Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Spiritual Gifts and the Church (part 13): 1 Cor 12:21-24

"And the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you'; or again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.' On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked." (1 Corinthians 12:21-24)
One of the other mistakes we make in reference to the diversity of favor and gifting within the Body is when we minimize, not only ourselves, but also others. We tend to value people who are similar to us but devalue those who are different. We are like the eye that says to the hand, "I have no need of you!" simply because they are a hand and we are an eye.

This is common among those who are gifted. They see their gifting as the most important thing and look down on those who are not likewise gifted. For example, those with a prophetic gifting do not understand or value those gifted with a pastoral gifting. Those called with an evangelistic calling don't understand or value those with a teaching calling. Often, this inflated valuation of our gifting causes us to limit our fellowship with those of similar gifting, leaving little room for those who might be different. When we do this we fail to see that we not only need "eyes" but also "hands". When we only fellowship with people who are the same as us, we exclude ourselves from the fullness of who God is and His administration in our midst. We become malnourished spiritually just as we would in the natural if we only eat one type of food to the exclusion of others. We need not just a part of the Body, we need the full Body.

The other way we minimize others is when we hold them in low esteem because of their station in this life. It is easy to look down upon the simple, poor, and the weak. However, Paul challenges us that those who seem weaker are all the more necessary. They may be of lowly state in this life, but in the Spirit they have great value, purpose, and honor.

God has so composed the Body, giving greater honor in the things of the Spirit to those who lack honor in the natural. Those, who because of their station in this life would lack in honor, God has given greater favor, grace, and gifting that, in the Body, they might have greater honor; those having honor in the flesh not needing extra honor in the Spirit. In light of this Paul reminds us to,
"Consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God." (1 Cor 1:26-29)
James also concurs with Paul, teaching us that, "Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" (James 2:5)

When we minimize others based upon outward appearances and status in this life, we often miss the hidden treasure that God has placed in them, treasure that would enrich ourselves and contribute to the growth and health of God's body.

More to come... David Robison

Monday, January 23, 2012

Spiritual Gifts and the Church (part 12): 1 Cor 12:17-20

"If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body." (1 Corinthians 12:17-20)
Paul returns to the central theme of this second part of the chapter: The Body is not one member but many. When we deny the many members that we were created to be then we deny the body. Where there is only one member, then the Body is absent. The Body was designed by Christ to be composed of many differing members, each contributing to the growth and health of the Body.

Unfortunately, in many of our churches today, there is room for only one, or in some cases, a few, members to participate in Body life. The clergy/laity model has relegated the work of the Body to the professional religious class; minimizing the role of the rest of the Body. Also, our pulpit centered services where the congregants come to be taught while the pastor fulfills the job of teaching further leads us astray from the true meaning of the Body.

It is my personal belief that we must rethink church. We must return to that form of community that Paul taught us, a Body in which everyone has a role, a gifting, and a contribution to perform. Only then will we truly experience the Body in its fullness and learn what it means to corporately become the bride of Christ.

More to come... David Robison

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Spiritual Gifts and the Church (part 11): 1 Cor 12:14-16

"For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, 'Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, 'Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body." (1 Corinthians 12:14-16)
Paul acknowledges that the Corinthians were no strangers to the manifestations of the Spirit. He congratulates them that "in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge... so that you are not lacking in any gift." (1 Corinthians 1:5-7) Yet he also writes them to correct some errors and problems there were experiencing with those manifestations. One of the problems that can limit us in manifesting the Spirit is when we minimize ourselves in comparison to others. Sometimes, because of our insecurities or as the result of bad teaching, we discount ourselves because we are not "a hand" or "an eye". We believe that others are appointed for the Body of Christ, but, in contrast, our lack disqualifies us as useful members.

I grew up in the church and, when I was young, there was the unspoken impression that, if you were really spiritual, you became a pastor. Later, when I was in college, those who were really spiritual became missionaries. Now, it seems that we perceive those who have visions of angels and work great miracles are the truly spiritual ones. The problem is that we are not all pastors, missionaries, and workers of miracles, yet we are all still parts of the Body; we may not be like others but we still have a place and a role within the Body of Christ.

When we minimize who we are in Christ, we hold back and rob the Body of the special favor and giftings we have in Christ. When we fail to play our part the Body is weaken. The Body needs us and what we have from God to grow in stature and strength. "The whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:16) The Body needs each one of us. Let us stop mimizing who we are and what we have and learn to play our part in contributing to the growth and health of the Body.

More to come... David Robison

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Spiritual Gifts and the Church (part 10): 1 Cor 12:12-13

"For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)
In the past, when I've read this verse, I understood it to say that there are many people who make up the members of the Body of Christ, and this is true. However, when Paul refers to "members" he is not talking about individual people, such as the members of a church, but rather he is speaking of parts of the Body, such as a hand, a foot, an eye, etc. This verse could just as easily be translated, "For even as the body is one and yet has many organs." Its not that we are just one of many people who make up the Body of Christ, but we are each a distinct organ that contributes to the wholeness and health of the Body. We are each distinct with a unique gifting, favor, and function, and when all of the individual parts (organs) come together, then there is the Body of Christ.
"We are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:15-16)
It is the proper working and contribution of each individual part (organ) that causes the growth of the body in both stature and unity. Unfortunately, many of our churches have lost sight of the Body. In many churches, only a few members get to contribute and the others sit passively to receive. People are spectators and not active participants as parts (organs) of the Body. If we want to see the Body of Christ fully manifested in the Earth today then we need to move from our present clergy/laity model to one where each individual member has a place and a part to play within the Body.

More to come... David Robison