Obsession with Formulas

A few years ago, I was discussing an ecclesiastical matter with one of my best friends. He accused me, rightly, of being too rigid in my approach to work and service. That was the first time I heard about “divergent thinking,” and it later helped me understand why creative people often struggle to fit into square systems.

We humans have an obsession with formulas. They give us a sense of security and control. Most people feel comfortable when everything is defined, and they often feel threatened by change. “We’ve always done it this way” is a common phrase in leadership. Even worse is, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” even when the method is already falling apart. It is easier to defend a method than to improve it.

Something similar happens in church and ministry. Those who work with people on the street criticize those who do not. Those involved in music consider themselves better worshippers than those “down there.” Those with formal education look down on those who learned through practice. We forget that God’s work must be seen as a whole: integral, varied, multifaceted, and broad. It is broader than any structure invented by man.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NIV) says, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” We cannot expect everyone to do the same thing. Each person has different strengths, reach, and context. The area where I serve allows me to serve God in ways others cannot, and that is part of why God placed me there. But that does not give me the right to belittle or criticize those serving in a different sphere. They have their own mission.

Continuing in 1 Corinthians 12:17-21 (NIV): “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’” This clearly illustrates that the Kingdom of God requires each of us to be useful in our unique contexts, with the specific tools He has given us, which are different, yet complementary. We must avoid obsessing over our personal service formula as if it were the only effective method, for even the most successful approach is just a part of God’s grand plan.

We all share the same Great Commission, but each of us contributes differently to it. The church as a body must go “to the nations,” but it also carries a local responsibility that cannot be neglected. Some are better suited for street preaching; others excel at teaching and discipling in small groups. Some lead revolutionary movements, while others comfort those who stumble along the way. We must not allow anyone to diminish our place in God’s plan, and we must not demean the place of others.

Neither I, nor my church, nor my ministry has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit. We must learn to respect one another as members of the same body. When we read 1 Corinthians 12 and 13 together, we see Paul move from diversity in service to “a more excellent way”: love. Respect is a form of love. Honoring others who serve God differently from us is also an expression of love.

From my blog, I extend a hug of honor to all my brothers and sisters serving God in places and ways different from mine. To those venturing where I cannot, my deepest respect.