This post is intended to be used in conjunction with the 12-week Bible Study of Experiencing God by Henry, Richard, and Mike Blackaby and Claude V. King. References to specific quotes and texts are indicated by ‘EG’ and the corresponding page number and come from the 2022 publication.
Anytime there is a collaboration, whether it’s a sports team, a musical group, contractors and subcontractors, a surgical or medical team, an office setting, or even a holiday meal, such as Thanksgiving, each person involved has a specific role in that.
Take a football team for example. Within a football team, you have offense positions and defense positions. Within those two divisions, there are specific positions – quarterback, fullback, center, linebacker, and safety, just to name a few.
In a musical group, an orchestra for instance. Generally, an orchestra consists of four units – woodwind, percussion, stringed and brass instruments. Within those units, members play certain instruments – flute, cello, trumpet, and snare drums for example.
Contractors and subcontractors can include framers, plumbers, electricians, drywallers, painters, carpenters, etc. Each contributing their skill to a component in a structure.
Even with a Thanksgiving meal, if everyone brings a dish, there is usually a collaboration to ensure that all of the meal’s components are covered. If everyone brings rolls and a can of cranberry sauce, then everyone’s going to be eating cranberry sauce sliders.
What do all of these examples have in common?
Unified diversity! Where people with different talents, tasks, responsibilities, and abilities work together for a unified purpose.
A football team works individually and together for one goal – to score points and win the game!
An orchestra plays its part individually and together for one purpose – to make harmonious music.
Contractors and subcontractors each do their part to build something to be useful.
Everyone who brings a dish to Thanksgiving does so so that everyone can enjoy a delicious and well-balanced meal.
Our memory verse for this week was Romans 12:5. “We who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.”
You may have been a bit relieved to discover that this week’s focus was not on the obedience and adjustments that we as individuals need to make, but rather the focus has now shifted to the church. Your relief was most likely short-lived as you realized the role you are called to fill and the impact you are to have in the church.
“God works through the pastor, other spiritual leaders, and people in the church to accomplish His purposes. Many statements commonly used around churches indicate, however, that we are extremely people-centered in our work. We give our human reasoning and abilities far more credit than they deserve. We are not to do God’s work, our way! We are to follow God’s leading and do church work, His way.” (EG, pg. 201)
What are some examples of being people-centered in the church?
You’ve got the complainers or the grumblers:
Know of anyone who left the church because they didn’t like the music?
What about someone who won’t participate in a program or ministry because things aren’t done the way they think they should be? (i.e., foreign missions vs. local missions)
People who don’t tithe because they think church staff are overpaid. They look at where people live and cars they drive.
Then you’ve got the Eeyores or those who have a “woe is me” mentality.
Those who feel inadequate to do anything or make a difference.
Ever heard anyone say that their feelings were hurt because they weren’t at church for a couple of Sundays and no one checked on them? And yet, they’re the ones that never check on or reach out to anyone else.
There is an infinite number of ways that we are more people-centered (or selfish), especially in the church.
How can we be more God-centered?
Look back over the past 10 weeks of studies. We all have an expansive collection of Scripture and suggestions on how to be more vertically focused instead of horizontally focused.
“A Christ-centered (or Christocentric) life is one that is focused upon a commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord. At the core of every human decision is a motivation. Some people are motivated by the quest for pleasure or money. Some center their entire lives on a goal, a job, or even their families. These things are not wrong in themselves; however, that which we center our lives on can become our god.
The human heart was designed for worship, and if it does not worship God, it will worship something else. If we are not Christ-centered, we will be centered on something else. Worship is measured by the amount of time, money, and emotional energy expended. Our gods can be identified by the level of passionate commitment they evoke in us, and, after a while, we begin to resemble them. We talk about them, think about them, dream about them, and scheme to spend more time with them. People who know us best usually know where our deepest passions lie because worship is hard to hide.”[i]
It’s easy to identify a person’s passion. It’s also easy to identify a church’s passion.
“When a church allows God’s presence and activity to be expressed, a watching world will be drawn to Him.” (EG, pg. 203)
Likewise, when a church does NOT allow God’s presence and activity to be expressed, what do you think happens?
“About 40 million Americans have left churches and other religious institutions in the last 25 years.
For some, the decision is rooted in deep pain. But for the majority, their reasons for leaving are a lot more mundane than you’d expect.
“Most people have left for really pedestrian reasons. Like, I moved; attendance was inconvenient; or, say, family change,” Michael Graham, co-author of “The Great Dechurching” says.
So, what does that say about the importance of faith in America?”[ii]
There is very little that is sadder than a dying church. When new members are a thing of the past. When the regular members stop coming as often. When ministries and special groups dissolve into nothing. When the tithes that are given are barely enough to keep the lights on. When the “worship” services become routine and predictable. When the few people who do attend regularly do so out of habit and obligation and there is no longer any passion for God and His church.
“1. God wants His people to be holy and pure.
2. God wants His people to display unity.
3. God wants His people to love one another.” (EG, pg. 201)
Can you truthfully say that these are goals for your life? Are you striving to be more holy and pure? Most of us would probably say ‘yes’.
Are you determined to be unified and not divided within the body of Christ? Unified doesn’t mean we must agree and share the same opinion on every topic. Politics, women in the pulpit, traditional hymns or contemporary, choir robes or no choir robes – we can become so dogmatic about these topics or others that we create division where God wants unity. Dr. Phil uses the phrase, “right fighter” to identify those who have to always be right, will not concede to any argument, and gets flat-out belligerent when people don’t share their opinions.
The third thing God wants is for us to love each other. Before you flippantly say, “Of course, I love everyone!” let me read John 13:34 CSB “”I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.” For context, Jesus gives this commandment as He has just humbled Himself and washed their feet and before He went to the cross. So can you honestly say you love one another?
1 Corinthians 12:21 GNT “21 So then, the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Nor can the head say to the feet, “Well, I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, we cannot do without the parts of the body that seem to be weaker; 23 and those parts that we think aren’t worth very much are the ones which we treat with greater care; while the parts of the body which don’t look very nice are treated with special modesty, 24 which the more beautiful parts do not need. God himself has put the body together in such a way as to give greater honor to those parts that need it. 25 And so there is no division in the body, but all its different parts have the same concern for one another. 26 If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness.”
Do you feel needed by your church? I certainly hope so.
And just as importantly, do you make sure others feel they are an integral part and are needed by your church?
“There is no place for pride and one-upmanship…in the body of Christ.” – Alistair Begg
“When God speaks to people about the church, they should relate to the body what they sense God is saying. As members tell what God is saying, the whole body goes to God in prayer to discern His will. In His timing God confirms to the body what He is saying. Individual opinions are not what is important. God’s will is crucial! No single method can be given for discerning God’s will as a body. Pastors other church leaders, and members are to have such deep relationships with God and the church body that spiritual guidance is the outcome. When Christ guides each spiritual leader and member of the body to function properly, the whole body knows and is enabled to do God’s will.” (EG, pg. 205)
In case you missed it,
“Individual opinions are not what is important. God’s will is crucial.”
(EG, pg. 205)
How does the church know God’s will? “A church learns God’s will.”(EG, pg. 206) Will everyone be on board? Maybe not. If someone is out of fellowship with the Lord and can’t hear His voice, they may have their own opinion. “Others might be purposely disobedient.” (EG, pg. 207)
How should we handle conflict in the body of Christ?
“The church is a body with Christ as its Head. The Spirit of God guides every believer. His indwelling presence can teach us and guide us. I always allowed my understanding of God’s will to be tested in the life of the congregation.” (EG, pg. 208)
“The first part of 1 Corinthians 12 says the Holy Spirit equips each member. Verse 7 says, ‘A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.’ (1 Cor. 12:7). The Holy Spirit is the Gift (see Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit manifests (makes visible, clear, known; reveals) Himself to each member of the body for the common good of the body.” (EG, pg. 210)
Romans 12:6 ICB “6 We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace that God gave us. If one has the gift of prophecy, he should use that gift with the faith he has. 7 If one has the gift of serving, he should serve. If one has the gift of teaching, he should teach. 8 If one has the gift of encouraging others, he should encourage. If one has the gift of giving to others, he should give freely. If one has the gift of being a leader, he should try hard when he leads. If one has the gift of showing kindness to others, that person should do so with joy.”
Do you know what the Holy Spirit has given you? Are you using it as God desires?
To assess a spiritual gift assessment quiz, visit: https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/women-leadership-spiritual-gifts-growth-service
“When members of a church begin considering spiritual gifts, they sometimes run into difficulty by thinking God gives them a thing, like an ingredient called administration. He doesn’t give a thing; He gives Himself. The Gift is a Person. The Holy Spirit equips you with His administrative ability so His administration becomes your administration. When you see a spiritual gift exercised, you are observing a manifestation of the Holy Spirit-the Holy Spirit equipping and enabling an individual with His abilities to accomplish God’s Work.” (EG, pg. 211)
Day 4 touches on a common problem: people who try to be a part of the body of Christ that is different from the part God assigned to them.
“God places members in the body as it pleases Him. If He makes a person an ‘eye,’ the Holy Spirit will equip him to see. If God makes a person an ‘ear,’ the Holy Spirit will equip her to hear. If He makes a person a ‘hand,’ the Holy Spirit will equip him to function as a hand. In New Testament Scriptures describing the body of Christ, the Holy Spirit’s work enables people to function in the assignment where God puts them in the body. Not every member is an apostle, a prophet, a teacher, and so forth, but each one has a God-given assignment. Each one serves where God puts him or her in the body so the whole body works together as it should.” (EG, pg. 213)
Have you seen this take place? How can this cause problems within the church? It can cause problems because it doesn’t work.
Say for example, you’re given a hammer, but you don’t want to hammer. You would rather paint. How’s that hammer going to help you? It’s not!
Just like if you’re given a skillet and a spatula, but you think it would be more fulfilling if you played an instrument. I mean you could possibly make some noise with the skillet and spatula, but I don’t know how good that’s going to sound.
Too often, we fail to use what tools and gifts the Holy Spirit has given us and we try so hard to do something God has not called us nor equipped us to do. And we wonder why we get so frustrated. This is probably a lot more widespread than we want to admit.
I know of a person who got their feelings hurt because they wanted to be on the praise team. This person said that they wanted to be seen on stage singing solos. They made many pleas to get that accomplished and it never happened. I don’t know for sure, but I guess that it had to do with the fact that the person could not carry a tune in a bucket. They were not gifted with a pleasant singing voice. They have a heart of gold and is a great encourager, but they were trying to do what they weren’t equipped to do. They left the church. This person was so self-focused on being in the spotlight and getting attention, they left the body of Christ.
“Your position in church is not your relationship with God. You can have a title and no real relationship with Jesus.” = Unknown
If you are not fulfilling your purpose in the church, it’s not just you who suffers. The whole body suffers.
Listen, let’s be real. We’re all of the age that we frequently have body parts that, on some days, just don’t function like they should. And when that happens, whether it’s our back that goes out, or a hip that’s aching, or our plantar fasciitis flares up, we end up just hurting all over. When one body part doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do, other body parts have to compensate. The same is true for the body of Christ. If you’re not doing what God has called you to do, you’re missing out and others are trying to compensate. “A church needs all the members God has given the body.” (EG, pg. 215)
Day 5 is all about Life in the Body of the church and there’s a section titled “A Covenant Relationship”. Are you exercising covenant relationships in this class? In our church?
“We’ve been given the covenant community because we need each other, and together we’ll be more mature, experience more life, and know more joy than we ever would apart from one another.” – Matt Chandler
[i] What should a Christ-centered life look like? | GotQuestions.org
[ii] ‘The great dechurching’: Why so many Americans are leaving their churches | On Point
Beacons of Light 