WorshipCentral

Ok, it's not the most glamorous Spiritual gift, but God thinks otherwise…

We've all got to do it, whatever job we do. We all have piles of stuff, to-do-lists, phone calls to make. Administration gets a bad press: it’s boring, frustrating, and time-consuming. The emails to answer, the team rota to sort out, the organising. All this nasty admin is to be got through as quickly as possible so we can get on with the more Spiritual stuff. But that’s not how God sees it:

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues” 1 Corinthians 12:27-28

The Spiritual ‘gift of administration’ is the ability to turn God-given vision into reality. The word administration comes from the Latin and literally means ‘to’ (ad) ‘minister’. To administer is to do ministry. This role is so essential that Paul lists it as one of the crucial gifts for building up the church – the Spirit equips us with the ability to make things happen, to get the stuff of church-life done. So let’s not belittle it – it is a hugely important gift and an active part of what the Holy Spirit is doing in our midst.

Just look at the story of the early church in Acts 6 - things have started going a little crazy with thousands of people starting to follow Jesus. The leadership  decide they need some help sorting out the practical stuff - they are in desperate need of administration. So they appoint people ‘known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom’, people like Stephen, ‘a man full of God’s grace and power’ who ‘did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people’.

They understood the vital importance of God-anointed administration to making things work, and so they put their best people on the job. The qualification was being filled with the Holy Spirit, because they understood the Spiritual nature of practical work.

I’m a huge fan of the US TV Series ‘The West Wing’ – the whole Worship Central office are working their way through the show. For those of you who have not seen it, the West Wing follows the inner workings of a fictional President’s administration through two terms of power.

It is fascinating seeing a team working with the most influential man on the planet to make his vision come about. The President collects the best people he can find to serve in what is called - by the way - his ‘administration’. All the key characters have dropped their highly paid jobs - from the corporate lawyer to the Hollywood talent agent - to serve at the invitation of the President. It is considered the highest honour: even if you’re making the coffee, you’re making the coffee for the most influential man on the planet.

How much more of a privilege is it for us to serve in Jesus’ ‘administration’? We’ve all left everything behind to be part of building a lasting vision for the world according to his plans. We serve someone infinitely more powerful than any of the rulers of this world. But to serve Jesus is more than a role or a job description. As we offer our time in his service, we find ourselves alongside him as co-workers. It is almost as if the President were to invite you to move your desk into the Oval Office alongside him and share in what he is doing.

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." - Jesus (John 15:15)

So next time you find yourself trapped under an avalanche of emails, lift your head high and remind yourself that you’re administering for the King, whose ‘service is perfect freedom’ and who, in his love for you, thinks of you as a friend, not a servant.

---

For events, podcasts, new songs and loads more from Worship Central, click here.