Took a little detour from John today, because of something I read in Forgotten God by Francis Chan.
He's writing about how if we're truly, living where, working at and doing the will of God...or where we like to say He has "called" us to be, then our lives should be making a difference in our neighborhoods, jobs, activities, and ministries. But many of us use this phrase to justify our nice home, nice job, expensive toys and lifestyle of pleasure and comfort.
He writes, "My purpose in posing these questions is not to convince you to "go into the ministry." I'm not about recruiting pastors or missionaries. My purpose in these questions is to get you to take I Corinthians 12 seriously, to believe that you have been given a manifestation of the Spirit and that your church, the worldwide body of Christ, and the world are crippled without your involvement."
Hmmm??? I'm supposed to take I Corinthians 12 seriously...I'd better read it & study it right?
So that's what I did and yeah, I've read it before, heard it preached many times...this is the passage that goes through the gifts of the Spirit and how they are all needed by the one body of the Church. None is more important than any other. The gifts are various (wisdom, knowledge, faith, affecting miracles, prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, various kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues) but there is ONE Spirit, there is the same LORD.
A foot can't say it doesn't want to be part of the body, an eye can't choose to 'go it alone' or tell the hand, "I have no need of you." You get the idea...all gifts from the Spirit are given by Him, at His discretion and ALL are equally necessary to the Body of Christ, which is the Church (not a building...but the people!).
Then here's the lesson of the day: "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, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it." (I Corinthians 12:21-26)
I've highlighted the words that jumped off the page at me. We (I) have been so wrong. We've elevated the people in our churches that seem to have it all together, and Paul says those people have no need of it.
They have no need of the body? I've known a lot of people like that in my church life! While we've alienated or pushed aside the "weaker" parts...the ones that are struggling, hurting, falling apart, barely hanging on and are honest about it. But Paul writes that God wants just the opposite...we should bestow more honor on the weaker members. He even says they are necessary...why?
What happens when we focus more honor on the weak? (V. 25) "that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another."
No division in the Body?? I've never known a church like that...shoot, I've even caused some division I know! Why? Because I was focused (& thus displeased!) with the ones that seem to have it all together & didn't even need the Body.
If I'd been placing my focus & energy on the weaker members, I wouldn't have been so consumed with the people that were irritating me so much. (This goes back to my post about the phrase "When you're down, be a blessing to others.") Think about how much opportunity we've missed bestowing honor on someone who may desperately need it because we've been so busy trying to please the ones that don't really need the Body anyway!!
Yikes, God forgive me for my misplaced (& wasted!) energy.
You can even feel it in your spirit too, can't you?? When you sit in the presence of someone that is truly broken & can do nothing but place their entire life in the palm of God's hand & see where He takes them...you know there's something different, don't you?? (This does not refer to someone that's just wallowing, wanting attention and not seeking God for advice but rather wants pity & everyone else to do the work of healing for them.)
Back in James, he wrote, "My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?" (2:1-4) This is a more financial and outward manifestation of what we do in our churches regarding spiritual gifts and spiritual leaders every day.
Why are we so devastated when a pastor or leader fails, sins and secretly runs away? Because we've elevated them into a place of honor God never meant for them to hold. Why do we turn to the ones that appear to "have it all together" and accept their advice with no question then beat ourselves up because "we just must not be as strong as________"? Because we don't trust the Holy Spirit to work in us & reveal the path and advice we should follow.
Don't get me wrong, God places amazing people in our lives because we were not intended to travel this journey alone. But when we're seeking direction, accountability and discernment are we approaching people because of who they are and the position they hold or because that person's been through something similar, humility is evidenced in their lives and the Holy Spirit has laid it on your heart to seek their counsel?? I am definitely guilty of the former!
In I Corinthians, Paul continues to write that all are not apostles, miracle workers, teachers, healers, speaking in tongues but that we should "earnestly desire the greater gifts" (He specifically mentions prophecy twice in 14:1 and 14:39) "And I will show you a better way."
What is that better way? It's chapter 13 or what we Christians call the Love Chapter. If you haven't read it...do it right now...for Love is the better way!
And honestly, the best counsel & wisdom I've EVER received was when I wasn't even looking for it...it was when I wanted to start exercising regularly, and someone I barely knew took me up on the offer...the amazing conversations we've had are still very dear to me; it was watching a pastor and his wife be unfairly torn apart and yet sticking to the message that God had given them that we all are loved; it was receiving letters of heartfelt sorrow from a young wife whose marriage was falling apart and she was still struggling with anger from a hurtful past; it was getting a call from a man who'd got caught doing something illegal & seeking my advice because of how he saw us handle my dad's situation; it's watching a single mom that has every right to wallow, throwing caution to the wind and saying, 'no matter what happens, I will serve the LORD!'; and it's an acquaintance persistently asking with true concern, 'how are you doing?' until I began to know her heart and trust that Holy Spirit had brought a true friend into my life.
None of these people sought to have a place of honor...but in their weakness...and in their love...I have been honored to know them!
He's writing about how if we're truly, living where, working at and doing the will of God...or where we like to say He has "called" us to be, then our lives should be making a difference in our neighborhoods, jobs, activities, and ministries. But many of us use this phrase to justify our nice home, nice job, expensive toys and lifestyle of pleasure and comfort.
He writes, "My purpose in posing these questions is not to convince you to "go into the ministry." I'm not about recruiting pastors or missionaries. My purpose in these questions is to get you to take I Corinthians 12 seriously, to believe that you have been given a manifestation of the Spirit and that your church, the worldwide body of Christ, and the world are crippled without your involvement."
Hmmm??? I'm supposed to take I Corinthians 12 seriously...I'd better read it & study it right?
So that's what I did and yeah, I've read it before, heard it preached many times...this is the passage that goes through the gifts of the Spirit and how they are all needed by the one body of the Church. None is more important than any other. The gifts are various (wisdom, knowledge, faith, affecting miracles, prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, various kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues) but there is ONE Spirit, there is the same LORD.
A foot can't say it doesn't want to be part of the body, an eye can't choose to 'go it alone' or tell the hand, "I have no need of you." You get the idea...all gifts from the Spirit are given by Him, at His discretion and ALL are equally necessary to the Body of Christ, which is the Church (not a building...but the people!).
Then here's the lesson of the day: "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, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it." (I Corinthians 12:21-26)
I've highlighted the words that jumped off the page at me. We (I) have been so wrong. We've elevated the people in our churches that seem to have it all together, and Paul says those people have no need of it.
They have no need of the body? I've known a lot of people like that in my church life! While we've alienated or pushed aside the "weaker" parts...the ones that are struggling, hurting, falling apart, barely hanging on and are honest about it. But Paul writes that God wants just the opposite...we should bestow more honor on the weaker members. He even says they are necessary...why?
What happens when we focus more honor on the weak? (V. 25) "that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another."
No division in the Body?? I've never known a church like that...shoot, I've even caused some division I know! Why? Because I was focused (& thus displeased!) with the ones that seem to have it all together & didn't even need the Body.
If I'd been placing my focus & energy on the weaker members, I wouldn't have been so consumed with the people that were irritating me so much. (This goes back to my post about the phrase "When you're down, be a blessing to others.") Think about how much opportunity we've missed bestowing honor on someone who may desperately need it because we've been so busy trying to please the ones that don't really need the Body anyway!!
Yikes, God forgive me for my misplaced (& wasted!) energy.
You can even feel it in your spirit too, can't you?? When you sit in the presence of someone that is truly broken & can do nothing but place their entire life in the palm of God's hand & see where He takes them...you know there's something different, don't you?? (This does not refer to someone that's just wallowing, wanting attention and not seeking God for advice but rather wants pity & everyone else to do the work of healing for them.)
Back in James, he wrote, "My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?" (2:1-4) This is a more financial and outward manifestation of what we do in our churches regarding spiritual gifts and spiritual leaders every day.
Why are we so devastated when a pastor or leader fails, sins and secretly runs away? Because we've elevated them into a place of honor God never meant for them to hold. Why do we turn to the ones that appear to "have it all together" and accept their advice with no question then beat ourselves up because "we just must not be as strong as________"? Because we don't trust the Holy Spirit to work in us & reveal the path and advice we should follow.
Don't get me wrong, God places amazing people in our lives because we were not intended to travel this journey alone. But when we're seeking direction, accountability and discernment are we approaching people because of who they are and the position they hold or because that person's been through something similar, humility is evidenced in their lives and the Holy Spirit has laid it on your heart to seek their counsel?? I am definitely guilty of the former!
In I Corinthians, Paul continues to write that all are not apostles, miracle workers, teachers, healers, speaking in tongues but that we should "earnestly desire the greater gifts" (He specifically mentions prophecy twice in 14:1 and 14:39) "And I will show you a better way."
What is that better way? It's chapter 13 or what we Christians call the Love Chapter. If you haven't read it...do it right now...for Love is the better way!
And honestly, the best counsel & wisdom I've EVER received was when I wasn't even looking for it...it was when I wanted to start exercising regularly, and someone I barely knew took me up on the offer...the amazing conversations we've had are still very dear to me; it was watching a pastor and his wife be unfairly torn apart and yet sticking to the message that God had given them that we all are loved; it was receiving letters of heartfelt sorrow from a young wife whose marriage was falling apart and she was still struggling with anger from a hurtful past; it was getting a call from a man who'd got caught doing something illegal & seeking my advice because of how he saw us handle my dad's situation; it's watching a single mom that has every right to wallow, throwing caution to the wind and saying, 'no matter what happens, I will serve the LORD!'; and it's an acquaintance persistently asking with true concern, 'how are you doing?' until I began to know her heart and trust that Holy Spirit had brought a true friend into my life.
None of these people sought to have a place of honor...but in their weakness...and in their love...I have been honored to know them!
Thank you for your words... for this blog. You challenge me and encourage me. I am so done with the same old daily thing. I truly want to walk in the spirit daily- moment by moment. Let's talk again sometime soon.
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