“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 NLT
http://bible.com/116/1co.12.4-7.nlt
In my last blog I talked about advancing the kingdom. About aggressively taking hold of and advancing the kingdom of God. This was referenced by a story involving John The Baptist and Jesus in Matthew 11. Jesus makes the statement, “…the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” After researching I found that it’s a verse that has been debated over about its meaning. Two meanings that make sense, but hard to pinpoint exactly which one Jesus actually meant.
Further reading sequence of events I think both apply, but one more than the other. The 2 meanings are first people aggressively seeking after the kingdom, getting a hold of it and just aggressively advancing it forward. Then the second meaning is the kingdom of God being attacked, but able to endure the attacks against it. I believe both apply, but that the first even more so because of when Jesus makes this statement. His ministry is in question. That can be considered a type of attack. You could also say that the question came from John The Baptist because he thought the word of God was under attack.
That’s what I would like to key in on. There was a difference in their ministry. There was a difference between how John and Jesus delivered the gospel. Not that one was better than the other. They were both needed and needed to be done the way God gave it to them. A lot of times we try to get others to conform to the way we think things should be done and to God’s word. As long as the method is not contrary to scripture the method is not that important.
Just like with music. While some see music as a good tool to deliver the gospel there are others who look at music or too much of it as a distraction and think it shouldn’t be used. There are churches that don’t allow a lot of musical instruments to be used during their service for this reason. While others say bring in all of the instruments so we can praise God and minister to the people. Both have the intent of what they think is more effective in relaying the gospel. Neither is better than the other or one right and the other wrong. It’s a preference. The important thing is the heart. Not to mimick what others are doing just because they do it that way, but to be led by God’s Spirit to minister the way He wants you to with the gifts and abilities He has given you. God has not called us to gimmicks and imitation. He has uniquely gifted each and every one of us. Us what He gave you to the glory of God!
That leads us to this week’s Throwback Song of the Week. We’re headed to Nashville to some greats – The Grits. The hip hop duo made up of Coffee and Bonafide. This song is from their 2002 release entitled “The Art of Translation.” The track is entitled “Here We Go.” I tie this in this week because of a lyric in the hook. It says, “Take it to the outer limits flawless with no gimmicks. Imitate, but can’t get it.” God’s work is not something that we merely just imitate. It is to be authentic. Tune in to the Trackstarz show this week to hear DJ Jeremaya spin this for the Throwback Song of the Day. Until next time…
Peace and blessings,
Damo
https://open.spotify.com/track/56Dfc7SRXmLVUH2Dx4Soa2?si=5iMEeAnvQtmWj1zYwJAwCQ
