God created the body. In fact, Paul writes extensively about it in 1 Corinthians. He says, starting in verse 27:
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.
There is no question that God has given each of us special talents, abilities and gifts. He does that for a couple of reasons. To bless us, of course, but also to bless the rest of the body that does not have your particular gifts and abilities.
I firmly believe that God speaks directly to pastors, elders and other decision makers in the church–if they seek guidance in prayer. I cannot deny that God also wants to use the entire body though. Just because we seek God and ask for guidance, does not mean that He won’t use the rest of the body. If that were the case, there would be no need for those special gifts in others that are in the Church. And my guess is that the Bible would not have the teaching quoted above. Rather it would probably say something like: If you are sick, just pray. If you need leadership guidance, just pray. If you need financial advice, just pray. If you are facing a legal question, just pray.
Don’t get me wrong! In each of the situations above you should ABSOLUTELY pray. Pray first, and often. But don’t dismiss the specialized knowledge, which provides guidance as mentioned above, that is available through the body of Christ. Don’t fall into the group of folks that never take advantage of the other parts of the body. Don’t make the judgment that you do not need the body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1 Cor 12:21-26
He expects us to use the body. Doctors, accountants, general contractors, security officers, teachers, financial advisers, and lawyers are not necessarily commonly thought of, but are a part of this expectation.
My prayer is that when you need the help of a pastor, that you seek a pastor’s help. When you need a doctor, that you seek a doctor. And when you are making the daily decisions that have legal implications – like accepting the help of servant leaders, entering into contracts for installation, renovation, or even trash pickup, when you need to part ways with an employee, etc. – that you contact us for that specialized legal knowledge.
Kingdom Comprehensive was started to do just that – provide the specialized legal knowledge – and to make that directly available to ALL churches. Please contact us so we can help you!