Let
the Church Know
By
Stephen Terry
Commentary
for the June 16, 2012 Sabbath School Lesson
“…
meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the
gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running
and had not been running my race in vain.” Galatians 2:2, NIV
Several years ago, while wandering around my house in
the dark, I broke my toe by hitting it against the leg of a piece of furniture.
This required an unplanned trip to the doctor.
I was not very happy, as this had happened before. I stated to the
doctor that I could not understand why God did not protect me from this
happening, since I prayed for protection each day. The doctor wisely replied, “Maybe
God cannot understand why you don’t turn on a light to walk around your house
at night.” God had already provided the
solution. I simply had been unwilling to recognize it.
Because my foot is not an eye, it cannot see where it is
going. It relies on what the eye tells the brain and then the brain
interpreting it for the foot to go anywhere safely. The eye requires light to
do its job well. However, the brain in this case was ignoring that necessity.
It failed to inform the hand to turn on the light, and this resulted in poor
information for the brain to decide what the foot should do. Catastrophe was
only a movement away. Without the different body parts letting each other know
what needs to be done and working together to accomplish it, the various parts
might suffer as a result. The trip to the doctor meant my brain did not get the
sleep it needed that night. The foot was injured and took several weeks to
heal. My body as a whole was not at its peak during that time.
In chapter 12 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian
church, he compared the church to a human body. While the context of his
illustration is in regards to pride and humility over one’s place in the body
of Christ, it is also a fitting metaphor for how we as members of the church
body should work together. We must communicate with one another if we are to
co-ordinate the various ministries of the church and not work at cross purposes
to one another. For instance if one has a ministry to share how to prepare healthy
meals, and another has a ministry to reach out to those struggling with
addictions, but neither is aware of the activities of the other, they will not
see the opportunities that might present themselves if the ministries are
working together. Some of the same principles that help an addict to overcome
their deadly addiction might be beneficial to someone struggling with obesity
brought about by an addiction to overeating. On the other hand, principles of
healthy eating might make it easier for the drug or alcohol addict to overcome
their addictions. But when these ministries work alone, not only does the
ministry suffer, but we deprive those we are trying to help of important
resources for healing and restoration.
The same is true of the sharing of the gospel in order
to bring salvation to a darkened world. Speaking only to a person’s spiritual
need while ignoring the rest is ignoring the example set by Christ, who healed
and fed thousands. Not taking a holistic approach to salvation is like handing
someone a flashlight and then not providing the batteries. They have the tool
to light the way, but they do not have the necessary energy to make it work.
James put it like this: “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and
daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’
but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way,
faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:15-17,
NIV
God has provided these ministries for every part of the
body to be healthy, whole and salvific. So if they are not aware of one another
and are not functioning together, whose fault is it? Some might feel that it is
the fault of the leadership for failing to recognize and support their
particular area of ministry. But how can they do so if they are not even aware
of its existence? If they are made aware and fail to support and enable, then
that is between them and God. But if we fail to inform them of our ministry,
then we are the ones who must answer to God for our failure to work with the
body.
The Bible gives adequate examples of how ministry takes
place. First God calls us to ministry. This takes place at our baptism when we
are ordained to ministry by cleansing with water and anointing with the Holy
Spirit, similarly to the anointing to priesthood of Aaron and his sons. No one repents
and is baptized who is not called to ministry. Paul the Apostle was called
while on the road to Damascus. (See Acts 9) He was ordained to ministry by God
through baptism by Ananias. To his credit, he did not deny or fail to recognize
his calling. He certainly did not feel that once he was baptized he now had a
sure ticket to heaven, and all he needed to do was attend synagogue where God could
expect him to sit quietly and wait for the second coming. Ordination through
baptism and receipt of the Holy Spirit does not work like that.
Second, as a result of that ordination to ministry, the
Holy Spirit then enables one or more gifts for each of us to provide the
foundation for a fruitful ministry. As in the parable of the talents, everyone
receives at least one talent. No one receives none. (See Matthew 25:14-30) We
have a responsibility to lend ourselves to whatever ministry lies open before
us and with the enabling the Holy Spirit provides, to produce fruit for the
kingdom through that ministry. Some seem intent on waiting for someone else to
tell them what their ministry is. While this may make it easy to justify
non-involvement, it is not how one is called to ministry. God shows us our
ministry by revealing to us a need. He does not expect us to wait for someone
else to tell us to minister. That would be like coming across a car with a flat
tire and then waiting for someone else to show up to tell us to change the
tire. God reveals obvious needs, and He expects us to minister to those needs
without delay. After all if we were the one with the flat tire, and someone
showed up with a spare tire, would we be happy if they told us that they had to
wait for someone else to show up and authorize them to help us, someone who
might never arrive? (See Luke 6:31)
Third, our responsibility does not end there. It is not enough
to simply minister to a need, we need to let the church know we are doing so.
Using the example of the flat tire, others might be able to minister with a
warm beverage or a blanket if the travelers are cold. They might be able to
provide transportation if it is urgently needed. Many people might play a part
in ministering to other needs that were revealed once someone committed to
ministering to the first need. But without reporting what is being done,
everyone might show up with tire jacks and no one with a blanket. Ministry
should not be run like a Keystone Cop comedy, as God expects all things to be
done decently and in order. (See 1 Corinthians 14:40) As our physical bodies
cannot handle every member going its own way, so the spiritual body will not be
able to function well without coordination of the various ministries of its
members.
Paul also recognized this need for coordination when he
went to Jerusalem and sought the input of the other apostles regarding his
ministry. He realized that all his work could be for naught if he was working at
odds with what the others were doing. Already there had been controversy over
some practices between others who had come from Jerusalem and the ministry he
was advancing in Asia Minor. His hope was that by reporting his work to the
church and making them aware of his efforts at sharing the gospel, along with
soliciting their counsel, the controversies would lose their power to distract
from evangelizing the Gentiles. When he went forth with the endorsement of the
brethren in Jerusalem, his work was able to proceed with more power than it had
before. The authority of the Jerusalem Council was a helpful buffer between his
ministry and those who would cripple it.
All who would respond to the gospel call and be ordained
to ministry will be faced with those who would seek to cripple their ministry,
just like Paul. They may even try to prevent our ministry all together. They
may try to bring minor doctrinal issues to the fore today, just as some did in
Paul’s day over the issue of circumcision. If we allow these issues to distract
us from our ministry, then we will lose focus and power for our calling. It is
hard to resist these pressures when we stand alone. If we fail to let the
church know of our ministry, we may be ignoring a powerful resource that can
help our ministry to stand. Solomon wisely wrote “For if they fall, the one
will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he
hath not another to help him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:10, KJV
We should also understand that when we share our
ministry and its needs with the church that we are not only helped, we also
help enable the ministries of others. Just as God reveals our calling through
the needs we see around us, He also uses our needs to call others to
opportunities to minister. If we fail to let the church know about our
ministry, we may be thwarting someone else’s enabling for ministry by failing
to give them an opportunity to respond.
Instead of stumbling about in the dark as I did when I broke
my toe. We need to work together so we can fulfill everyone’s ministry and walk
together in the light.
This Commentary is a Service of Still
Waters Ministry
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