A Fresh Wind - Practice
What inspires you to use your gifts for God's Kingdom?
Reverend Joe Palmer gave the message Sunday, the third in the A Fresh Wind series titled Practice. It was based on Exodus 35:29-35. He opened by quoting 1 Corinthians 12, though.
1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.
2You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.
3Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.
6There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.
7But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
8For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
9to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
11But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
12For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:1–12 (NASB95)
The diversity of gifts is something preached on quite frequently. However, Sunday’s message wasn’t necessarily about the gifts but what we do with them. From the 1 Corinthians passage, Pastor Joe moved to quote the show Ted Lasso, which is apparently known for its unique brand of inspirational quotes. Pastor Joe quoted six or seven lines from the show and finished with a single word written above the lead character’s office. That word is this:
Believe.
The point about the show and the quotes is that people want to believe. They want to be inspired. They want to be moved to greater things that are recognized as outstanding by other people. In the show, the characters believe and are transformed over the course of the season. How did they accomplish that? In the same way anyone becomes first proficient, then good, then great, then remarkable at anything; they practice at it.
What makes someone good at something? Effort. Pastor Joe suggested the show is a modern-day fable from which the church can take pointers. One such pointer is that if we believe, or what we believe in, we should practice. We should do the things we say we believe. Pastor Joe asked, “Are Christians supposed to be “practicing?”
At this point, we read the scripture from Exodus, which follows below.
29The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which the Lord had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill offering to the Lord.
30Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
31“And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship;
32to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze,
33and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work.
34“He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
35“He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.
Exodus 35:29–35 (NASB95)
The image is from Halley’s Bible Handbook in Logos Bible Software titled The Tabernacle and is in the notes for Exodus 35. The second image is from the same entry with no title and depicts the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.
These images represent the craftsmanship Bezaleel, son of Uri and Oholiab, had as gifts from God.
Pastor Joe focused on the fact that these two men were very obscure in the biblical text. Their talents weren’t for prophesying or preaching. They were craftsmen skilled with their hands, likely not formally educated but still exceedingly wise in what they did.
Both men used their gifts for the betterment of all the people of God as asked. They did what they did to accomplish something for God. It is that accomplishing Pastor Joe focused on.
The Hebrew word behind the English word for “filled” in verse 35 is mâlêʾ, whose entry I will list in a moment. The scripture verse is God filling the people with skill.
Hebrew Strong’s Number: 4390
Hebrew Word: מָלֵא
Transliteration: mâlêʾ
Phonetic Pronunciation: maw-lay’
Hebrew Word: מָלָא
Transliteration: mâlâʾ
Phonetic Pronunciation: maw-law’
Root: a primitive root
Cross Reference: TWOT - 1195
Part of Speech: v
Vine’s Words: Fill (To)
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
fill 107
full 48
fulfil 28
consecrate 15
accomplish 7
replenish 7
wholly 6
set 6
expired 3
fully 2
gather 2
overflow 2
satisfy 2
miscellaneous translations 14
[Total Count: 249]
or mala’, maw-law’; (Esth. 7:5), a primitive root, to fill or (intransitive) be full of, in a wide application (literal and figurative):- accomplish, confirm, + consecrate, be at an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfil, (be, become, × draw, give in, go) full (-ly, -ly set, tale), [over-] flow, fulness, furnish, gather (selves, together), presume, replenish, satisfy, set, space, take a [hand-] full, + have wholly.
James Strong, “מָלֵא ,מָלָא,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
Why is that word important in relation to practice? What separated the team in Ted Lasso from the horrible performance and record they had at the beginning of the show and the amazing, winning record at the end of the season? They practiced. Why did they practice? Someone, the coach Ted Lasso, inspired them to put in a greater effort than they previously put into the task of playing the game.
How does that connect the Old Testament scripture with the idea of Ted Lasso being a modern fable for the church? We need to let the Holy Spirit inspire us to make greater efforts to take the things God has gifted us with skill and apply them to His Kingdom and His tasks. We need to practice intentional kindness, love, and intentional effort to serve others with what we excel at.
Where do we get that inspiration from? I don’t know. What inspires you to have the energy to go the extra mile for God? If you’re not sure about the answer to that question, pray about it. Ask God to send His Holy Spirit to guide you to that inspiration, and when you find it, set your efforts to the task with a single-minded focus.
“But I’m not very good at anything. I always screw it up or do it wrong.”
The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders
The linked video above is 1 minute and 50 seconds. In it, you will find a brief description of a restaurant that gives purpose to elderly Japanese men and women who suffer from dementia. They wait tables at a restaurant, and more than a third of the time, they get orders wrong, and no one cares. The video finishes with a fantastic story about an older woman drawing water every day. Watch the video. If you watch the video and still allow the idea that you might mess things up to hold you back, I can’t help you with that. God bless, and Godspeed.
This sermon series is based on the book 40 Days of the Holy Spirit by Jack Levison found HERE.