THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH
AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
CHAPTER TWO
WEEK 2 - WEDNESDAY
Bible Reading: 1 Cor. 12:12-27
Read and pray: "But you, why do you judge your brother? And you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God... So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God." (Rom. 14:10, 12)
The need for fellowship and
coordination in the Body and in life
If we lose the principle of coordination and dependence in the Body, we will not be strong in the administration of the church and in the ministry of the word. If we lose this principle, we will cease to have much blessing.
Our coordination should not become mechanical, and we should not work only when it is our turn on the schedule. We must have the feeling that we can do nothing without others, that we really need one another.
If we meet and divide the work, and each one does only his own task, our situation is similar to the division of duties in a public organization or large institution. This lack of desire for coordination among the members of the Body needs to be eliminated.
What does it mean to see the Body? The greatest indication that we have seen the Body is that we cannot be independent. We feel the need for the Body, we miss the brothers. At the moment, however, our coordination can be compared to working in any organization. It seems we move like a machine and lack the sense of the fellowship of life.
The lack of coordination produces criticism
If we lack coordination with others, we always criticize what they do. Even if we do not express our criticisms, we are full of them and disapprove of what they accomplish. Such people are mean and pitiable.
In our service we must never expect others to be like us nor that we be like them. However, because we lack coordination in service and mutual dependence, we almost always step on one another. Either we do not move or we step on others when we decide to move. Either we do not work or we do the work of others. Either we do not care or we criticize the work others do.
When a certain matter is in the hands of someone else, we are unable to do anything. However, when an opportunity arises, we do it our own way and discard the help of others.
Although this situation is not visible among us, it will be in the future, because we are not willing to submit to one another. This is a foolish way to proceed.
Do not demand that others be like us,
but respect what they do
We must not demand that others be exactly like us in everything. We must not argue about how they preach, visit people, or live.
Even if the way they live does not please us, we cannot set standards for them nor are we qualified to judge them. Only the Lord is the criterion and the Judge.
We need to learn to respect what others do. When we speak of being fervent, we need to respect the silence of others; when we speak of being quiet and joining ourselves to the Lord, we must not criticize those who are busy.
If everyone is exactly like us, there will be no Body. There will be only one member. That is not the church. If everyone were like us, there would be only us and not the church. The church is composed of various people.
This can be compared to the human body with its different members. The hands look like hands, the foot looks like a foot, the ears look like ears, and the eyes look like eyes. Even the member that seems the most improper is necessary to the body.
Therefore, we must learn not to step on others. When it is our turn to do a work, we must not criticize what they did. It is a blessing to respect the work of others and add ours to theirs. We must be positive when speaking to them and not negative. It is a lack of wisdom to say they are wrong. As long as these negative factors exist among us, the administration of the church will have problems and the ministry of the word will not be strengthened.
Many saints from various places serve together in the church. They have different temperaments and family backgrounds, as well as spiritual backgrounds and varied training. Therefore, we cannot expect everyone to be like us. We need to learn not to step on others. When we take a step, we cannot step on others. We must especially avoid stepping on others when we minister the word.
For example, when speaking about prayer, we must not criticize those who speak about meditation, because the saints may need both. We must limit ourselves to speaking positively about prayer without, however, criticizing what others say about meditation.
When we serve together, we must completely avoid criticizing others in the ministry of the word. Some may speak about prayer and others about meditation; some may speak about being fervent and others about being in the Holy of Holies. None of these teachings is heretical; they are just different emphases.
Criticizing others shows how mean we are and can cause divisions. If this is our way of working, there will be no building among us. On the contrary, there will be destruction.
We must simply work positively and learn to receive help from other people. We must understand that no one can do our part. Not even the apostle Paul could do what we are capable of doing. But we must also admit that we cannot replace others.
Each person has his function. When we minister the word, maintain fellowship, and pray, we must not criticize others. Particularly when we pray with other people, we must avoid praying in a contradictory manner.
Enjoy more: Hymn 426
"In the Flow! In the Flow! Working
With the Lord,
In the Spirit, as we heed His word;
Not in self nor
acting independently,
But in the work, serving in full harmony."
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