What is
your place? 1 COR 12:18 … ( Paul Nowlen )
I often ponder the 2 verses found in
NEHEMIAH 10:39 and 1 CORINTHIANS 12:18, as they apply to my personal life and
place in the body of Christ and as they apply to the local church body. Nehemiah
spent considerable time in making certain that the wall was rebuilt.
Also important was the issue of getting the worship of the Lord back into godly
order and the activities of each member defined in their families and in the
church at Jerusalem.
I see a very definite connection in these 2 verses
for us to consider.
1 COR 12:18 the KJV & NKJV use the key words “SET” and
“PLEASED” whereas the NASB uses “PLACED” and “DESIRED”. All have the same basic
meanings.
1 COR 12:18 “But
now GOD has placed
the members, each one of them, in the body,
just as HE desired”
NEH 10:39 " For the sons of ISRAEL and the sons of LEVI shall
bring the contribution of the grain, the new wine and the oil to the
chambers; there are the UTENSILS of the sanctuary, the PRIESTS who are ministering, the GATEKEEPERS and the SINGERS. Thus, we
will not neglect the house of our God.
We see in
this verse in Nehemiah that there were positions of service involved in the
sanctuary and they were put into godly order.
In 1
COR 12:28 we find that God has appointed APOSTLES,
PROPHETS, TEACHERS, MIRACLES, HEALINGS, HELPS, ADMINISTRATIONS and KINDS
OF TONGUES.
We read
these, and other similar verses, and find the correct structure of the church
is the work of the Holy Spirit, not man. This is blatantly violated by the
PRIDE of men and women today who fail to yield to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him
to select who serves where in the body of Christ. God wants ORDER in HIS
Church, not man-made selections of who serves and where they serve. This is typical of “church politics.
Having
associations, over many years, with several denominations, and 28 years in
a church founded and operated on legalism, the LORD
has graced me to understand more fully the lack of godly order and the “politics”
of how men operate the local church. 1 COR 12:18 & 28, and NEH 10:39 are
close to my heart when I study and meditate on these verses.
1
PETER 4:10 “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in
serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God”. Peter sums
it up in one simple verse. How are we to serve? Peter says…”as good stewards”.
That is precisely what Nehemiah said.
QUOTES from
Wycliffe on his article concerning the Church.
“As a
body, a living organism, the church was to grow to mature manhood, “ to the
measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ”. Christ gave
gifts to His church in the form of MEN to fulfill various tasks. ( This is
outlined in EPHESIANS 4:11-12 for reference ). Each member had
one or more spiritual gifts to EDIFY others, not to glorify the self. Each
member was to SERVE according to his particular calling and particular
abilities.
Every
member was considered in an EQUAL position under Christ the Head of the Church.
In whatever capacity each believer served, it is significant to note that He
was chosen and then guided and energized by the Holy Spirit. The chief ministry
of the church was first of all to (1) minister to the LORD, (2) to worship Him
as priests by the indwelling Spirit and (3) to carry out His will on the
earth., by performing HIS works through the power of HIS SPIRIT. And all this
was characterized by the supernatural working of the HOLY SPIRIT in every
function of the church.
Nehemiah
focused on the neglect of the House of God, along with problems of family unity, tithing,
keeping God’s laws and other issues. Nehemiah was a devoted believer in God and
a very capable administrator.
The
apostle Paul, as he viewed church government, focused on the leadership of
Christ over the people, those in local leadership and lay people.
I see
genuine godly devotion in both these servants of God ... given the times and
situations in which they lived. One from the O.T. and one from the N.T. God is awesome
as He covers ALL situations in the lives of His people.
We all should
be up to date on how today’s church is to be operated. We understand the
various offices of deacon, elder, pastor, prophet, teacher and evangelist. And who
does the physical jobs in and around the church property. There should be an ongoing concerted effort towards UNITY in all things.
Nehemiah
struggled with this in his ministry at Jerusalem. Reading NEH
10:39 to conclude. In that verse are parallel jobs and functions much akin
to what we do here at KEY Ministries.
(1)
contribution of the grain … our offerings and gifts to the
ministry
(2)
new wine and oil … understanding of truth ( I
equate this with N.T. or New Covenant truths about the Passover, Holy days,
deliverance, healings, prophecies. Truth is truth but the Lord brings us
understanding so that is New wine and oil to us)
(3)
utensils … those that take care of the kitchen supplies,
meals, sound equipment…those things that keep the ship running smoothly inside
(4)
priests … our pastor and elder who minister the truth of
God to us
(5)
gatekeepers … those who take care of the property. Yard work, repairs, servicing of the premises is the general term
(6)
singers … the praise and worship group and members of the
congregation who sing and praise the Lord
Nehemiah
and Paul both want us to see and understand that we are each loved by the LORD,
we are equal before the LORD, we each have one or more giftings from the LORD,
there is to be godly order in the church. Over-riding all of this is the
principle that the LORD selects and places each member in the body where HE pleases. It is not up to man to place people, that is God's right.
I am
coming to see this more clearly in my own personal life. Being at KEY where godly order is taught, learned
and respected by each person.
Again the
QUESTION: What is your place? You have a place, never forget that. The question
remains… what is that place ... and are you submitted to the Holy Spirit to show
you where your place is. This is vitally important to God and to your spiritual growth.
We each belong to the LORD. I close with taking a little liberty on ISAIAH 6:8. “Then I heard the voice of the LORD, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for US?” Then I, Isaiah said, “Here am I, Send me.”
I would like to reword that verse and say ….. “Here am
I, place me in the body where you desire.”
Ponder
these verses on your God-given place in the Body ... and be blessed as you obey HIM in all things.