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Building for the Infinite God Building for the Infinite God

Building for the Infinite God

Devotions

What role should secular expertise play in filling service openings in the church? Some have argued that spiritual gifts and calling aren’t relevant when filling a vacancy in the nursery, children’s ministry, or small group leadership. Are spiritual gifts important only for preachers and worship leaders? We find some insight in our passage today.

When Solomon considered building a temple of worship for the Lord that would approach the greatness of God’s being, he realized that task was not possible in one sense: No human temple can contain a God so great. But obedient to God’s call and his father’s instruction, he called upon Hiram for help (v. 3). Hiram was a trusted friend of Solomon’s father, David—a friend already vetted as faithful and able to provide skilled workers. Hiram provided the most skilled worker possible to build articles related to the worship practice, a man who also came from the tribe of Dan (v. 14).

Solomon wisely offered compensation for the work rather than dishonoring Hiram and the workers by expecting volunteer labor. For the work in the quarry, which was not directly related to the artifacts and practice of worship, Solomon also utilized people from outside of Israel’s covenant relationship with the Lord.

Skilled musicians, singers, directors, audio and visual technicians, media artists, and people who have spiritual and pragmatic competencies in praying and reading Scripture publicly—all work together to help reflect the greatness of the Lord. Solomon demonstrated that we testify to God’s greatness when we consider the spiritual gifts and God-given talents of those who participate in the ministries of our church and lead our worship services.

Pray with Us

Strategy and marketing are among key ingredients for the success of a ministry. As chief marketing officer, Samuel Choy provides leadership in both areas at Moody. Would you pray for God’s guidance and blessing for his service?

BY Dr. Eric C. Redmond

Dr. Eric C. Redmond serves as a professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and as associate pastor of adult ministries at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Ill. He is married to Pam and they have five children. He is the author of Say It!  Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African American Tradition (Moody Publishers), Where Are All the Brothers? Straight Answers to Men's’ Questions about the Church (Crossway), a commentary on Jonah in the Christ-Centered Exposition Series (B&H Publishers), and a study guide on Ephesians in the Knowing the Bible series (Crossway).

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