Ephesians 4:16 ( NKJV )
from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Yesterday we talked about what the new wineskin church must look like. In order to fulfill the purpose of God in this outpouring of the Spirit, it is necessary that the old wineskin of professional pastors doing all the work while a lay congregation simply receive be changed. The true nature of the church has always been the body of Christ. Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 that the body is made up of many members. Each member must provide what it was made to provide for the body to function properly.
If the professional ministry is the mouth, for instance, we need eyes and ears and hands and feet. No part of our physical body is unimportant. The same is true for the body of Christ. I’ve heard it said that even if you are the small toe on the foot of the body, you are important. I believe this to be true. The new wineskin that we need in this day emphasizes and implements this truth. The professional ministry does not do the work. The professional ministry teaches, counsels, prays for and ministers to the congregation so they can do the work. They fulfill their callings and the Body of Christ is built up.
When I was first in the ministry some 30 years ago, God gave me a vision of local church. That vision was later identified and clarified through a prophetic word given to me by a visiting preacher. Although he knew I was in the ministry, he did not know me personally at all. I had never shared with him anything about what God had shown me. At the end of one of the services he looked at me and said, “God has called you to more than a work. He has called you to build a fountain of life.” This is exactly what I saw and what I believe this new wineskin church is to be. A fountain of life and ministry pouring out to the community from every vessel and in every possible method available. Lord let it be so!
There are two major hindrances to this type of church being built. They are the pastor and the people. Both need to be committed to this idea for it to work. On the part of the pastor, or leader of the church, he or she must be willing to allow people to function. They must be able to accept that things might not be done exactly as they would do them. I believe that there has been a deception in the church over the last number of years. The word used is excellence, but I believe the right word is perfectionism.
If we are going to have a fountain of life, pastors must recognize that everything done is not going to be perfect. They must accept that the people are not professionals. The people must be allowed to grow and develop. To do this involves mistakes and less than perfect results. Remember that the church is also a family. Our children would never learn to walk or talk if they had to wait until they were perfect before we even let them try. They fall, they say the wrong words they make mistakes, but we understand that this is all part of the process. So it is in our churches.
I like to point out the difference between principle and preference. Most pastors can’t get by their own preference. They know how they would do it and how they want it done and if the volunteer worker can’t do the job that way, the pastor usually either takes it over or gives it to someone else. Since that person is not the pastor, they also can’t satisfy his or her preference. In the end everyone is discouraged, the job is probably not done and the pastor is burned out.
I believe that if I give someone a job to do they should be allowed to do it their way. I make sure they are doing it according to biblical principles, but I do not require them to do things according to my preference. There are some exceptions to this, however as a whole I don’t care how a job is done as long as it gets done. I let them know what we can afford to spend, I let them know the result I need to see and then I let them do it. If they need help I give it. If I see something that isn’t working or that is not proper principle, I tell them. In the end they feel a sense of ownership, they have supplied what they could and the church is built. Sometimes things aren’t as professional as I might like. Sometimes I could have done it better. Most of the time it is better than I could have done and the people learn and grow through the process.
The second hindrance is the people. For some it is hard to break away from the old wineskin. They expect the ministry to do the work for them. Their mentality is that we pay the pastor to do this work. As we have discovered this is not biblical, but old, comfortable things are hard to get away from. I find however, that for most charismatic and Pentecostal churches the problem is simpler. The people are either too busy or too lazy to build a church like this.
There is no easy answer to this. I know that modern life is busy. I raised six kids. I know about school, sports homework and all the rest. I understand the need to make a living and that secular employers don’t always accept the church schedule as a priority for their workers. That said, I believe as a Christian the church needs to have a place of importance in your heart. If someone honestly cannot participate, we understand. We pray with them that God will make a way. I believe each believer should cultivate that kind of attitude.
for those who are too lazy……well I guess the answer is obvious. If you can be involved but choose not to, you need to repent. If TV or sports or anything else is more important than the house of God, you need to change priorities. If you have a family and need family time, there is no better place to spend it than involved in the life of the church. As I said, I raised six and we were involved all the time. Those are some of my families fondest memories and a major reason that all six are involved in church themselves.
I know this can be hard, but if we really want to see God move there is no other way. He is not going to pour out His spirit again just to have the move last a generation and fade away. He is not going to use just a few to touch the world. I am convinced this is the move that will produce the great last days ingathering. We need to be ready both as individuals and as local churches. It’s up to us.
Haggai 1:2-4 ( KJV )
Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built. Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?
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