Do you want to know one tried and true way satan uses to stop the Church? Read on.
Have you ever been part of a congregation where it seems that everything is moving along smoothly, and the church is growing…only to have the wheels fall off, and the whole church falls apart?
What happened? Well, there are probably many different reasons for something like this, but one of the most common attacks of the devil is to spread discord among believers. If satan can get you angry or offended at your brothers or sisters in Christ, then the work of sharing the Gospel will slowly grind to a halt.
How does he do it? I can identify the trigger with one word: self. Focus on “me” instead of “us”, and focus on “me” instead of Jesus. If the devil can get you to make decisions that benefit you at the expense of others, he has won the first round.
Perhaps the first temptation that you will receive is one of feeling offended, insulted or overlooked. Maybe you feel taken for granted or unappreciated. “nobody realizes how much I do around here” or “I am tired of putting up with….”
Can I ask you a question? Who put that train of thought in your head? Did the Holy Spirit lead you to think “you do too much for others” or did it come from somewhere else? Obviously, it isn’t from the Spirit. The Spirit leads to unity, even at the expense of our personal preferences. That’s what “agape” love looks like…it sacrifices for others. The Holy Spirit will lead you to sacrifice for others, and He will lead others to sacrifice for you. And the desire to do so doesn’t come from a feeling of love that you have manufactured, but from a pure love that comes from Christ himself, delivered to you by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, you CAN love the unlovable, and even those you worship with, as you allow the Spirit to work in and through you. Consider this: if Jesus could love the people who were torturing him as He was crucified, saying “Father, forgive them for they don’t realize what they are doing”, then you can deal in love with the people you come in contact with.
Get over it.
Okay… last thought. Paul points out that we are all equal in Christ, and that no one receives more or less status or attention. This holds true today. The minister is simply doing him part with the gifts given him. The other servants are doing their parts in the same way. All parts are important, and none are to be recognized as “more important”. The Holy Spirit gifts and equips as He sees fit, and when He does so, He intends that God will receive all the glory.
Don’t allow the devil to gain a foothold by convincing you that you are more important, and don’t encourage this kind of temptation by showering one person with too many compliments. Remind one another that all of us are vital to Jesus, and each one is important to Him.
This will be a common thread throughout 1 Corinthians. Apparently the church there had begun to forget it key teaching.
one small part of God’s glorious creation,
PR