The Prophets and Worship
By Stephen Terry
“Which of these three do you think
was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 10:36-37, NIV
Today,
the path to ecclesiastical authority is through going to the right schools and
pleasing the right church leaders. Eventually, if they like the candidate, they
will ordain him or her for service. If they serve in the right churches and
avoid offending their parishioners and their superiors, they will have the
opportunity to move into administration at regional and national levels. While
this is a common, modern model for clerical careers, is it healthy for the
church?
We can
easily see how nepotism and cronyism can easily be integrated into this model.
Those with the right family connections or the most influential friends might
find the climb to church authority much easier. Does this mean that the person
who advances in such a system is not serving God? Not necessarily. But it has
the potential to overlook the true standard of God’s calling. Jesus said “by
their fruit you will recognize them.” (See Matthew 7:20) This is the only path to leadership that God
himself modeled to His children.
Jesus
was this model for Christian leadership. He sought no church office. He
attended no rabbinical school on the path to ordination. No human authority
ordained Him to service. Yet, He clearly spoke with authority and power. (See
Mark 1:22) Today as in Jesus’ day, we are fearful of such people. We are
worried about the demagogue who will pull people after him to their
destruction. Whether we are remembering
the modern charismatic Jim Jones and his poison Kool-aid
communion or ancients like Theudas or Judas (See Acts
5:36-37), we feel that human control will prevent that from happening. However,
we run the significant risk of stifling the Holy Spirit.
So is
it possible to pull back from our very human desire to control the outcome of
these things? Yes, we can if we apply the fruit test that Jesus spoke of. He identified these fruits for us and modeled
them himself, but He wasn’t the first to reveal the secret. God revealed the
test of true authority through His prophets in the Old Testament. True servants of God could be discerned in
the compassion they showed towards others. Isaiah says that God’s service means
to “Learn to do right; seek
justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the
fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17, NIV He
contrasts this here and in other places (See Isaiah 58) with self-centered
forms of worship like making sacrifices and fasting.
In a
way, Paul is echoing this same sentiment in his counsel in 1 Corinthians 14
regarding speaking in tongues. Some so-called ministries edify only those
practicing them. But the ministry of compassion builds up others. If we read
the words of Jesus, working for the building up of others appears to be the only
way we ourselves can be saved. He said,
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will
sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him,
and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on
his left.
“Then the King will say to
those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your
inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the
world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty
and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me
in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after
me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer
him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you
something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell
you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of
mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his
left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for
the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you
did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick
and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when
did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in
prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you,
whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal
punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:31:46, NIV
Perhaps
Jesus was thinking of the counsel given by the prophet in Isaiah 58 when He
spoke these words. In any event, we have all read or heard the stories of
people who have given their hearts to Jesus after a Christian visited them in
prison or provided them with food or clothing, or tended them when they were
sick. Compassion is the true representation of the authority and power of
God. I would be surprised to hear of
anyone coming to God because of a powerful argument made at a church board
meeting about the order of worship.
Decades
of experience have also shown me that the number of baptisms does not increase
based on the number of individuals given the title of Deacon or Elder, or even
Pastor. No church title or church-bestowed ordination is able to create a
fruitful ministry. Loving compassion and time taken for individual’s
needs-based concerns is the fruit that wins hearts. The church leader, who is
always in a rush to the next meeting, will find that agendas may be achieved
but little fruit is produced.
Allegorically,
a fruit tree produces fruit when it receives sun and water according to its
need, so if we want to produce fruit then we need the same things. God tells us
how to obtain them.
Take
the time to honor the needy through acts of compassion and the Bible says, “The LORD will guide you always; he
will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your
frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose
waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11, NIV Doesn’t that
sound like a recipe for bearing fruit?
If we
water others, we ourselves will be watered. This is what Jesus was referring to
in Matthew 25 in the parable about sheep and goats. If we want to enjoy God’s
loving compassion, we must be compassionate toward those in need. Compassion
gives birth to compassion, but judgment gives birth only to judgment. If we
would escape judgment ourselves, then we must be able to see the needs around
us and meet them.
It is
not enough to say that the church should be doing this ministry or that
ministry. We should also not ask why God doesn’t do more to relieve suffering in
this world. He already has. He called you and me to that work. Jesus modeled
this when He passed through
One of
my favorite authors put it like this: “If our people would administer
to other souls who need their help, they would themselves be ministered
unto by the chief Shepherd, and thousands would be rejoicing in the
fold who are now wandering in the desert.”
“Healthful Living,” Ellen White, page 275
Many
came to Jesus because He offered healing and restoration based on their
physical needs. Seeing His compassion toward those physical needs, they were
then willing to trust Him for their spiritual needs as well. It is our
privilege and opportunity to minister to others in the same way. We can meet
the physical needs of those around us. Through the Holy Spirit, He will then
participate in that ministry and the fruit will be abundant. That’s exciting!
Don’t you think?
This Commentary is a Service of Still
Waters Ministry
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