You’ve heard it said: What got you here won’t get you there. It’s one of those phrases that gets repeated in leadership circles until it loses its edges. And there’s truth in it. There are […]
Category: Bible Teaching
If it’s not a Spiritual Gift it’s a Spiritual Discipline
I have to be honest with you. I don’t have the gift of hospitality. I know that’s a strange confession for a pastor to make. But it’s true. If you knock on my door unannounced, […]
The Gifts That Make People Nervous
From the series: Empowered — Discovering and Developing Your Spiritual Gifts Let me name the elephant in the room. When most Christians hear the phrase “spiritual gifts,” they’re broadly fine — until the conversation gets […]
Three Kinds of Gifts — and Why Your Church Needs All of Them
From the series: Empowered — Discovering and Developing Your Spiritual Gifts There’s a pattern I’ve noticed in churches over the years. You walk through the door, spend a few weeks in the services, and fairly […]
Your Gifts Won’t Survive Without Community
From the series: Empowered — Discovering and Developing Your Spiritual Gifts Sarah sat nervously at the edge of the prayer circle. Three months into this church, she still felt like an outsider looking in — […]
When the Spectacular Blinds Us — Sensationalism, Accountability, and the Gifts of the Spirit
A reflection on charismatic culture, pastoral responsibility, and the cost of elevating gifting above character There is a particular kind of silence that has caused immeasurable damage to the charismatic and Pentecostal church. It is […]
Even Jesus was Empowered – and that changes everything 
From the series: Empowered — Discovering and Developing Your Spiritual Gifts There is a theological assumption so deeply embedded in the way we think about Jesus that most of us have never stopped to question […]
You’re Not Meant to Watch from the Sidelines
From the series: Empowered — Discovering and Developing Your Spiritual Gifts There’s a particular kind of frustration that settles into a church over time. It’s not the frustration of conflict or crisis. It’s quieter than […]
The Enemy is After Your Confidence
A while back I came across a statistic that stopped me in my tracks. A leadership conference speaker mentioned that seven out of ten pastors in America were looking for other work. When I dug […]
Here Comes the Team Again part 6
Sent, Not Self-Sent Paul was sent, he didn’t commission himself. That’s worth sitting with for a moment, because it challenges an image many of us carry without realising it — Paul the maverick, the lone […]
Paul Benger 