Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
Those who look weak, less capable, or less important in Christ's body are still necessary to the whole. The figure pictures the church as one body arranged and placed by God as He pleased, with Jesus Christ as the living Head on whom every member depends for life and working power. Different members are given different gifts by the same Spirit to meet varied minds, so no one is to measure gifts against another, despise another's gifts, or force all minds into sameness. No member can be self-sufficient or say to another that he has no need of him, for God has joined together people of different talents and experience so that lack in one is supplied by another and all must stay united to succeed. This holds especially for the ministry of the Word and medical missionary work, which have different but mutually needed roles as body and arm, and each suffers and becomes unbalanced when separated from the other.
Body Figure Explained
Those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary, so members of Christ's body who appear weak, less capable, less important, or lacking honor are still necessary to the whole and are to receive greater care so that the church remains united in mutual care. God has arranged and placed the members and their different gifts as He pleased so that none should consider itself self-sufficient, measure its gift against another's, dismiss another as unneeded, reject, crowd, or judge one another, for each has a distinct part in one body. Christ is the living Head on whom all members depend for life and working power, and missionary workers must therefore counsel together and pray together and make no move independently or in opposition to one another, letting no member suffer for lack of proper exercise, each using his God-given ability to the utmost for building up the kingdom while keeping his own individuality in manner and bearing in perfect harmony. The Lord's unceasing tenderness to His people requires the same tenderness to one another, to speak good words that help and strengthen brethren, to unite in service, to jealously guard one another's interests and give practical support even though mistakes are made, instead of standing apart in self-confidence watching to criticize and condemn, and this instruction read with chapter 13 calls believers to reject factional division and show the truth's power through unity and love.
The figure of the members composing one body represents the church of God and the relation its members should sustain to one another, with Jesus Christ as Head in whom all center. The various gifts are to be actively exercised together in the one body, for because two members do not act the same part no member is to entertain self-sufficiency or say to another, I have no need of thee, and among the members there is to be no crowding, no judging, and no measuring of one gift by another. Different members have different gifts by the same Spirit, illustrated by the human body from head to feet with different members and different offices yet all belonging to one body, and this diversity is God's plan to meet the varied organizations and minds in the world, so the strength of one servant need not be the strength of another. As children must be given opportunity to act out their powers and develop the qualities God endowed them with instead of being governed into sameness, each member of God's family is to cultivate and use his own God-given endowment, and those who look weak or have peculiar traits others find objectionable still have independent natural traits that give access to a class others cannot touch. No one should try to bend other minds to his own ideas or mold their judgment and character, but each person must be left free for God to convict his heart, call forth his powers, and develop individual strength and God-given qualities for a special work, because too much governing and human training destroys will and identity and spoils a person for the work God wants him to do.
The twelfth and thirteenth chapters of First Corinthians should be committed to memory and written in mind and heart, studied and digested and not ignored by professed people of God brought together in church capacity, who will then be united understandingly and intelligently. The one grand necessity of church members is to walk humbly with God in the path of obedience. The Word of God is itself a complete body pervaded by one divine life, just as the outward human form is a complete structure where every part is united to and dependent for life upon the other, and as even the members which seem more feeble are necessary with each member having its special office connected with the other to form a complete whole, so every book and every portion of Scripture has its use and its special office with some lesson to be learned in every part. No book is without purpose, though its real purpose may perplex at first, and studied as a book of education it is seen to be prepared by divine Intelligence to express God's own thoughts and intentions, adapted to the human being in every phase of life to secure a special result and to make the human family complete in Christ.
Believers are united to Christ as a limb is united to the body, and to believe on Christ means to put on Christ and to be joined to Him in that close, living union, uniting their weakness to His strength. Christ clothed His divinity with humanity and came down from the throne of God to show what human beings may become, so that His humanity could touch and uplift humanity while with His divine arm He grasped the throne of the Infinite, thus linking finite man with the infinite God. No one is qualified to bear the burden of the work alone, but God has joined together men of different minds, talents, experience, and ability as members of Christ's body to counsel with and assist one another, so that deficiency in the experience and abilities of one is supplied by the experience and abilities of another, and believers must carefully learn their relation to one another by dying to self and living to Christ so that cherished strong unchristlike traits of character are softened, subdued, and purified and they are united with one another in order to be one with Christ in God. Separation from those whose interests had been closely joined feels like tearing a limb from the body. The church is a living body and its enterprises are arms and branches of that body, and the spiritual condition of an arm depends on the condition of the body, so the light and vitalizing, healthful current needed to control and keep an institution right must diffuse from a healthy church to that branch of the work. When the church stands in the counsel of God and enjoys His favor and the light of His countenance, it sends health to its arms, but when the church is sickly and in moral darkness, it circulates a sickly, deathly influence through the whole living body until disease is apparent everywhere, and the moral darkness, errors, and spiritual death in its institutions come from the church itself.
Diversity of Gifts
Different members receive different gifts by the same Spirit, as the human body from head to feet and from eyes to feet has different members with different offices yet all belong to one body centered in Christ the Head. This diversity is God's plan and God's order to meet varied organizations and minds in the world, with one gift given to one person and another to another as it pleases Him and some serving in one line and others in other lines under the same Spirit for the good of all. Many gifts are called for and all remain members of one body, so no member is to entertain self-sufficiency or say to another, I have no need of thee, and among the members there is to be no crowding, no judging, and no measuring of one gift by another. Recognizing this guards against pride, envy, contempt, rivalry and despising another's gifts or work, since no one person has every qualification or can act independently in every matter, and it strengthens unity, mutual love, harmony and humble service with all members depending on one another to form a whole. The strength of one servant of God need not be the strength of another, so no one's strength is the measure for another and no one is to try to bend other minds to his own ideas or mold their judgment and character. Each person must be left free for God to convict the heart, call forth powers, and develop individual strength and God-given qualities for a special work, because too much governing and human training into sameness destroys will and identity and spoils a person for the work God wants done.
Life rejects uniformity and requires unity in variety, with diversity remaining while dependence and harmony increase under the laws controlling the being and an unseen, conscious, indivisible unity keeping every part working in harmony with every other. The more fully believers drink in of the Spirit the more they are animated and united by surpassing love, dying to self and living to Christ until strong unchristlike traits are softened, subdued and purified and weakness is united to His strength. No one mind alone is sufficient to devise plans, direct the work, or exert a healthful, well-balanced influence, and no one is to regard self as capable of being a complete whole, but God joins together men of different minds, talents, experience and ability to counsel with and assist one another so deficiency in one is supplied by another. All are needed as complements of one another in unity in diversity, blending diverse elements one adapted to the other, each doing a special work and filling a place in one great plan bearing the stamp of Christ's image, which requires united effort with the Holy Spirit, time to understand one another, finding points of resemblance, accepting keener perceptions and ability in others, giving due credit, helping and supplying lack instead of standing apart to watch, criticize and judge. Those who look weak or have peculiar traits others find objectionable still have independent natural traits that give access to a class others cannot touch, and suppressing distinctive qualities can prevent serving people others cannot reach.
The smallest gift is not to be overlooked, for God can use it to advance His cause when its possessor has faith and puts it to use, and each member should be encouraged to cultivate, develop and use the entrusted endowment instead of being governed into sameness, with members of different gifts helping one another and working in unity. Each part however small affects the usefulness of the body, so misuse of even one nerve or muscle can lessen the whole, and each person should carefully preserve and faithfully use gifts however small they seem. God may impress different minds with the same thought and each may express it in a different way without contradiction, each dwelling on particular points fitted by constitution and education to appreciate, as sunlight gives different hues to different objects and many stones each with its special light and significance make one breastplate. As different styles of building suit different locations and the books of the Bible unite under one cover with different testimonies forming one whole, there are many minds but one Mind, with truth given by inspiration expressed according to the development of the mind by the Holy Spirit without cramping into one mold, and those who view or express truths differently may be just as precious. Applied to writing and preaching, especially on the third angel's message, different minds may present truth in different figures and different ways of presentation with unity in diversity under the Holy Spirit, with no worker submerging individuality in another or straining for originality contrary to the Word, and difference of expression or viewpoint must not become contradiction, confusion or perplexity but be viewed in the light shining in the face of Jesus Christ with closeness sought by dwelling on agreed things in meekness, lowliness, tenderness and love while all draw from the same storehouse, feed on the same source, are bought by the same blood and remain wholly dependent on God without selfishness or self-exaltation.
French workers like the Bourdeaus are necessary members even though they seem more feeble, slow, and different from American ministers, for God has a work for them among the French that American ministers cannot do. Their different qualities and gifts should not be suppressed to force them to be exactly like others in mind and ideas, but they must be given elbow room to act themselves, with sympathy, consideration, encouragement and sustaining support that stimulates earnest and persevering exertion in dependence on God rather than self-confidence or despondency. Different qualities complement one another, as Melancthon's gentleness, caution and exactness complemented Luther's courage and energy, and their union strengthened their work.
Unity and Mutual Dependence
No member is to entertain self-sufficiency or say to another, I have no need of thee, for God has arranged the members and their different gifts in one body whose head is Jesus Christ, and even those who seem weaker are still necessary. Because two members do not act the same part, there is to be among the members no crowding, no judging, and no measuring of one gift by another, and no member is to reject, despise, or dismiss another as unneeded. All members depend on Christ as living head for life and working power, and missionary workers must therefore counsel together, pray together, and make no move independently or in opposition to one another, each using his God-given ability to the utmost while keeping his own individuality in manner and bearing and working together in perfect harmony. When believers come together for counsel they are to let no member suffer for lack of proper exercise, but unite in service and jealously guard one another's interests even though mistakes are made.
No one is qualified to bear the burden of the work alone, but God has joined together men of different minds, talents, experience, and ability as members of Christ's body to counsel with and assist one another. Deficiency in the experience and abilities of one is supplied by the experience and abilities of another, so different gifts and abilities have their proper places and no one person's wisdom, gifts, or methods are enough to make the work complete. Believers must carefully learn their relation to one another, uniting their weakness to His strength as Christ clothed His divinity with humanity, dying to self and living to Christ so that strong unchristlike traits are softened, subdued, and purified and they are united with one another in order to be one with Christ in God. Needing others is not a cause for humiliation, and workers should work together humbly even when they differ in judgment or plans and even when they serve in different lines.
God's people are one body in which every member, even those who seem more feeble, is necessary and must stay united to the body. No one can disconnect from the agencies God has appointed and work on an independent line in his own supposed wisdom and yet be successful, for that feeling is a delusion of the enemy and will not prosper in the end even when a person flatters himself that he is doing God's work while separate. Each person is to work in his respective capacity, likeminded with God, pure, holy, and sincere, using the measure of ability God has given in the place where he can serve most effectively, and not be shut up to himself to live for himself. The members of God's church are as different parts of a machine, all closely related to one another and dependent on one great center, so there is to be unity in diversity and no member can work successfully in independence detached from the others, but all are to draw together so His work can advance in an orderly and united way.
The Lord's unceasing tenderness to His people requires them to show the same tenderness to one another, with sympathy and kindly interest rather than standing apart in self-confidence watching for an opportunity to criticize and condemn. Believers are to speak good words that help and strengthen their brethren, care for one another's interests with practical support, and give greater care to those who seem to lack honor so that the church remains united. The body's members have different functions and cannot replace one another, yet they work together as one whole, so none should treat another as inferior or unnecessary, depreciate any part of God's work, or despise any class of minds, for the church needs people of varied talents and every social rank and each has a role in sharing light. Even the weaker members are necessary to the usefulness of the whole under God's supervision, so each part is to be respected, encouraged, sustained, and given due recognition, with no fitful spasmodic movements and no envy, evil thinking, evil speaking, or evil acting, but sympathy of every part with the whole, each speaking the truth in love and working for the benefit of all.
The church, like the human body, must work together as one body, each carrying out its proper role under sanctified direction in harmonious, well-regulated action. Every member has a work to do and no one can be a member while inactive, for various lines of work are committed to different men according to their several ability, yet all the work belongs to one great whole. All are to work together in concert, each controlled by divine power, putting forth undivided effort to draw those around them to Christ, with hearts blending and all moving like well-adjusted machinery, each part dependent on the other part yet standing distinct in action. As every part of the human body has its own office and contributes to the whole, each member should serve as part of one united body governed by sanctified intelligence, and the variety of the members and their dependence on one another make a harmonious, complete whole.
Members brought together in church capacity, many or few, constitute the members of Christ's body and are not to antagonize one another or divide in contention, for Christ prayed that His disciples may be one as He was one with the Father. Each one has his distinctive place to act a part, as hand, head, ear, eye, or limbs of the body, so there is no more reason for strife over who shall be greatest than among the members of the human body over which shall be greatest. When one member suffers then all members suffer with it, and if one member is honored all are honored and rejoice with him, bound together in mutual dependence under Christ the living head. People remain bound to one another even when they ignore those bonds, and failing to study God's purposes for their relationships harms their own character and becomes a snare to others, while all are to cooperate with Christ in restoring the moral image of God in man, each working out his own salvation and the salvation of family and associates.
Through Christ God has joined people together as different parts of one great whole, giving each person an influence that makes it impossible to live to self alone, and Christ's people are made necessary to one another and to God through the uplifted Saviour. All are under mutual obligation to one another, and no soul can be made independent of the rest, for this unity binds man to God by golden cords of love and lays each one under obligation to work for his fellow men. There is to be no party strife in the family of God and no partition walls built up between man and man, for the well-being of each is the happiness of the whole and Christ as the great Center must unite all in one. In Him believers are pledged to shun any course that will cause schism, to refuse to make the questions at issue in the world the theme of conversation, to call upon the world to behold the uplifted Saviour, and to let Christ train them to imitate His virtues, His meekness and lowliness, His goodness, patience, and love, so that heart and hand are consecrated to His service and man becomes a channel through which the love of God flows in rich currents to bless others, with no shade of strife.
Church Order and Leadership
Simple organization and church order are ordained for the unity and perfection of the church, and the man holding office stands as leader, adviser, counselor and helper in bearing burdens and in leading thanksgiving to God, not as one appointed to order and command the Lord's laborers, for the Lord is over His heritage and will lead His people. Position gives no kingly authority, for all are brethren, and those carrying responsibilities must treat fellow laborers with the same consideration they would wish were positions reversed, learning meekness from the great Teacher until becoming Christlike. No man is to stand as a king forbidding workers to go where they can build up the work or controlling their support, but every part must work in connection with every other part joined by golden links, each finding a place to work even in destitute fields and waste places of the earth. God has not given all wisdom to any one man, so no leader in sacred office can bear responsibilities alone or act as voice for the people, and his judgment is not unerring. Every other man is just as valuable, his opinion worthy of respect and likely as correct, God being willing to teach and guide him, and to every man talents are given according to ability, so leaders need helpers whose minds do not run in exactly the same lines, each supplying the other's deficiency until they become a complete whole in perfect harmony.
Workers who seem weak or less important remain necessary parts of the whole, and each is to recognize his place, value fellow workers, and willingly receive their advice and caution. All believers are joined as members of one body in close relationship, Christian to Christian and church to church, with every agency subordinate to the Holy Spirit so that human effort cooperates with divine power in organized united effort to give the world the glad tidings of grace. No worker can regard individual judgment as supreme expecting light from God alone while passing others by, and to neglect or despise those appointed to bear leadership responsibilities in advancing truth is to reject means ordained for help, encouragement and strength. A studied effort is made to separate such independent ones from those who are channels of light through whom the work has been built up and extended, placing them where they are liable to be deceived and overthrown. The church is inseparable from Christ and its members depend on one another, so despising appointed leaders rejects God's provision for His people.
No member of Christ's body can dismiss another as unneeded, for even members seeming more feeble are necessary, and Christ as living head supplies all with life and working power. Missionary workers must therefore counsel together, pray together, and make no move independently or in opposition, letting no member suffer for lack of proper exercise, each using God-given ability to the utmost for building the kingdom while keeping individuality in manner and bearing in perfect harmony. God teaches different people, not one person alone, so believers should share thoughts and plans, listen to one another, and receive counsel with brotherly kindness and love. Workers should accept counsel and caution from one another, blend plans, and seek God's wisdom with patient watchful spirit, never acting as if able to work alone as parts of a larger whole. In council and committee work this unity in diversity makes a complete whole through liberty of expression, blending of capabilities, equal interest pledged by prayer, and union in action without dissenting voice and without selfishness, with no man launching out against another and no one inventing his own plans for raising means, supporting schools, or sustaining the ministry.
Such united action is essential for managing large gatherings and camp-meetings, standing against fanaticism and heresy, sustaining truth, and reaching holiness and perfection of Christ's character. No one is qualified to bear the burden alone, for God has joined men of different minds to counsel with and assist one another, so deficiency in one's experience and abilities is supplied by another's, each sustaining relation to the others with a work to do. Minds must blend in planning, counsel must not be barred out, and advice and caution from brethren must be received with confidence in their wisdom, for safety and strength come from realizing all are parts of a great whole. God gives each person a distinct line of service, so workers should respect one another's assignments rather than interfere with or take over another's work. In the body every member has an appointed place, and even those seeming more feeble are necessary to harmonious working, for large machinery moves beautifully with exact harmonious revolutions only when everyone keeps hand to his own machine diligently, faithfully and correctly.
Those who leave their own work to rearrange the church and correct the great wheel are out of place, and instead of helping make a more disagreeable noise, jar and hinder the whole, and make things much worse. Every member is to remain united with the church and use God-given power in the part where effective service is possible, with no separation to work independently or live for self. Each has work assigned by God and should remain at his own post rather than neglecting it to take over another's, working in harmony with other agencies He employs and prayerfully considering how each undertaking affects the cause so each part accords with the whole. The church of Christ is made up of all ranks, all classes and varied talents, and it takes all classes of talents to make a perfect complete whole. Those seeming more feeble, lowly or poor are necessary by God's ordained combination of all classes of minds, and no part of the great work is to be depreciated, undervalued, shut out or reluctantly acknowledged, whether agencies are higher or lowlier, for human pride must not dissolve what divine wisdom joined.
All, high and low, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, have part in diffusing light in different degrees, with interests indissolubly united in the great web of humanity so none can withdraw sympathy from another without loss. No part of God's work or class of minds is to be depreciated, for each has a role in sharing light, and the church's health depends on shared interests and mutual care. The members are mutually dependent and the church is complete only in Christ with every member holding a necessary place, including Black men and women who can be taught and equipped as workers to save souls among their own community. Every branch of God's work is necessary and none is to think his own branch vastly more important than others, for the principles governing general organization govern publishing and sanitarium work alike. Neither the General Conference at Battle Creek nor the publishing institution is to be perpetuated as a kingdom of itself exercising kingly power over the rest.
No church and no conference may separate from conference organization to show its own efficiency, for separation is entirely opposed to divine order. God's plan is reciprocal dependence, perfect unity and love learned from Jesus, with every church and conference building one another up in most holy faith and seeking the Holy Spirit so light is reflected in clear bright rays. The sacred chain of dependence binding men together is not slavery, and to break it by evil thinking and evil speaking, discord and separation, lets the enemy enter to rob families of happiness and the church of usefulness and to prevent the great blessed work of reformation. Workers and conferences in different parts of the field are members of one body and can never stand as an independent whole, so no conference can carry large responsibilities, establish sanitariums, or take up new work separate from all other branches, since independent effort in medical work always fails. Those beginning new work must receive help and counsel from those experienced in failure and success, and all movements to advance the work must be carefully scrutinized and closely knit in harmonious action with reference to other parts of the vineyard.
In sanitariums and gospel ministry the many members with different offices are united to one Head, and each is to be respected and do its individual work under that Head. Selfish striving for chief place and mastery is forbidden, including placing self first, treating an associate physician as unequal or inferior, choosing only an inexperienced learner who will merely obey to protect influence with patients, and picking and choosing or receiving and discarding fellow laborers at will. Head physicians, managers, directors and ministers must strive continually for unity, give a capable man of understanding and efficiency every chance to be proved alongside others, nourish and knit together every line of work, and let Christ dwell in the heart, for selfish exaltation dishonors God and drives out Christlikeness. In school work likewise differing abilities belong together, and those with intellectual talent and judgment as coworkers should be heard in councils and meetings, with none treating himself as superior or excluding others from their part.
Ministers and physicians are both necessary members and must hold a different understanding toward one another with mutual respect, with true converting power circulating among them like healthful blood, where great changes take place. Disunion between them displeases God and fault is not altogether on one side, for ministers have been disrespectful toward physicians on health reform regarding tea, Java coffee and flesh meats against given light, while physicians feeling injured have despised ministers and borne down upon them as a body in unjustifiable manner. Workers throughout a printing institution likewise form one body in which the Spirit of Christ must circulate as blood circulates through the body. This requires true conversion of heart and mind and spirit, no half-way work, and crucifixion of self, and when this takes place laborers unite in true repentance and conversion, receive the full day of Pentecost, and Christ and heavenly angels cooperate with them in daily labors.
Gospel and Health Work
Medical missionary work and the ministry of the Word have different but mutually needed roles, and neither is complete without union with the other, so neither is to act independently, replace the whole work, or be exalted above the other, for each suffers when separated from the other. The ministry of the Word holds the very first place among human agencies, and medical missionary work is the gospel in illustration, bound up with the gospel ministry and joined closely to it. Essential lines must not be neglected by making one line all-important, and no worker is to hinder other servants from doing their part, with no change in the general features appointed and no confederacy with the world. The union must combine giving the warning message, instructing the churches, teaching the people how to help the needy and the outcast, holding the old landmarks of truth, experience, and duty, and inviting those in the highways and byways. No one can ignore the ministry without ignoring God, even though there may be unworthy ones connected with the ministry.
Medical missionary work is the arm and hand, the right hand and helping hands, to the body, while the gospel ministry for proclamation of truth is the body and Christ is the Head. The arm must stay joined to and controlled by the body and work under direction of the Head, and it must serve the gospel work and be directed by it rather than be made the body, head, center, or substitute for the ministry. It is not sensible or right for all the strength of the body to go into a hand, so all the strength of the working agencies must not be used in medical missionary work alone, but the ministry of the Word must be sustained with unity in the movements of the whole body and every part joined harmoniously with every other part. Their united work as one reveals salvation and carries out the plan for advancement of the work.
To disparage the ministry and conduct medical work independently is to separate the arms from the body, leaving hands and flying arms dispensing means without direction of the head. That reversal of order gives a wrong influence, loses the divine credentials, separates from the only true Counsellor, and reveals ambition and selfishness that since about 1893 has become a great barrier and the greatest peril to the cause. The result is unbalanced, disproportionate work that unsettles minds and brings confusion, leaves many portions of the vineyard unworked, leaves the ministry with no standing room, draws means into the wrong place, and consumes means needed in other lines while consuming but not producing. It saps all life and force from the ministry, hinders preparing a people to stand in the great day of God, and places men where they will scoff at Bible truth instead of opening the way for it. The body must work the arm and not the arm the body, which means the gospel ministry and the work of carrying the last message to the world, including the fund to support foreign missions, must direct and control the medical work, keeping its proper proportion to sustain the ministry rather than ruling the body or absorbing all means needed to advance truth.
Every branch of the work is necessary and no one is to think the branch with which he is connected is of vastly more importance than other branches, and no branch can be a complete whole when separated from the others. The principles that govern general organization are to govern the publishing work and the sanitarium work alike, and neither the General Conference at Battle Creek nor the publishing institution is to be perpetuated as a kingdom of itself exercising kingly power over the rest. Publishing houses giving truth to the world, sanitariums restoring the sick to health and relieving suffering, schools training children and youth, and the canvassing and health-journal work are each sacred to service and essential to the great plan, with health reform as an essential part of the gospel work united with its other parts. There are to be no walls of partition, no division, and no territorial lines between the different lines, and no line is to be pushed forward to hinder another. The third angel's message is the body of truth, and health reform and medical missionary work is the right arm connected to that body to work efficiently for its defense, so the church must be a perfect, complete body as one great whole, not all arms and not body without arms. Church leaders should make plans that employ each person according to ability rather than leaving members idle or unused.
The religious work and the medical work are body and arm of one body with no division between them, and the body must direct and work the arm, not the arm the body. That means all tithes, including the tithes of workers in medical lines, go to one treasury rather than separating medical tithes to a separate Medical Association, and the conference then liberally supplies ministers to work in connection with the medical work.
The arm is necessary because it creates confidence and interest and helps leave something solid behind, so wherever there is a company it should be brought in, but it is not the whole body and must not be made everything while everything else is dropped. The right hand opens doors for the body to enter, largely preparing the way for present truth to be received and breaking down prejudice so truth can go with power. A body without hands is useless and can do nothing without them, so honor given to the body must also be given to the helping hands, and a body that treats the right hand indifferently and refuses its aid is able to accomplish nothing. The parts must go hand in hand and move solidly both ways, with new churches paying tithe to send ministers to other places.
The weakest fields of work are to be strengthened through cooperation of divine and human agencies, with assistance directed impartially to every part. Every phase of the work done now has importance, and parts that look weak or unimportant are necessary and mean a great deal. A small coupling pin holds firm union for safety, showing this truth, and workers and their students must be educated and trained not to break the connection that unites them and their work firmly with the body of commandment-keeping people, as some have done.
Gifts Through History
1 Corinthians 12:22 belongs to Paul's formal declaration that certain gifts of the Spirit have been placed in the church for its edification and instruction to the end of time, showing how Christ's promise to send the Holy Spirit as Comforter and guide to lead into all truth is fulfilled to the church. Members of the church who may seem weak or less important are necessary, and the church's gifts must not be neglected, for when they are active they encourage those who are fainting and correct and reprove those who are erring. God has established gifts such as prophecy, miracles, and healing in the church as well as teaching and helps, and just as the different members of a body depend on one another so the members and gifts work together to guide the church through its history, especially in its final trials and preparation for Christ's return.
In the perils of the last days every mental and physical power must be cultivated because all powers are essential to make the church a building that represents the wisdom and character of God. The talents and powers of the mind are God's gifts and must be used in their right relation to each other so as to make a perfect whole, and while God gives the talents, man makes the character by earnestly cultivating the mind as the Lord's garden in order to form a character after the divine likeness. The church is the Lord's body and the continued incarnation of Christ, with Christ as the divine Shepherd and great Head, gospel ministers as undershepherds under Him, and all church members as the Lord's working agencies. With all its working forces the body must become one with the Head, and among all the members there must be unity of action, so that His church will stand out prominently as partakers of the divine nature who hold the doctrines of God's word in purity and follow the Bible implicitly.
Christ is the head and the church is His body, so connection with Christ involves connection with His church. The church is organized for service, and connection with the church is one of the first steps in a life of service to Christ, while loyalty to Christ demands faithful performance of church duties as an important part of training that in a church filled with Christ's life leads directly to work for the world outside. People of varying types of character are brought into church capacity through profession of faith as members of Christ's body with Christ as the invisible Head, but real belonging requires spiritual connection with God shown by bearing fruit in absolute allegiance to Christ. Those on the church record who do not belong to Him are like the fruitless branch of the vine and are taken away, while faith and love are the gold of character that ever works on the Lord's side to unite and harmonize the members.
Personal Duty and Character
The verse calls for continual humbling of self, beginning with close self-examination and taking self sternly in hand. Its first application is to deny self and take up one's own cross of self-denial, self-humiliation and self-sacrifice, rather than laying the cross on another to carry. Instead of criticizing, crowding, judging, or measuring one gift against another, each is to deal decidedly and bravely with peculiar temperament, weakness of character and perverse disposition so as not to dishonor God. Responsibility in the body is given to help others, not to rule over them, and fitness to decide important questions requires new conversion, conquest of old hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, giving up habits formed in selfishness, and banishing love of supremacy, desire for mastery and high opinion of self. Christ requires a clean unselfish character wrought out by studying His life and learning of Him, with close self-examination to be free from all selfishness, true conversion of heart and mind and spirit, no half-way work, and crucifixion of self.
God Himself accomplishes the work, so the human channel is never to be exalted or praised but all exaltation is to be given to God. The worker in the meekness and lowliness of Christ hides in Jesus and lets Christ appear and be exalted, thus becoming an object lesson, acting his part in his order while no one is considered unnecessary and crowded out. Tests bravely borne teach others as well as the one tested, and the Lord Jesus will not sustain self-sufficiency, self-seeking and self-uplifting, which is the test for all.
Every living member however feeble-seeming is necessary and has his own lot and place as a burden-bearer, and to every man God has given his work in the Master's service. No member is to be inactive, for no one can be a member while inactive, and every addition to the church is to become one more agency for carrying on the great plan of redemption. Various lines of work are committed to different men according to their several ability, yet all belongs to one great whole to be carried on in concert under divine power with undivided effort to draw those around to Christ. Every talent with time, money and influence is to be used in soul-saving service, with room given to men and women to work and no indifference or opposition shown to one the Lord sends because his work differs, and gifts thus employed increase in power and perfection. Truth must be lived and imparted or it loses its life-giving power and healing virtue, and the entire church acting as one in perfect union, moved and controlled by the Holy Spirit in quietness and humility in the meekness and lowliness of Christ, becomes a living active missionary agency whose success depends not on numbers, standing or intellectual attainments but on walking and working with Christ. This includes caring for the lame, sick and dependent so the church can live and serve as a body, with different kinds of service working together under one Spirit for the good of the whole and many gifts used to convict and convert sinners and gather them in church capacity.
Each person should serve in the part where he can labor most effectively under God's direction, remaining united with the body rather than working independently or living for self, and no member should be dismissed as unnecessary because of apparent weakness. The weakest saint who believes in Christ belongs to His body, and living in humble dependence on God becomes strong with the privileges of a child of God. Such weak or inexperienced members are vital and must be strengthened and sustained by the hope, courage, faith and mature experience of others, so that each transformed character can bless others and the world in shared life and service.
There is no more reason for strife over who shall be greatest than among members of the human body over which shall be greatest, but one common interest with no division or contention. All are to cooperate with Christ in restoring the moral image of God in man, every Christian working out his own salvation and the salvation of family and associates, and those disregarding this God-given responsibility will find no place in the redeemed family in the kingdom. Gifts must never be used to separate believers or form parties under different heads, whether of Paul or Apollos or Cephas, with all parts of the work controlled by God-given wisdom and moving together in harmony drawing in even cords without friction, jealousy or division. No one is to be conscience for another or gain an experience for them, and when contention and party spirit appear they must be investigated and called by their right names as born of narrow conceptions of unsanctified minds, needing reformation.
Through Christ God has joined people as parts of one great whole so none can live to self alone, with all under mutual obligation and none independent of his fellows, each part affecting the whole. Each is to use entrusted abilities in unselfish service under God's direction to help others and contribute to the perfection of the whole, with influence strengthening others rather than serving narrow self-interest. As the heart must supply blood to hand and head and would lose power if it stopped, Christ's love must be imparted through His mystical body, and a soul refusing to give perishes, for selfishness is death. Belonging to Christ also joins members with His human agencies and heavenly intelligences, and with different abilities and backgrounds depending on one another each can help make another's weakness a strength, all therefore needing kindness and sympathy.
Everyone joined to the body must draw life from Christ's life or he is connected only in name as a paralyzed member with no growth in grace and no fruit. Such profession without life is feeling and impulse with fitful convulsive movements and no permanent activity, because he is not drinking God's grace as living water springing up into eternal life and is not a doer of the Word. A true member perfectly conforms to Christ's life, shows sound spiritual growth as a partaker of the divine nature, labors together with God to overcome, departs from all iniquity, and saves rather than drags down other souls.
The weak and vulnerable parts are essential and must never be cut off until everything possible has been done to restore them through patient care in the best place with the very best care and treatment under faithful direction. Hasty removal is a fearful mistake, for what looks hopeless may still be saved, while to remove what could have been saved leaves a person crippled for life with usefulness damaged for life. Full patient effort means not one part has to be lost. Each part however small affects the body's usefulness, so misuse of even one nerve or muscle lessens the whole, and each person should carefully preserve and faithfully use entrusted gifts however small, with every part trained into harmonious action to serve God fully.
Varied gifts and different agencies are essential to make God's work strong, well-proportioned and complete under the Lord's direction, so no one man with his gift alone can carry a series of meetings to perfection or mold the work after his own ideas. Harmonious cooperation requires each worker to do his God-given work in his appropriate place and supply what is lacking in another who would otherwise think himself a complete whole, including those of careful thought who check exaggerated action. Excessive slowness and delay in reaching conclusions wastes precious time and causes loss. Brethren are to be encouraged and educated to work and bear responsibilities, and such sharing lifts burdens from ministers and adds years to the life of the worker who cooperates with God.
A minister as shepherd to feed the flock is necessary to the health of the body of believers, which depends on healthy action from each member to build up the cause, but deficiencies of character unless overcome disqualify him from producing it. Especially when guided by feeling instead of principle — laboring only when inclined, refusing to speak and pray when disinclined, refusing to discipline himself up to the work whether he feels like it or not, moving by impulse rather than principle except for occasional aroused energy proving he could do much more — his influence makes the cause languish where felt most and brings discouragement and loss to those waiting for him to move forward who do not feel free to move independently of him.
In council and committee work diversity with unity makes a complete whole when worked out, with liberty of expression, blending of capabilities, equal interest pledged by prayer, and union in action without dissenting voice and without selfishness. No man is to launch out against another or invent his own plans for raising means, supporting schools or sustaining the ministry. This united action is essential for managing large gatherings and camp-meetings, standing against fanaticism and heresy, sustaining truth, and reaching holiness and perfection of the character of Jesus Christ. Saints possess as members of Christ's body the precious freedom of the liberty of the children of God to act out bestowed grace, so those in trust must daily subordinate their will to Christ in meekness and lowliness of mind and not dictate consciences, control others or glorify self, leaving every member free to exercise that liberty.
Those who look weak, less capable, or less important in Christ's body are still necessary to the whole. The figure pictures the church as one body arranged and placed by God as He pleased, with Jesus Christ as the living Head on whom every member depends for life and working power. Different members are given different gifts by the same Spirit to meet varied minds, so no one is to measure gifts against another, despise another's gifts, or force all minds into sameness. No member can be self-sufficient or say to another that he has no need of him, for God has joined together people of different talents and experience so that lack in one is supplied by another and all must stay united to succeed. This holds especially for the ministry of the Word and medical missionary work, which have different but mutually needed roles as body and arm, and each suffers and becomes unbalanced when separated from the other.
Body Figure Explained
Those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary, so members of Christ's body who appear weak, less capable, less important, or lacking honor are still necessary to the whole and are to receive greater care so that the church remains united in mutual care. God has arranged and placed the members and their different gifts as He pleased so that none should consider itself self-sufficient, measure its gift against another's, dismiss another as unneeded, reject, crowd, or judge one another, for each has a distinct part in one body. Christ is the living Head on whom all members depend for life and working power, and missionary workers must therefore counsel together and pray together and make no move independently or in opposition to one another, letting no member suffer for lack of proper exercise, each using his God-given ability to the utmost for building up the kingdom while keeping his own individuality in manner and bearing in perfect harmony. The Lord's unceasing tenderness to His people requires the same tenderness to one another, to speak good words that help and strengthen brethren, to unite in service, to jealously guard one another's interests and give practical support even though mistakes are made, instead of standing apart in self-confidence watching to criticize and condemn, and this instruction read with chapter 13 calls believers to reject factional division and show the truth's power through unity and love.
The figure of the members composing one body represents the church of God and the relation its members should sustain to one another, with Jesus Christ as Head in whom all center. The various gifts are to be actively exercised together in the one body, for because two members do not act the same part no member is to entertain self-sufficiency or say to another, I have no need of thee, and among the members there is to be no crowding, no judging, and no measuring of one gift by another. Different members have different gifts by the same Spirit, illustrated by the human body from head to feet with different members and different offices yet all belonging to one body, and this diversity is God's plan to meet the varied organizations and minds in the world, so the strength of one servant need not be the strength of another. As children must be given opportunity to act out their powers and develop the qualities God endowed them with instead of being governed into sameness, each member of God's family is to cultivate and use his own God-given endowment, and those who look weak or have peculiar traits others find objectionable still have independent natural traits that give access to a class others cannot touch. No one should try to bend other minds to his own ideas or mold their judgment and character, but each person must be left free for God to convict his heart, call forth his powers, and develop individual strength and God-given qualities for a special work, because too much governing and human training destroys will and identity and spoils a person for the work God wants him to do.
The twelfth and thirteenth chapters of First Corinthians should be committed to memory and written in mind and heart, studied and digested and not ignored by professed people of God brought together in church capacity, who will then be united understandingly and intelligently. The one grand necessity of church members is to walk humbly with God in the path of obedience. The Word of God is itself a complete body pervaded by one divine life, just as the outward human form is a complete structure where every part is united to and dependent for life upon the other, and as even the members which seem more feeble are necessary with each member having its special office connected with the other to form a complete whole, so every book and every portion of Scripture has its use and its special office with some lesson to be learned in every part. No book is without purpose, though its real purpose may perplex at first, and studied as a book of education it is seen to be prepared by divine Intelligence to express God's own thoughts and intentions, adapted to the human being in every phase of life to secure a special result and to make the human family complete in Christ.
Believers are united to Christ as a limb is united to the body, and to believe on Christ means to put on Christ and to be joined to Him in that close, living union, uniting their weakness to His strength. Christ clothed His divinity with humanity and came down from the throne of God to show what human beings may become, so that His humanity could touch and uplift humanity while with His divine arm He grasped the throne of the Infinite, thus linking finite man with the infinite God. No one is qualified to bear the burden of the work alone, but God has joined together men of different minds, talents, experience, and ability as members of Christ's body to counsel with and assist one another, so that deficiency in the experience and abilities of one is supplied by the experience and abilities of another, and believers must carefully learn their relation to one another by dying to self and living to Christ so that cherished strong unchristlike traits of character are softened, subdued, and purified and they are united with one another in order to be one with Christ in God. Separation from those whose interests had been closely joined feels like tearing a limb from the body. The church is a living body and its enterprises are arms and branches of that body, and the spiritual condition of an arm depends on the condition of the body, so the light and vitalizing, healthful current needed to control and keep an institution right must diffuse from a healthy church to that branch of the work. When the church stands in the counsel of God and enjoys His favor and the light of His countenance, it sends health to its arms, but when the church is sickly and in moral darkness, it circulates a sickly, deathly influence through the whole living body until disease is apparent everywhere, and the moral darkness, errors, and spiritual death in its institutions come from the church itself.
Diversity of Gifts
Different members receive different gifts by the same Spirit, as the human body from head to feet and from eyes to feet has different members with different offices yet all belong to one body centered in Christ the Head. This diversity is God's plan and God's order to meet varied organizations and minds in the world, with one gift given to one person and another to another as it pleases Him and some serving in one line and others in other lines under the same Spirit for the good of all. Many gifts are called for and all remain members of one body, so no member is to entertain self-sufficiency or say to another, I have no need of thee, and among the members there is to be no crowding, no judging, and no measuring of one gift by another. Recognizing this guards against pride, envy, contempt, rivalry and despising another's gifts or work, since no one person has every qualification or can act independently in every matter, and it strengthens unity, mutual love, harmony and humble service with all members depending on one another to form a whole. The strength of one servant of God need not be the strength of another, so no one's strength is the measure for another and no one is to try to bend other minds to his own ideas or mold their judgment and character. Each person must be left free for God to convict the heart, call forth powers, and develop individual strength and God-given qualities for a special work, because too much governing and human training into sameness destroys will and identity and spoils a person for the work God wants done.
Life rejects uniformity and requires unity in variety, with diversity remaining while dependence and harmony increase under the laws controlling the being and an unseen, conscious, indivisible unity keeping every part working in harmony with every other. The more fully believers drink in of the Spirit the more they are animated and united by surpassing love, dying to self and living to Christ until strong unchristlike traits are softened, subdued and purified and weakness is united to His strength. No one mind alone is sufficient to devise plans, direct the work, or exert a healthful, well-balanced influence, and no one is to regard self as capable of being a complete whole, but God joins together men of different minds, talents, experience and ability to counsel with and assist one another so deficiency in one is supplied by another. All are needed as complements of one another in unity in diversity, blending diverse elements one adapted to the other, each doing a special work and filling a place in one great plan bearing the stamp of Christ's image, which requires united effort with the Holy Spirit, time to understand one another, finding points of resemblance, accepting keener perceptions and ability in others, giving due credit, helping and supplying lack instead of standing apart to watch, criticize and judge. Those who look weak or have peculiar traits others find objectionable still have independent natural traits that give access to a class others cannot touch, and suppressing distinctive qualities can prevent serving people others cannot reach.
The smallest gift is not to be overlooked, for God can use it to advance His cause when its possessor has faith and puts it to use, and each member should be encouraged to cultivate, develop and use the entrusted endowment instead of being governed into sameness, with members of different gifts helping one another and working in unity. Each part however small affects the usefulness of the body, so misuse of even one nerve or muscle can lessen the whole, and each person should carefully preserve and faithfully use gifts however small they seem. God may impress different minds with the same thought and each may express it in a different way without contradiction, each dwelling on particular points fitted by constitution and education to appreciate, as sunlight gives different hues to different objects and many stones each with its special light and significance make one breastplate. As different styles of building suit different locations and the books of the Bible unite under one cover with different testimonies forming one whole, there are many minds but one Mind, with truth given by inspiration expressed according to the development of the mind by the Holy Spirit without cramping into one mold, and those who view or express truths differently may be just as precious. Applied to writing and preaching, especially on the third angel's message, different minds may present truth in different figures and different ways of presentation with unity in diversity under the Holy Spirit, with no worker submerging individuality in another or straining for originality contrary to the Word, and difference of expression or viewpoint must not become contradiction, confusion or perplexity but be viewed in the light shining in the face of Jesus Christ with closeness sought by dwelling on agreed things in meekness, lowliness, tenderness and love while all draw from the same storehouse, feed on the same source, are bought by the same blood and remain wholly dependent on God without selfishness or self-exaltation.
French workers like the Bourdeaus are necessary members even though they seem more feeble, slow, and different from American ministers, for God has a work for them among the French that American ministers cannot do. Their different qualities and gifts should not be suppressed to force them to be exactly like others in mind and ideas, but they must be given elbow room to act themselves, with sympathy, consideration, encouragement and sustaining support that stimulates earnest and persevering exertion in dependence on God rather than self-confidence or despondency. Different qualities complement one another, as Melancthon's gentleness, caution and exactness complemented Luther's courage and energy, and their union strengthened their work.
Unity and Mutual Dependence
No member is to entertain self-sufficiency or say to another, I have no need of thee, for God has arranged the members and their different gifts in one body whose head is Jesus Christ, and even those who seem weaker are still necessary. Because two members do not act the same part, there is to be among the members no crowding, no judging, and no measuring of one gift by another, and no member is to reject, despise, or dismiss another as unneeded. All members depend on Christ as living head for life and working power, and missionary workers must therefore counsel together, pray together, and make no move independently or in opposition to one another, each using his God-given ability to the utmost while keeping his own individuality in manner and bearing and working together in perfect harmony. When believers come together for counsel they are to let no member suffer for lack of proper exercise, but unite in service and jealously guard one another's interests even though mistakes are made.
No one is qualified to bear the burden of the work alone, but God has joined together men of different minds, talents, experience, and ability as members of Christ's body to counsel with and assist one another. Deficiency in the experience and abilities of one is supplied by the experience and abilities of another, so different gifts and abilities have their proper places and no one person's wisdom, gifts, or methods are enough to make the work complete. Believers must carefully learn their relation to one another, uniting their weakness to His strength as Christ clothed His divinity with humanity, dying to self and living to Christ so that strong unchristlike traits are softened, subdued, and purified and they are united with one another in order to be one with Christ in God. Needing others is not a cause for humiliation, and workers should work together humbly even when they differ in judgment or plans and even when they serve in different lines.
God's people are one body in which every member, even those who seem more feeble, is necessary and must stay united to the body. No one can disconnect from the agencies God has appointed and work on an independent line in his own supposed wisdom and yet be successful, for that feeling is a delusion of the enemy and will not prosper in the end even when a person flatters himself that he is doing God's work while separate. Each person is to work in his respective capacity, likeminded with God, pure, holy, and sincere, using the measure of ability God has given in the place where he can serve most effectively, and not be shut up to himself to live for himself. The members of God's church are as different parts of a machine, all closely related to one another and dependent on one great center, so there is to be unity in diversity and no member can work successfully in independence detached from the others, but all are to draw together so His work can advance in an orderly and united way.
The Lord's unceasing tenderness to His people requires them to show the same tenderness to one another, with sympathy and kindly interest rather than standing apart in self-confidence watching for an opportunity to criticize and condemn. Believers are to speak good words that help and strengthen their brethren, care for one another's interests with practical support, and give greater care to those who seem to lack honor so that the church remains united. The body's members have different functions and cannot replace one another, yet they work together as one whole, so none should treat another as inferior or unnecessary, depreciate any part of God's work, or despise any class of minds, for the church needs people of varied talents and every social rank and each has a role in sharing light. Even the weaker members are necessary to the usefulness of the whole under God's supervision, so each part is to be respected, encouraged, sustained, and given due recognition, with no fitful spasmodic movements and no envy, evil thinking, evil speaking, or evil acting, but sympathy of every part with the whole, each speaking the truth in love and working for the benefit of all.
The church, like the human body, must work together as one body, each carrying out its proper role under sanctified direction in harmonious, well-regulated action. Every member has a work to do and no one can be a member while inactive, for various lines of work are committed to different men according to their several ability, yet all the work belongs to one great whole. All are to work together in concert, each controlled by divine power, putting forth undivided effort to draw those around them to Christ, with hearts blending and all moving like well-adjusted machinery, each part dependent on the other part yet standing distinct in action. As every part of the human body has its own office and contributes to the whole, each member should serve as part of one united body governed by sanctified intelligence, and the variety of the members and their dependence on one another make a harmonious, complete whole.
Members brought together in church capacity, many or few, constitute the members of Christ's body and are not to antagonize one another or divide in contention, for Christ prayed that His disciples may be one as He was one with the Father. Each one has his distinctive place to act a part, as hand, head, ear, eye, or limbs of the body, so there is no more reason for strife over who shall be greatest than among the members of the human body over which shall be greatest. When one member suffers then all members suffer with it, and if one member is honored all are honored and rejoice with him, bound together in mutual dependence under Christ the living head. People remain bound to one another even when they ignore those bonds, and failing to study God's purposes for their relationships harms their own character and becomes a snare to others, while all are to cooperate with Christ in restoring the moral image of God in man, each working out his own salvation and the salvation of family and associates.
Through Christ God has joined people together as different parts of one great whole, giving each person an influence that makes it impossible to live to self alone, and Christ's people are made necessary to one another and to God through the uplifted Saviour. All are under mutual obligation to one another, and no soul can be made independent of the rest, for this unity binds man to God by golden cords of love and lays each one under obligation to work for his fellow men. There is to be no party strife in the family of God and no partition walls built up between man and man, for the well-being of each is the happiness of the whole and Christ as the great Center must unite all in one. In Him believers are pledged to shun any course that will cause schism, to refuse to make the questions at issue in the world the theme of conversation, to call upon the world to behold the uplifted Saviour, and to let Christ train them to imitate His virtues, His meekness and lowliness, His goodness, patience, and love, so that heart and hand are consecrated to His service and man becomes a channel through which the love of God flows in rich currents to bless others, with no shade of strife.
Church Order and Leadership
Simple organization and church order are ordained for the unity and perfection of the church, and the man holding office stands as leader, adviser, counselor and helper in bearing burdens and in leading thanksgiving to God, not as one appointed to order and command the Lord's laborers, for the Lord is over His heritage and will lead His people. Position gives no kingly authority, for all are brethren, and those carrying responsibilities must treat fellow laborers with the same consideration they would wish were positions reversed, learning meekness from the great Teacher until becoming Christlike. No man is to stand as a king forbidding workers to go where they can build up the work or controlling their support, but every part must work in connection with every other part joined by golden links, each finding a place to work even in destitute fields and waste places of the earth. God has not given all wisdom to any one man, so no leader in sacred office can bear responsibilities alone or act as voice for the people, and his judgment is not unerring. Every other man is just as valuable, his opinion worthy of respect and likely as correct, God being willing to teach and guide him, and to every man talents are given according to ability, so leaders need helpers whose minds do not run in exactly the same lines, each supplying the other's deficiency until they become a complete whole in perfect harmony.
Workers who seem weak or less important remain necessary parts of the whole, and each is to recognize his place, value fellow workers, and willingly receive their advice and caution. All believers are joined as members of one body in close relationship, Christian to Christian and church to church, with every agency subordinate to the Holy Spirit so that human effort cooperates with divine power in organized united effort to give the world the glad tidings of grace. No worker can regard individual judgment as supreme expecting light from God alone while passing others by, and to neglect or despise those appointed to bear leadership responsibilities in advancing truth is to reject means ordained for help, encouragement and strength. A studied effort is made to separate such independent ones from those who are channels of light through whom the work has been built up and extended, placing them where they are liable to be deceived and overthrown. The church is inseparable from Christ and its members depend on one another, so despising appointed leaders rejects God's provision for His people.
No member of Christ's body can dismiss another as unneeded, for even members seeming more feeble are necessary, and Christ as living head supplies all with life and working power. Missionary workers must therefore counsel together, pray together, and make no move independently or in opposition, letting no member suffer for lack of proper exercise, each using God-given ability to the utmost for building the kingdom while keeping individuality in manner and bearing in perfect harmony. God teaches different people, not one person alone, so believers should share thoughts and plans, listen to one another, and receive counsel with brotherly kindness and love. Workers should accept counsel and caution from one another, blend plans, and seek God's wisdom with patient watchful spirit, never acting as if able to work alone as parts of a larger whole. In council and committee work this unity in diversity makes a complete whole through liberty of expression, blending of capabilities, equal interest pledged by prayer, and union in action without dissenting voice and without selfishness, with no man launching out against another and no one inventing his own plans for raising means, supporting schools, or sustaining the ministry.
Such united action is essential for managing large gatherings and camp-meetings, standing against fanaticism and heresy, sustaining truth, and reaching holiness and perfection of Christ's character. No one is qualified to bear the burden alone, for God has joined men of different minds to counsel with and assist one another, so deficiency in one's experience and abilities is supplied by another's, each sustaining relation to the others with a work to do. Minds must blend in planning, counsel must not be barred out, and advice and caution from brethren must be received with confidence in their wisdom, for safety and strength come from realizing all are parts of a great whole. God gives each person a distinct line of service, so workers should respect one another's assignments rather than interfere with or take over another's work. In the body every member has an appointed place, and even those seeming more feeble are necessary to harmonious working, for large machinery moves beautifully with exact harmonious revolutions only when everyone keeps hand to his own machine diligently, faithfully and correctly.
Those who leave their own work to rearrange the church and correct the great wheel are out of place, and instead of helping make a more disagreeable noise, jar and hinder the whole, and make things much worse. Every member is to remain united with the church and use God-given power in the part where effective service is possible, with no separation to work independently or live for self. Each has work assigned by God and should remain at his own post rather than neglecting it to take over another's, working in harmony with other agencies He employs and prayerfully considering how each undertaking affects the cause so each part accords with the whole. The church of Christ is made up of all ranks, all classes and varied talents, and it takes all classes of talents to make a perfect complete whole. Those seeming more feeble, lowly or poor are necessary by God's ordained combination of all classes of minds, and no part of the great work is to be depreciated, undervalued, shut out or reluctantly acknowledged, whether agencies are higher or lowlier, for human pride must not dissolve what divine wisdom joined.
All, high and low, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, have part in diffusing light in different degrees, with interests indissolubly united in the great web of humanity so none can withdraw sympathy from another without loss. No part of God's work or class of minds is to be depreciated, for each has a role in sharing light, and the church's health depends on shared interests and mutual care. The members are mutually dependent and the church is complete only in Christ with every member holding a necessary place, including Black men and women who can be taught and equipped as workers to save souls among their own community. Every branch of God's work is necessary and none is to think his own branch vastly more important than others, for the principles governing general organization govern publishing and sanitarium work alike. Neither the General Conference at Battle Creek nor the publishing institution is to be perpetuated as a kingdom of itself exercising kingly power over the rest.
No church and no conference may separate from conference organization to show its own efficiency, for separation is entirely opposed to divine order. God's plan is reciprocal dependence, perfect unity and love learned from Jesus, with every church and conference building one another up in most holy faith and seeking the Holy Spirit so light is reflected in clear bright rays. The sacred chain of dependence binding men together is not slavery, and to break it by evil thinking and evil speaking, discord and separation, lets the enemy enter to rob families of happiness and the church of usefulness and to prevent the great blessed work of reformation. Workers and conferences in different parts of the field are members of one body and can never stand as an independent whole, so no conference can carry large responsibilities, establish sanitariums, or take up new work separate from all other branches, since independent effort in medical work always fails. Those beginning new work must receive help and counsel from those experienced in failure and success, and all movements to advance the work must be carefully scrutinized and closely knit in harmonious action with reference to other parts of the vineyard.
In sanitariums and gospel ministry the many members with different offices are united to one Head, and each is to be respected and do its individual work under that Head. Selfish striving for chief place and mastery is forbidden, including placing self first, treating an associate physician as unequal or inferior, choosing only an inexperienced learner who will merely obey to protect influence with patients, and picking and choosing or receiving and discarding fellow laborers at will. Head physicians, managers, directors and ministers must strive continually for unity, give a capable man of understanding and efficiency every chance to be proved alongside others, nourish and knit together every line of work, and let Christ dwell in the heart, for selfish exaltation dishonors God and drives out Christlikeness. In school work likewise differing abilities belong together, and those with intellectual talent and judgment as coworkers should be heard in councils and meetings, with none treating himself as superior or excluding others from their part.
Ministers and physicians are both necessary members and must hold a different understanding toward one another with mutual respect, with true converting power circulating among them like healthful blood, where great changes take place. Disunion between them displeases God and fault is not altogether on one side, for ministers have been disrespectful toward physicians on health reform regarding tea, Java coffee and flesh meats against given light, while physicians feeling injured have despised ministers and borne down upon them as a body in unjustifiable manner. Workers throughout a printing institution likewise form one body in which the Spirit of Christ must circulate as blood circulates through the body. This requires true conversion of heart and mind and spirit, no half-way work, and crucifixion of self, and when this takes place laborers unite in true repentance and conversion, receive the full day of Pentecost, and Christ and heavenly angels cooperate with them in daily labors.
Gospel and Health Work
Medical missionary work and the ministry of the Word have different but mutually needed roles, and neither is complete without union with the other, so neither is to act independently, replace the whole work, or be exalted above the other, for each suffers when separated from the other. The ministry of the Word holds the very first place among human agencies, and medical missionary work is the gospel in illustration, bound up with the gospel ministry and joined closely to it. Essential lines must not be neglected by making one line all-important, and no worker is to hinder other servants from doing their part, with no change in the general features appointed and no confederacy with the world. The union must combine giving the warning message, instructing the churches, teaching the people how to help the needy and the outcast, holding the old landmarks of truth, experience, and duty, and inviting those in the highways and byways. No one can ignore the ministry without ignoring God, even though there may be unworthy ones connected with the ministry.
Medical missionary work is the arm and hand, the right hand and helping hands, to the body, while the gospel ministry for proclamation of truth is the body and Christ is the Head. The arm must stay joined to and controlled by the body and work under direction of the Head, and it must serve the gospel work and be directed by it rather than be made the body, head, center, or substitute for the ministry. It is not sensible or right for all the strength of the body to go into a hand, so all the strength of the working agencies must not be used in medical missionary work alone, but the ministry of the Word must be sustained with unity in the movements of the whole body and every part joined harmoniously with every other part. Their united work as one reveals salvation and carries out the plan for advancement of the work.
To disparage the ministry and conduct medical work independently is to separate the arms from the body, leaving hands and flying arms dispensing means without direction of the head. That reversal of order gives a wrong influence, loses the divine credentials, separates from the only true Counsellor, and reveals ambition and selfishness that since about 1893 has become a great barrier and the greatest peril to the cause. The result is unbalanced, disproportionate work that unsettles minds and brings confusion, leaves many portions of the vineyard unworked, leaves the ministry with no standing room, draws means into the wrong place, and consumes means needed in other lines while consuming but not producing. It saps all life and force from the ministry, hinders preparing a people to stand in the great day of God, and places men where they will scoff at Bible truth instead of opening the way for it. The body must work the arm and not the arm the body, which means the gospel ministry and the work of carrying the last message to the world, including the fund to support foreign missions, must direct and control the medical work, keeping its proper proportion to sustain the ministry rather than ruling the body or absorbing all means needed to advance truth.
Every branch of the work is necessary and no one is to think the branch with which he is connected is of vastly more importance than other branches, and no branch can be a complete whole when separated from the others. The principles that govern general organization are to govern the publishing work and the sanitarium work alike, and neither the General Conference at Battle Creek nor the publishing institution is to be perpetuated as a kingdom of itself exercising kingly power over the rest. Publishing houses giving truth to the world, sanitariums restoring the sick to health and relieving suffering, schools training children and youth, and the canvassing and health-journal work are each sacred to service and essential to the great plan, with health reform as an essential part of the gospel work united with its other parts. There are to be no walls of partition, no division, and no territorial lines between the different lines, and no line is to be pushed forward to hinder another. The third angel's message is the body of truth, and health reform and medical missionary work is the right arm connected to that body to work efficiently for its defense, so the church must be a perfect, complete body as one great whole, not all arms and not body without arms. Church leaders should make plans that employ each person according to ability rather than leaving members idle or unused.
The religious work and the medical work are body and arm of one body with no division between them, and the body must direct and work the arm, not the arm the body. That means all tithes, including the tithes of workers in medical lines, go to one treasury rather than separating medical tithes to a separate Medical Association, and the conference then liberally supplies ministers to work in connection with the medical work.
The arm is necessary because it creates confidence and interest and helps leave something solid behind, so wherever there is a company it should be brought in, but it is not the whole body and must not be made everything while everything else is dropped. The right hand opens doors for the body to enter, largely preparing the way for present truth to be received and breaking down prejudice so truth can go with power. A body without hands is useless and can do nothing without them, so honor given to the body must also be given to the helping hands, and a body that treats the right hand indifferently and refuses its aid is able to accomplish nothing. The parts must go hand in hand and move solidly both ways, with new churches paying tithe to send ministers to other places.
The weakest fields of work are to be strengthened through cooperation of divine and human agencies, with assistance directed impartially to every part. Every phase of the work done now has importance, and parts that look weak or unimportant are necessary and mean a great deal. A small coupling pin holds firm union for safety, showing this truth, and workers and their students must be educated and trained not to break the connection that unites them and their work firmly with the body of commandment-keeping people, as some have done.
Gifts Through History
1 Corinthians 12:22 belongs to Paul's formal declaration that certain gifts of the Spirit have been placed in the church for its edification and instruction to the end of time, showing how Christ's promise to send the Holy Spirit as Comforter and guide to lead into all truth is fulfilled to the church. Members of the church who may seem weak or less important are necessary, and the church's gifts must not be neglected, for when they are active they encourage those who are fainting and correct and reprove those who are erring. God has established gifts such as prophecy, miracles, and healing in the church as well as teaching and helps, and just as the different members of a body depend on one another so the members and gifts work together to guide the church through its history, especially in its final trials and preparation for Christ's return.
In the perils of the last days every mental and physical power must be cultivated because all powers are essential to make the church a building that represents the wisdom and character of God. The talents and powers of the mind are God's gifts and must be used in their right relation to each other so as to make a perfect whole, and while God gives the talents, man makes the character by earnestly cultivating the mind as the Lord's garden in order to form a character after the divine likeness. The church is the Lord's body and the continued incarnation of Christ, with Christ as the divine Shepherd and great Head, gospel ministers as undershepherds under Him, and all church members as the Lord's working agencies. With all its working forces the body must become one with the Head, and among all the members there must be unity of action, so that His church will stand out prominently as partakers of the divine nature who hold the doctrines of God's word in purity and follow the Bible implicitly.
Christ is the head and the church is His body, so connection with Christ involves connection with His church. The church is organized for service, and connection with the church is one of the first steps in a life of service to Christ, while loyalty to Christ demands faithful performance of church duties as an important part of training that in a church filled with Christ's life leads directly to work for the world outside. People of varying types of character are brought into church capacity through profession of faith as members of Christ's body with Christ as the invisible Head, but real belonging requires spiritual connection with God shown by bearing fruit in absolute allegiance to Christ. Those on the church record who do not belong to Him are like the fruitless branch of the vine and are taken away, while faith and love are the gold of character that ever works on the Lord's side to unite and harmonize the members.
Personal Duty and Character
The verse calls for continual humbling of self, beginning with close self-examination and taking self sternly in hand. Its first application is to deny self and take up one's own cross of self-denial, self-humiliation and self-sacrifice, rather than laying the cross on another to carry. Instead of criticizing, crowding, judging, or measuring one gift against another, each is to deal decidedly and bravely with peculiar temperament, weakness of character and perverse disposition so as not to dishonor God. Responsibility in the body is given to help others, not to rule over them, and fitness to decide important questions requires new conversion, conquest of old hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, giving up habits formed in selfishness, and banishing love of supremacy, desire for mastery and high opinion of self. Christ requires a clean unselfish character wrought out by studying His life and learning of Him, with close self-examination to be free from all selfishness, true conversion of heart and mind and spirit, no half-way work, and crucifixion of self.
God Himself accomplishes the work, so the human channel is never to be exalted or praised but all exaltation is to be given to God. The worker in the meekness and lowliness of Christ hides in Jesus and lets Christ appear and be exalted, thus becoming an object lesson, acting his part in his order while no one is considered unnecessary and crowded out. Tests bravely borne teach others as well as the one tested, and the Lord Jesus will not sustain self-sufficiency, self-seeking and self-uplifting, which is the test for all.
Every living member however feeble-seeming is necessary and has his own lot and place as a burden-bearer, and to every man God has given his work in the Master's service. No member is to be inactive, for no one can be a member while inactive, and every addition to the church is to become one more agency for carrying on the great plan of redemption. Various lines of work are committed to different men according to their several ability, yet all belongs to one great whole to be carried on in concert under divine power with undivided effort to draw those around to Christ. Every talent with time, money and influence is to be used in soul-saving service, with room given to men and women to work and no indifference or opposition shown to one the Lord sends because his work differs, and gifts thus employed increase in power and perfection. Truth must be lived and imparted or it loses its life-giving power and healing virtue, and the entire church acting as one in perfect union, moved and controlled by the Holy Spirit in quietness and humility in the meekness and lowliness of Christ, becomes a living active missionary agency whose success depends not on numbers, standing or intellectual attainments but on walking and working with Christ. This includes caring for the lame, sick and dependent so the church can live and serve as a body, with different kinds of service working together under one Spirit for the good of the whole and many gifts used to convict and convert sinners and gather them in church capacity.
Each person should serve in the part where he can labor most effectively under God's direction, remaining united with the body rather than working independently or living for self, and no member should be dismissed as unnecessary because of apparent weakness. The weakest saint who believes in Christ belongs to His body, and living in humble dependence on God becomes strong with the privileges of a child of God. Such weak or inexperienced members are vital and must be strengthened and sustained by the hope, courage, faith and mature experience of others, so that each transformed character can bless others and the world in shared life and service.
There is no more reason for strife over who shall be greatest than among members of the human body over which shall be greatest, but one common interest with no division or contention. All are to cooperate with Christ in restoring the moral image of God in man, every Christian working out his own salvation and the salvation of family and associates, and those disregarding this God-given responsibility will find no place in the redeemed family in the kingdom. Gifts must never be used to separate believers or form parties under different heads, whether of Paul or Apollos or Cephas, with all parts of the work controlled by God-given wisdom and moving together in harmony drawing in even cords without friction, jealousy or division. No one is to be conscience for another or gain an experience for them, and when contention and party spirit appear they must be investigated and called by their right names as born of narrow conceptions of unsanctified minds, needing reformation.
Through Christ God has joined people as parts of one great whole so none can live to self alone, with all under mutual obligation and none independent of his fellows, each part affecting the whole. Each is to use entrusted abilities in unselfish service under God's direction to help others and contribute to the perfection of the whole, with influence strengthening others rather than serving narrow self-interest. As the heart must supply blood to hand and head and would lose power if it stopped, Christ's love must be imparted through His mystical body, and a soul refusing to give perishes, for selfishness is death. Belonging to Christ also joins members with His human agencies and heavenly intelligences, and with different abilities and backgrounds depending on one another each can help make another's weakness a strength, all therefore needing kindness and sympathy.
Everyone joined to the body must draw life from Christ's life or he is connected only in name as a paralyzed member with no growth in grace and no fruit. Such profession without life is feeling and impulse with fitful convulsive movements and no permanent activity, because he is not drinking God's grace as living water springing up into eternal life and is not a doer of the Word. A true member perfectly conforms to Christ's life, shows sound spiritual growth as a partaker of the divine nature, labors together with God to overcome, departs from all iniquity, and saves rather than drags down other souls.
The weak and vulnerable parts are essential and must never be cut off until everything possible has been done to restore them through patient care in the best place with the very best care and treatment under faithful direction. Hasty removal is a fearful mistake, for what looks hopeless may still be saved, while to remove what could have been saved leaves a person crippled for life with usefulness damaged for life. Full patient effort means not one part has to be lost. Each part however small affects the body's usefulness, so misuse of even one nerve or muscle lessens the whole, and each person should carefully preserve and faithfully use entrusted gifts however small, with every part trained into harmonious action to serve God fully.
Varied gifts and different agencies are essential to make God's work strong, well-proportioned and complete under the Lord's direction, so no one man with his gift alone can carry a series of meetings to perfection or mold the work after his own ideas. Harmonious cooperation requires each worker to do his God-given work in his appropriate place and supply what is lacking in another who would otherwise think himself a complete whole, including those of careful thought who check exaggerated action. Excessive slowness and delay in reaching conclusions wastes precious time and causes loss. Brethren are to be encouraged and educated to work and bear responsibilities, and such sharing lifts burdens from ministers and adds years to the life of the worker who cooperates with God.
A minister as shepherd to feed the flock is necessary to the health of the body of believers, which depends on healthy action from each member to build up the cause, but deficiencies of character unless overcome disqualify him from producing it. Especially when guided by feeling instead of principle — laboring only when inclined, refusing to speak and pray when disinclined, refusing to discipline himself up to the work whether he feels like it or not, moving by impulse rather than principle except for occasional aroused energy proving he could do much more — his influence makes the cause languish where felt most and brings discouragement and loss to those waiting for him to move forward who do not feel free to move independently of him.
In council and committee work diversity with unity makes a complete whole when worked out, with liberty of expression, blending of capabilities, equal interest pledged by prayer, and union in action without dissenting voice and without selfishness. No man is to launch out against another or invent his own plans for raising means, supporting schools or sustaining the ministry. This united action is essential for managing large gatherings and camp-meetings, standing against fanaticism and heresy, sustaining truth, and reaching holiness and perfection of the character of Jesus Christ. Saints possess as members of Christ's body the precious freedom of the liberty of the children of God to act out bestowed grace, so those in trust must daily subordinate their will to Christ in meekness and lowliness of mind and not dictate consciences, control others or glorify self, leaving every member free to exercise that liberty.