In his letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul addresses two obstructive attitudes towards the Body of Christ. Both stem from pride and ignorance of the necessity for every member to comprehend their great responsibility to Christ.
1. “If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose.”
1 Corinthians 12:15-18 (ESV)
Hindrances to His Unity – False Humility
The first detrimental attitude depreciates God’s Call and their place in the Body of Christ. It is a false humility by those who have allowed the whispers of Satan to demean their place in God. This malignity causes a disregard of their own responsibility to God and a blind allegiance to others whom they deem more important and significant to God. This is a great sin against God and an underlying root of division and strife within the Body of Christ.
When people cast aside their own accountability to their call in Christ, they often find their identity in a man or an organization. They then feel the need to defend whatever or whomever they have given themselves to. Their identity is now based on their association with something other than Christ, and they no longer walk in the unifying power of HIS truth.
The true ministers of Christ ever seek to encourage each member of His Body to discover THEIR call and ministry. When Joshua and Caleb led the people of God through much warfare into the Promised Land, Caleb did not ask for his inheritance until the people of God had received theirs.
May we begin to feel the heart and mind of our Christ:
“So then, if there is any comfort in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tendernesses and compassions, fulfill my joy*, that you think the same, having the same love, one in soul, minding the one thing, doing nothing according to party spirit or self-glory…”
Philippians 2:1-5 (LITV)
Paul’s joy, as well as John’s (3 John 1:4), was to see the body of Christ walk in the unity of the Spirit. They were not seeking their own congregation or trying to carve out a following unto themselves! Any minister who seeks to propagate their own ministry or organization, creating a distinction from others, is heretical.
Territorial Spirits
It takes little discernment to see the “territorial spirits” that prevail today. Each minister has their own church or following that disallows other ministries in their area from ministering to “their people”. In turn, they only concern themselves with those who are of their church or fellowship. This atmosphere of competition and rivalry dilutes and taints the power of the gospel and the presentation of Jesus alone.
Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men”, yet often in the ministry today there is an underlying motive to propagate a church or minister. It is a treacherous thing in the congregation of God’s people.
Isaiah speaks of Satan’s downfall because of his desire to take the high place amid God’s congregation.
“I will sit also upon the mount* of the congregation…”
Isaiah 14:13
(*high place or distinction in the congregation, Hebrew definition)
Sadly, this attitude is seen far too often in congregations today. Attempts for true fellowship and conversation with leaders and other believers quickly turn to “My church”, “My congregation”, and “My people”. The core and ethos of much of what is called the church today has been corrupted by this desire for distinction and preeminence. May God open our eyes to the cunning and subtlety by which Satan has entrenched himself in our thinking.
Churches will often bring in speakers from elsewhere, but seldom have someone from their own locality share. But, as Jeremiah the prophet declared, “My people love to have it so.” The unspoken rivalry is revealed in their refusal to have local ministrations of Christ share in their church.
“the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests (pastors and leaders) rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?”
Jeremiah 5:31
The early Church, one that was singular and growing in unity, demonstrated the power and majesty of God. It had ministers such as Timothy and Titus travelling throughout the Church to behold their order, their love, and the doctrine being taught. There was an accountability and a ministry that ensured God’s integrity and purposes in the local church. They were to rebuke any who sought preeminence, or who desired to have people follow them.
For any minister to think they alone are sufficient for the people of God to grow into the full maturity of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13) reveals an arrogance and a dim view of all God has purposed for His people.
Related Post: Members One of Another
“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
but unto Thy Name give glory…”
(Continued in Hindrances to His Unity – Pride)
“Work out your OWN salvation
with fear and trembling…”
Accountability is the essence of relationship. A faith that absolves us of our responsibility to Him robs us of our development in Christ and His ministrations through us.
Brian Troxel
“For any minister to think they alone are sufficient for the people of God to grow into the full maturity of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13) reveals an arrogance and a dim view of all God has purposed for His people.”
I often find myself defending my faith to non-believers, and often symptoms of this very excerpt are behind the criticisms by non-Christians, to say nothing of the negative impact within our church community. Such is the way of imperfect man.
This was a very insightful piece!
–Scott
Excellent words. Thanks for sharing.
The Wall of the Religious Dam is About to Burst
I had a l vision, in this vision I saw a very large dam, picture something like Hoover dam if you will. As you know, the wall of this dam and its height are enormous. The dam in my vision serves 2 purposes: 1. it regulates the flow of water and 2. it restricts the movement of the fish within the dam as they can swim no further than the wall of the dam. The next thing I saw was thousands upon thousands of fish at the dam wall wanting to go forward but were prevented from doing so because of the dam’s wall and they were crying out to the Lord to be released . The wall in this vision is a picture of the church, as it has restricted if not altogether stopped, the flow of water, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit, and it has restricted the flow of fish(people within the church) by erecting a wall called sacred and secular. As I said before, when picturing this wall, imagine something as massive as Hoover Dam, and for a wall of this size and magnitude to be destroyed, it would be only by the hand of God. But that is precisely what I saw in the next part of this vision. I saw this wall crumble and a torrent of both fish and water came out with great force. Down stream there were, “fishermen”, these represent simple church pastors, holding a net. A key here is that they were holding one net not many. Each pastor had a responsibility for holding his part of the net. Secondly, the net was being held vertically, and its purpose was not to catch the fish that were coming but to 1. protect the fish from hurting themselves, because they were coming downstream with a violent force and 2. the net served as guidance to see to it that the fish bounced off the net and back into the stream. This net was not for catching and keeping fish, fish out of water will die. The fish, on their own, formed schools, “Simple Churches”, and went with the flow of the torrent. Rivers, as you know, flow into oceans and oceans touch nations. The reason this wall has not crumbled yet is because there are not enough, “fishermen” to hold the net and why it is so vital that they be raised up as quickly as possible
Again, this vision touches the core of my own heart. His Word to me the last 15 years is to labor to see a new Eldership arise, one that will ever point His Sheep to their Shepherd and not to themselves or something other than. He withholds the New Wine until there is a New Wine Skin free from the horrors of men’s carnality.
Even so, Lord, purify us, free us from every vestige of self that you alone may be glorified.
We need the ministrations of All that we might see HIS ALL.
Blessings
BT
I think part of the problem with the church today is the lack of pure doctrine, so there will be those who watch over their flock to protect from “ravening wolves”, “clouds without water”.
The point you made speaks of the selfishness of man in ministry, which ought not to be, because the body and the flock are the Lord’s. We are emisaries and ambassadors, not the destination but guides to eternal life to those who need to be led.
Blessings.
“think part of the problem with the church today is the lack of pure doctrine, so there will be those who watch over their flock to protect from “ravening wolves”, “clouds without water”.
Maybe best rendered His flock. Might be semantics, but I think it is a critical concept for us in our day.
Blessings
BT
Amen! this is true. His flock must be protetcted.