthians verses nicely, there are some nice additional points to consider.

We see gifts of prophecy, teaching of God’s word and his will. We see gifts of service. Are there those among us who thrive at serving the brethren? I can think of several who labor to organize the meeting hall, to provide for food, to run the audio technology to provide translation that send cards to the ill, that house visiting speakers, and that list goes on.

Beyond my ability to consider all the facets, we have those who contribute generously. We have those who agree to lead and direct the meetings, to make the schedule to perform class business, and not least, those whose cheerful kindness and mercy light up the room for everyone around them. Perhaps you’re not sure what your spiritual gifts are. You can begin by finding the ways in which you love to serve. But importantly, your service is your own and should not be compared to another.

Some I know will struggle with this. It can be your personality to judge yourself harshly. I’m not serving like that, brother. Therefore, I’m not serving. I remind you that just as a chorus sings in harmony, some sing louder and some sing softer.

Some sing higher and some sing lower. It’s that combination of all serving in our own way that pleases the Lord.

Ephesians 4, verses 11 through 13, and he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Now, our Wednesday study not long ago was going through these exact verses and we were talking about them, and the additional point that they make is that these varying gifts are for the building up of the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith. These gifts, this harmony of various interwoven and complementary abilities, is what brings us together and helps to increase our unity.

Think on that. Our diversity is what leads us to stronger unity. That’s a powerful picture.

Next, let’s consider the apostles. What do we know about the various abilities of the apostles? While certain gifts were given to all, do you think they all had the same gifts or complementary gifts?

Who would you say were the boldest of the apostles?

Peter is a good one that comes to mind.

James, John, maybe Simon. Who are the most evangelistic? Oops, I went ahead of myself.

Who are the most evangelistic? Maybe Andrew, maybe Philip, maybe Matthew, and then what did Bartholomew, Thomas, James, Alphaeus have in common? We have to kind of guess. These are ones we don’t talk about so often.

There’s not as much information. Maybe they were loyal. What was that prayer we don’t have? You know, I think we can guess. They’re probably not the bold list, because the bold list is what gets the attention right Sister Jamie and I have always been fascinated with interpersonal relationships, personal gifts and personal growth.

And so when we recently came across a new type of personality assessment, we looked a little bit closer. It was really eye opening above and beyond the types that we have previously seen discussed, and I thought this might be an appropriate time to share this general concept because it has multiple applications from how you interact with your family to how you may interact with your ecclesia. I will try to keep it brief and high level so as not to turn this into an advertisement, but I hope you might find a something in here that resonates with you as one of your strengths or B something that permits you to be patient with yourself, where you recognize the types of things that don’t necessarily give you strength and energy.

This concept is described as the six types of working genius. It was created by a Christian pastor, an author and team builder whose main purpose is to help teams function more efficiently in practice productively. He suggests there are six categories essential to productivity and furthermore that we can each identify two that feed us and give us energy, two that are more neutral and two that just drain us. This is not to say we can’t or don’t need to do all of them, but once identified, it’s possible we can use our God given gifts in a way that takes the burden off of our family members or our brethren and in a way that helps everybody have more energy to do things and accomplish things. So we’ll take a brief look at these six categories.

As they were giving them names, they realized they were getting very close to spelling out a word and so they worked really hard to make these actually spell a word. But that was not their original intent. So the categories are wonder, thinking about things, invention, solving problems, discernment, galvanizing, enablement, and tenacity. I’ll dig into each of them a little more here in a moment. I could work hard to paraphrase them, but I thought they do such a good job of doing of explaining them already.

I’m really just going to quote from the author to start with. So Wonder, the genius of wonder involves identifying potential, asking questions, pondering issues, and observing the world around us, all in the name of curiosity and reflection. Do you think we could do that better? Do you think that we can do that more cost effective? Every company, every project, every endeavor begins because someone says maybe there’s a better way.

Or is this the best we can do? Or does anyone else feel like something’s not quite right? Some people do this very naturally and they do it well, even if the people around them don’t realize that that’s a real talent.

Then there’s the genius of invention, which is about coming up with new ideas and solutions. To those, people with this genius are drawn toward origination, creativity, and ingenuity in the truest sense of those words. Even with little direction and context. Though every type we would say that we’re describing here is a genius. These are the people who people most often think of as a genius because they have these inventions.

Then there’s discernment. This is related to instinct, intuition, and almost an uncanny judgment. People with this ability have a natural ability to assess an idea or a situation even without a lot of data or expertise, using some kind of pattern recognition and gut feel. They have a skill to provide advice and feedback to around many subjects, even when maybe it’s beyond their normal skill set. They just have a sense.

These are the people you go to when you need advice, Is this a good idea? And they can somehow they can help you. The genius of galvanizing is about rallying and motivating and provoking people to take action on an idea or an initiative. People with this genius are naturally inclined to inspire and enlist others to get involved in an endeavor.

You know, there are brethren who do this. Hey, we should do this, and they get everyone going. That’s this. They don’t mind persuading people to rethink or change their plans in order to embark on something worthwhile.

Then there’s the genius of enablement. This involves providing people with support and assistance in the way that the support is actually needed. People with this genius are adept at responding to the needs of others without conditions or restrictions. They’re naturally inclined to help others accomplish their goals and even anticipate what that person might need before they even think to ask. People with this genius are often unaware that it’s even a genius.

They just like to help people. But it’s a skill, and some people are really gifted at it, and lastly, there’s the genius of tenacity. This is the satisfaction of pushing things across that finish line and getting them done. People with this genius are not only capable of, but they are naturally inclined to finishing projects, ensuring they’re completed according to specification.

They get energy from pushing through obstacles and seeing their work come to fruition, and they find joy in crossing those tasks off their list and getting closure. Now they offer a quiz you can take to help determine where your geniuses lie. But I think many of you can generally take a good guess right from the start. There’s a couple here that maybe you’re like, yeah, that’s something I really enjoy doing.

Think of the things you love to do, the things you excel at, the things you, if you, if someone would hire you to do it, you could do it for eight hours and come home feeling better than when you first went to work.

Those are your geniuses, and in turn, think of the things that you just dread. For example, I’ll share mine. I’m wi all the way. I love thinking about things.

I love trying to solve problems. I, I get caught on a problem and I will like not want to stop solving that problem for dinner because I’m, I really got to work on this problem, and I bet you can guess. You, some of you probably could have guessed that about me. Now my two worst are galvanizing and tenacity.

I am useless at trying to rally the group and get them moving. I mean, I can attempt to do it if I have to, but I would really rather not, and I’ve already shared the tenacity part. That’s like writing a discourse. That’s the sitting down and getting it done part.

I have to write in these little 20 minute intervals spaced out over many days because I just can’t stay engaged if I’m not problem solving. It’s just the, it’s the final work, it’s the finishing work. But I’ve already figured out the idea and I want to move on now. Lest I forget the other two, discernment and enablement. I’m okay with them.

I’m comfortable. I can do those things. At times they’re neither great nor painful. They’re just there. Now, what does this have to do with us?

I’ll start by sharing some minor insights. Sister Jamie and I discovered I was cleaning the garage one day, despite the fact that that is boring tenacity work, and Jamie said, can I help? And I felt, you know, you do all these other things. I really need to do my, I need to do my part.

No, it’s painful, but I’m gonna sacrifice. I’m gonna get it done, and in the end, I was bored and I was stressed out and I was annoyed. It was only afterwards when we were talking that it became clear that the tenacity work is something she loves and she’s really good at it, and so had I recognized that fact, I could have handed this over to her.

She would have preferred it for two important reasons. One, it would have been done right, done well, and she would have loved the process, and two, because she then wouldn’t have to deal with my grumpy self afterwards because we know that I wasn’t going to do as good a job as she was. Now let’s bring this back to the idea of the Ecclesia. Now, I’m not saying you all should take this assessment, but maybe keep it in mind and permit the voices and various strengths of the Ecclesia to do their thing when things need getting done.

Let’s find those brethren that enjoy getting things done, and if you don’t, then maybe there’s a different thing you could do instead of sacrificing and feeling grumpy about it. Don’t make yourself grumpy. Find something that is also a need when a decision needs to be made. Can we find those brethren that we learn to recognize, have really good discernment?

Or do we get frustrated because we’ve already made up our mind? Don’t distract me with this discernment. I really want to do this. There may be a reason they’re asking that question. The entire point of this is to recognize we each have these gifts.

Pay attention not only to your gifts, but other gifts so that we can find when it’s valuable to hand off to someone who’s going to do a better job in our class. Brother Russ Wojcick recognized that his gifts are not really discourse. He’s just not a discourse giver. He doesn’t feel that is something he is good at, and rather than declining eldership, he spoke up.

We discussed it and we recognized that we can still make use of him as a study leader. You don’t have to do everything. I recall other brethren in the past who struggled to lead studies, but they were more than happy to lead a testimony meeting, and by the way, that’s not something that I’m good at. I can do it, but you will love it much more if someone else does it.

Each of our elders brings a different approach and style to their service, and we benefit by embracing those styles. I’m going to repeat Ephesians 4. He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of faith. You notice what it doesn’t say. He gave everybody the ability of prophets, apostles, evangelists.

He didn’t do that. These are different people. Not one person with all these abilities, and a little further down in Ephesians 4, verse 16, from whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. I love this picture because I feel it really highlights how the whole is made stronger and held together precisely because of the variety of its members.

And it is not only a variety of our gifts that gives us strength, but a variety of our experiences, our exposure to those outside our little comfort zone. If you stay confined to the same small group of people with whom you always agree, you will not learn new things. You don’t have to exercise your judgment or apply your intellectual you aren’t forced to confront difficult questions or perhaps weaknesses in your view of things. It’s not unlike the Parable of the talents, Matthew 25, verses 14 through 30, where the one servant buries his talent and therefore wastes his opportunity. While it can apply to actual resources or abilities, I think it similarly can apply to our opportunities for growth.

And burying our heads in the sand and walling ourselves off from the world is very much like burying that talent.

Another danger is the danger of focusing too much on the gifts of others. We need to use the gifts we have and not those we wish we had. It is the flesh that always makes us want what we don’t or can’t have, and we can fixate on this thing that we want above all else. But that is not what God wants of us. Galatians 6:4 5 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor, for each will have to bear his own load.

We ought not to compare ourselves to others because we know we’re all different and beautifully so, and because that comparison will likely lead to either discouragement or deprive. Do the work of identifying your gifts and using them in the Lord’s service, but do not make that extra step of comparing your gifts to the gifts of others. Don’t do that.

John 21, verses 21 and 22 Peter therefore seeing him, saith to Jesus, lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, if I will, that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. In other words, are you focused on him? Worry about yourself.

I believe we could all benefit from more worry about ourselves and less worry about others. Which calls to mind Matthew 7, verses 3 and 5, and you know this one well about criticizing others while ignoring your own faults. Instead, let us apply ourselves to improving this type 1 harmony rather than seeking to compare and to compete.

Let us consider therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there’s any consolation of love, if there’s any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in Spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind. Regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.

We can do these things and still strive in the same general direction, with each continuing to do their part in their own way. Collaboration is the key, as opposed to competition or coercion. Psalm chapter 133, verse 1 behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. As we start to bring our thoughts to a close, let’s think on a few important questions.

What are my unique gifts or roles in the body? Revisiting those six working geniuses Consider that they provide both insight into your own process, but also to those around you.

Do we have wonder or do those around us have wonder? These people remember they crave consideration to hear their questions. They have interesting thoughts that should be considered invention. They want to be able to solve problems and not be shut down. Maybe we can’t do everything, but we can.

Listen to these people, those with discernment. They have good judgment and instincts. Listen to them Galvanizing. They want people to react to their communications. They want you to get excited with them.

Enablement. Let’s appreciate those who bring this value of helping the group. They find the problems and help resolve them, and lastly, the tenacity. Those people that crave a clarity about deadlines and parameters, and they’re that one you depend on to get the stuff done.

Now this helps you again to understand yourself better. But if you recognize these gifts in others. For example, I know Sister Jamie’s tenacity, then I know I can count on her to do that grinding work that is going to make me lose my mind, and she will very much appreciate. If I’m clear about the requirements and timelines of a project.

And there are ways in which I have been tempted to copy or compete with others. Rather, are there ways that you or I have been tempted to copy or compete with others instead of focusing on my own area of skills? Have I considered and will I continue to consider that my differences are crucial and may be beneficial to the community? In this particular case, that means the ecclesia or our brethren. So I’m going to give you an action plan.

Number one Take some time to consider what your gifts are and the types of roles you thrive on that contribute to the body. Number two Find out those weaknesses. Take some time to consider the places where you’re more distracted with the worth of others than your own work and fight that feeling. Once you’ve identified the ways in which you would ideally serve, be on the lookout for opportunities to use those to strengthen the body to build up your brethren, and when you see someone with a gift different than your own, find ways to collaborate, bringing out more value than either of you could on your own.

I’ll do this, you do that, and it’s a win.

As you become aware of the gifts around you, make an effort to recognize each for their own particular gifts so you can encourage them to take notice so that they feel valued for their contributions instead of compared somehow to you who have different contributions. So there’s a few key thoughts we’ll end with. Be aware of that human tendency to focus on the wrong things. We often focus on those things we think are important and we may be wrong. Put special effort into noticing the things that are really important first Peter 4:10 as each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of of God.

Be active in the Lord’s service in the ways you are uniquely inclined. Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might, for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. Remember the example of the choir. Unison can be beautiful, but harmony can be more challenging and more fulfilling. The body of Christ will be its healthiest, loving and supportive self when we each play our part as God intended.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin of which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

So since our thoughts were around harmony, I wanted to leave you with another hymn that relates to harmony that I will now try to arrange.

And let me get the our very fancy microphone set up.

Very quiet I’m they start off awfully quiet. There we go. I see the problem.

It’ll get louder.

I see the star.

Holy thunder Life out to all the universe is plain Then sings my soul, My saviour God to be how great thou art, how great thou art, how great Thou art, great Thou art Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee how great the world, how great the world how great the woods and wood, forest place I wonder and hear the mercy sweetly in the spirit in the valley When Christ shall come with shout of angle and take me home My joy shall fill my heart Then I shall fall with my God of praise the glory lo Then sings my soul My savior God to thee how great thou art Great thou art, how great thou art My Saviour God to me how great thou art, how great thou art, Great thou art, how great thou art, how great thou art My soul and sing my soul how great thou greatest. Sam.

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