Underestimate and Undervalue
Quote Review on Mike Winger
It’s been a little bit of time since I’ve done a quote review but this one came across my timeline and I had to screenshot it. As I wanted to share it, three parallel thoughts occurred to me about it that I felt it necessary to speak on all of them. Because of this, I don’t want to confuse you, so I will be discussing briefly my view of Mike Winger, my view on this quote, and how it all relates to my current status in Seminary.
First, I enjoy Mike Winger immensely even though he is not on my Recommendations page. Mike has a whole resource known as Bible Thinker including a Friday media output where he goes through Questions and Answers. I don’t consume a lot of what he puts out, which is why he’s not on my recommendations, but when clips or tweets come across my timeline, I take the time to read or listen. What I appreciate about him most is that he has this ability to be extremely relatable. His Friday Q&A’s, he answers questions real-time and just speaks aloud how he is processing his thoughts. It becomes a moment of teaching on how one could approach a subject while also be attracting because it seems more layman than pastor. Lastly, I don’t agree with everything he says. Some thoughts are under-developed and others read as hot takes. Yet, I still highly appreciate his ministry and what he is doing, especially lately, as he is focused on the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and their disservice to the church.
Second point, this quote. First, the gifts of God are not solely confined to the “Gifts of the Spirit” (1 Cor 12) but even further developed by recognizing that we have been ordained with different experiences, trials, outcomes, and attitudes, etc. All of this has created a unique, you. It doesn’t mean that you were godly or righteous in each outcome nor are you perfect, but you are knowledgeable in experience, even if it is only to warn of the outcome of foolishness. Another way to think about this is that if you’ve ever read the works of Josephus, you’ll see the 2nd Temple Period differently. Not everyone has read this and so when they read Scriptures, they can only interpret it from what they know. This is the point where they don’t know that they may have a misconception where you are necessary to instruct or encourage.
Expanding this out, God has given us gifts of knowledge and wisdom in specific avenues to benefit the church and the body, as we’ve read in Corinthians. If we are to hold that to ourselves, never expressing it, we are doing a disservice to the body. This doesn’t mean that everything we say is edifying but it is also saying to think that nothing is edifying is to starve or deny growth. And that’s where I saw a second perspective to Mike’s post. Sometimes, we often contribute to the suppression of others’ gifts. Sometimes it may seem to fall outside our denominational lines. I’ve heard a number of prayers or statements that have made me skeptical, but I believe it was my pride talking and not accepting the genuine worship of God’s control over the littlest things.
And, like most times, it is pride that is the main suppressor. Pride to maintain some position of authority or influence. We see this often in churches with pastors who succumb to sin or a refusal to step down for any number of reasons. Pride being the barrier that prevents growth amongst peers. As I view it, we have a gift, but someone is giftier or more gifted in that realm. I always wondered what it was like during some of the conference Q&As when you have these powerhouse preachers like Sproul and MacArthur, sharing a microphone, submitting to each other’s answers. What were they thinking internally? Did any of them feel like they were in the shadow of the others? What about the others on stage with those two, whose names we don’t recall until someone says it again.
And that leads to point number three. I’ve discussed many times (the “second point” of this article is my consistent view) about seminary and it just happens that I’m in it right now. One of the largest benefits of Seminary, for me, is the humbling realization of one’s position. What I mean is, in a room (online video chat in my case) with a dozen or more other “students,” (I say students despite most of them are pastors or leaders), you cannot help but have “imposter syndrome.” And from these discussions, each of us have it for each other. We recognize the learnedness and experience of each other that we have no answers for. In my class, I have a peer who is in Tanzania who is overcoming language and cultural barriers to impart Biblical constructs that are completely foreign to them. I have another peer who is deep in an urban environment attempting to help youths curb an enthusiasm for surface level riches and selfishness. I have a peer who stands out as a Presbyterian (this is a Baptist Seminary) because he has such a vocabulary that tells you he has the Heidelberg, Westminster, and the Puritans memorized.
It is at this moment, that I stand there and attempt to teach them about small groups and discipleship (I’ll record the video at a future time). Yet, when I concluded my presentation and discussion, it is where I saw that I, too, was uniquely prepared for something that this group had currently struggled with. To impart new wisdom to them that, as this was a few months ago, some have begun making changes and seen positive growth already. In my most humbling moment, being surrounded by giants who call me a peer, I found worth. And this leads me back to Mike Winger’s quote. “Other believers really do need you.” Do not suppress your gifts nor do not suppress others. Instead, find ways to engage them and to engage others. A true gift should be elevated for the purpose of strengthening the body. Identifying the gift may be difficult in yourself, because as Winger says, it is normal to us. Therefore, my exhortation to you is to encourage the gifts of others.