Opportunity Knocks

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When an opportunity comes, seize it immediately. It usually does not come back around again.

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Rahm Emmanuel once said, “You should never let a good crisis go to waste.” Despite the fact that I don’t particularly resonate with the man, there is a nugget of truth contained in that idea. I would say it slightly differently: “You should never let a good opportunity go to waste.”

Something happened just recently in the Loveland, Denver, Colorado Springs, and Frisco, Colorado, congregations. Like many areas, we experienced the departure of the pastor. There was no pastor to take his place, and the seven elders got together to discuss, “What do we do now?”

What was so refreshing was that no one said, “I’m in charge,” or, “This is what we will do.” Rather, there was a calm combined with peace and a desire to simply take care of what needed to be done. We volunteered with the attitude to give way to another if anyone else wanted to do it, or we joined forces and shared the responsibility. Out of this “crisis” arose some new and open thinking.

I don’t know who suggested it, and it does not matter who did. The ideas grew and burst forth based on their own merit. Someone recommended that we ask the male brethren in the church if they would like to have a speaking seminar. The purpose of this seminar was to prepare them to present sermonettes in the four local churches.

Develop Your Gifts

The motivation behind this has been clearly spelled out in scripture all the time. Sometimes, like a person who is colorblind, we simply don’t see what is right in front of our eyes. Let me ask a question: Does God expect us to develop our talents? Does He expect us to develop our gifts? The answer is yes, of course He does! In Paul’s letters to both the Romans and Corinthians he encourages them to serve God with their “spiritual gifts” (Romans 12:3-8 [3] For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
[4] For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
[5] So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
[6] Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
[7] Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
[8] Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

See All...; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 [1] Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
[2] Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
[3] Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
[4] Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
[5] And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
[6] And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
[7] But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
[8] For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
[9] To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
[10] To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
[11] But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

See All...).

A careful reading of both these sections of Scripture clearly identifies the brethren having various kinds of spiritual gifts. These ought to be used properly, cheerfully and for the benefit for all.

Due to a certain approach based in history and tradition, all too often very few opportunities existed for brethren to be able to really explore a potential talent. I am reminded of the German poet Goethe, who wrote, “Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is; treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.”

Resultant from the loss of a pastor, new opportunities opened up for the development of talent in the membership and we began to treat people as we thought they could be. A simple announcement was made at church services. The result was amazing, with 29 men signing up for the opportunity to explore their talents in a sermonette class. So far, after two meetings and much positive encouragement, we have shared some basic speaking information, invited individuals to e-mail their ideas for development, listened to four presentations, and  we see much potential growth on the horizon. This after only two meetings, once each month!

Four elders oversee the program and each takes turns to give speaking tips and conduct meetings. All men in attendance evaluate sermonettes, and enthusiasm abounds. As individuals grow, they will be given speaking assignments in one of the three churches (two men have already been offered the opportunity). It has been amazing and encouraging to see the untapped desire burst forth like the buds on a tree in the spring.

At the same time, the ladies have begun a discussion group. They decided to read a UCG booklet each month and then discuss it as a group. They also desire to be taught some of the tips for speaking and gaining confidence in a relatively new environment.

An overarching goal belies all of this: We should all be able to answer for the hope that lies within us and be able to confidently explain our beliefs to others. Who knows when an Aquila and Priscilla opportunity (Acts 18:24-28 [24] And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
[25] This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
[26] And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
[27] And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
[28] For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

See All...) will come our way? Apollos was a man who was eloquent in the Scriptures. Despite this, there was something about which he was “colorblind.” Two brethren took him aside and “explained to him the way of God more accurately” (verse 26).

Clearly, Aquila and his wife Pricilla knew enough to “educate” Apollos in the first place. Apollos had enough humility to listen and learn. Later he became very helpful to Paul.

You never know when an opportunity will present itself. Don’t think of yourself as a bump on a log. If you have a talent, then get going on developing it. Opportunity knocks, and opportunities can’t be taken over.

God expects us to develop our abilities in whatever areas they may lie. Let’s roll!