How to Church (4)
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all…. 1 Corinthians 12.7
Gifts to be given
Paul asked a question to the believers in Corinth that must have shocked them a bit. After again reminding them that the way he and Apollos churched while they were in Corinth is an example of what they were supposed to be doing, he asked, “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor. 4.7).
The Corinthians were no different than Paul and Apollos. They had gifts they had received from God. They were not to regard these things as their own, to do with as they pleased, and to boast about how they’d done good with them for themselves. These gifts—time, spiritual life, daily strength, wealth—all came to them from the hand of their loving God. And, as Jesus taught in the parable of the talents (Matt. 25.14-30), God expects us to use all the gifts He’s given us to create a return on investment of glory for Him. And the arena, the “display case,” in which God is looking for His glory is the local church. In every local church God has distributed gifts which are to be used for building up the Body of Christ in unity and maturity, increasing in love for God and neighbors (Eph. 4.11-16).
Our churching consists in using the gifts God has given us by His Spirit for the “profit” of His Body. Remember, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, we are not our own; we have been purchased for God with the precious blood of His own dear Son (1 Cor. 6.19, 20). We are not our own, and whatever we have in the way of gifts from God are not ours, either. So our individual work of churching must begin by asking, What have I been given, and what can I give for building my local church in unity, maturity, and love?
The time of your life
Let’s start with our time. Our time is not our own. Let me say that again: Our time is not our own. Paul wrote to the Ephesians that we must “redeem” of the time God gives us—the time, not our time (Eph. 5.15-17). It’s not our time; it’s God’s gift of time to us, a most precious gift, a gift that needs redeeming so that it may bring glory to God.
The time of our lives comes from and belongs to God. We are stewards of the time He gives us, and we must make the best use of time for His glory. How much of our time is consciously, consistently, and carefully used in building up our local church by doing good works of ministry (Eph. 4.11, 12)? By loving God, those in our home and our church, and all the other people in our lives?
A certain amount of our time each week will be given specifically to churching. We’ll participate in worship, be amongst our fellow church members, participate in a Bible study or ministry activity, and so forth. We need to make sure that these times are as full and rich as we can make them. But in a very real sense, since we are at all times members of the Body of Christ, we are at all times involved in the work of churching. We represent the Lord, and we can express His beauty, goodness, truth, and love in all the time of our lives.
But we’ll have to pay careful attention to how we use our time if this is going to be the case. Pray, therefore, like Moses, that God will teach you how to “number” the time He gives you, so as to use it wisely and for His glory (Ps. 90.12, 16, 17).
More besides
As we learn to make better use of our time for churching we’ll find that it’s much easier to employ our other gifts in this great work as well. Let’s start with our spiritual lives. Have you given your soul to churching? Do you pray for your church—her leaders, members, ministries, needs, and so forth? And do you nurture your soul—mind, heart, and conscience—so that you think about, long for, and value the work of church from the very depths of your being? Are you fully invested, in your soul, for fulfilling the work of church to which you have been called?
Next, consider your bodily strength—how you invest the members of your body in building up your church. Where can you contribute of your presence and strength so that the energy and talents God gives you can come into play for the profit of everyone? Each of us has something to offer in the way of gifts, given by God’s Spirit, which engage our bodily strength for works of ministry. If we’re not ministering to others, with a view to building up the Church of our Lord, then we’re not using the gift of bodily strength as God intends.
Certainly we have plenty of other things to do with our bodies each week. But since we are always members of the Body of Christ—even when we’re not at church—we should be thinking about how we apply our bodily strength and skills for the glory of God and the edification of His Church at all times.
Finally, wealth. Christians are the best givers in the world when it comes to their wealth. But we must be careful to give the Lord the first fruits of our wealth; the tithe—ten percent of our regular income—is a guideline every believer should follow. God commands it, and we can do whatever God commands. God owns all our wealth, of course (Ps. 24.1). By giving the tithe we acknowledge His right to define the terms of our giving, and to engage more of our wealth as needs and opportunities for giving arise.
The first step in churching is to give all we can, as often and as completely as we can, and God will empower us to do so as we respond to Him in faith. This requires prayerful introspection, careful planning, continuous growth, and faithful monitoring of our stewardship, so that in all we do we may boast of the Lord’s goodness and glory.
For reflection or discussion
1. What gifts has God given you for churching?
2. How are you applying those gifts to the work of building your local church?
3. What could you do to improve the use of your gifts in churching?
Next steps—Preparation: Commit all the gifts God has given you to Him in prayer. Be specific. Seek His leading concerning how to be a better steward of His gifts for the profit of your whole church.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
A good supplement to this ongoing study on the Church is our free PDF book, Pray for Your Church. Download your copy from The Ailbe Bookstore by clicking here. Also, we encourage you to visit our ReThinking Church page, where you’ll see a variety of free resources to help you church.
This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues an extensive look at the Kingdom of God from our book, The Kingdom Turn. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we are looking at the state of pastors and churches during the period of the Celtic Revival, using contemporary witnesses. And in our Scriptorium column we are studying the Gospel of Matthew. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
