Five Operations of the Holy Spirit Part 11
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:4,5)
Every born-again follower of the Lord Jesus is a member of the Body of Christ. This may seem like a simple fact that does not require labored explanation or much attention. The more we become aware of what goes on in Christendom the more we realize that the simple fact of the oneness of the Christian Church is challenged more often than any other truth of the Gospel of Christ.
There may be a hundred thousand logical explanations why there are sectarian divisions in the Body of Christ. The simple truth is, each division arises from the weaknesses of our flesh.
Every person on the earth either is a member of the Body of Christ or he is not. As far as the Body of Christ is concerned, there is no special kind of Christian, no Jewish Christian or Gentile Christian, for example, but all are one in Christ. How could a person be a true Christian and not be a member of the Body of Christ?
Consider the areas of specialization in the armed forces of one of the nations of today. There are soldiers in the infantry, the signal corps, transportation units, special task forces, naval units, the air force, supply units, clerical units and any number of other specialists.
If any one of these branches suddenly decided that it was the whole armed force, the only true, active, capable, dependable attack and defence strength that the country possessed, it quickly would discover in the heat of combat that the other branches were important and necessary.
How foolish it would be for the infantry to announce that it was the real fighting force and all the other branches were false. In time of war the infantry would be helpless without communication, food, medical help, and transportation.
The Christian Church is one Body of Christ, but today we see many divisions in the one Body. Each division is certain it is correct in doctrine and experience and has little or no need of any other part of the Body.
How much better, how much stronger, how much more charitable to receive every believer in the Lord Jesus, no matter how peculiar he or she may seem to us, as a fellow member of the one Body of Christ. Are we able to recognize the Spirit of Christ in another person when his doctrine is different from ours?
As soon as we move into the days of persecution and trouble that are ahead we will discover that the Christians whom we despised are important after all. The battle of the ages is at hand and we will need every Christian on earth and in Heaven if we are to win, and having won to serve God acceptably as kings and priests in the earth.
It is not that God requires many people in order to perform His will. Rather, it is that God is pleased to abide in us and among us when there is love and harmony among the many members of the Body. God will not dwell and work where there is strife.
Let us always adopt the attitude that all the people of the Lord are beloved of Him and that each is important in the Kingdom of God. If we will recognize and receive the Lord's saints, our conduct and speech will bring together and build the one Body of Christ.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6-8)
We are not to be passive concerning our gifts and ministries. We have discussed previously that we are to covet earnestly the greater gifts. We are to bring before God each day our requests concerning the gifts and ministries we desire, meanwhile giving praise and thanksgiving to Him. Also, we are to be faithful in the exercise of the gifts and ministries we do have.
It requires experience as well as dedication if we are to become skilful in the use of our ministries. There are no short cuts. As we prophesy we learn to prophesy. As we minister we learn to minister. As we teach we learn to teach.
The main business in the life of a disciple of Jesus is to diligently follow Christ, to resist sin, and to be diligent with the Lord's "money"—the gifts of the Spirit. How, what, where, and when to minister are questions that can be answered only in terms of one's personal experience with the Lord Jesus.
The Holy Spirit gives wisdom and power, moment by moment, until we find ourselves in the centre of the Lord's will. We are to use our spiritual enablement's in a manner that is most helpful to the task of building every Christian into the one Body of Christ, the Anointed Deliverer who will bring justice and deliverance to the peoples of the earth.
We are studying, at this point, the assigning, directing, and empowering of the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit. We have just reviewed the assigning and directing of our ministries and the importance of personal dedication to the will of the Lord Jesus.
We should consider now the empowering of our ministries. We can have gifts and ministries and be diligent in the use of them, and still not have an anointing of power on them. How can that be?
There are at least three factors related to the empowering of gifts and ministries: (1) absolute obedience to Christ; (2) importunity; and (3) the supporting role of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Let us look further at each of these areas.