In my last post, I wrote about spiritual gifts and how they have been given to Christians for the upbuilding of the body of Christ. I wrote about how they are not given to fulfill Christians or to provide them with self-worth and value. However incompletely I may have addressed the question regarding the reasons for using the gifts, let the reader understand this; by making spiritual gifts the chief-end in a disciple of Christ's life, a treason tantamount to idolatry is perpetrated. Children of God are to be worshipers of God using their gifts in the body, so that each part may work properly together being built up in love. Spiritual gifts are purposed for God's glory.
While glorifying God is the ultimate end of these gifts, the building up of the church is a natural result of exercising them within the body. The growth of the church is important as some plant, some water, and God gives the increase. Growth in unity, showing deference to one another in love, and a corporate mentality of grace is not only desirable, but it is also a necessary characterization for the people of God.
Possessing a corporate mentality is requisite within the body of Christ where the gifts are employed. The biblical understanding of a corporate mentality is supposed to be a selfless mindset, i.e., the first shall be last... Giving, teamwork, and common goals shared by every member of the group are the corporate responsiblity of the congregation.
Nonetheless, this corporate mentality can be inverted into a model of corporate self-centeredness by misunderstanding the reason that spiritual gifts must be used. Churches can invert the biblical mentality of the body in motivating the use of spiritual gifts, by propagating that the gifts provide purpose. Self-gratification, self-esteem, and purpose are not the impetus of spiritual gifts. Yet, the average church goer is taught that these gifts are for the fulfillment of the individual. In turn, church attendants have the appearance of godliness, as they appear to be selflessly serving in the corporate structures of the church. The result of this teaching is that churches are great at serving themselves, entertaining themselves, and feeding themselves. Inadvertently, this makes such seemingly selfless corporate deeds nothing more than a facade to mask the idolatrous heart of man.
While glorifying God is the ultimate end of these gifts, the building up of the church is a natural result of exercising them within the body. The growth of the church is important as some plant, some water, and God gives the increase. Growth in unity, showing deference to one another in love, and a corporate mentality of grace is not only desirable, but it is also a necessary characterization for the people of God.
Possessing a corporate mentality is requisite within the body of Christ where the gifts are employed. The biblical understanding of a corporate mentality is supposed to be a selfless mindset, i.e., the first shall be last... Giving, teamwork, and common goals shared by every member of the group are the corporate responsiblity of the congregation.
Nonetheless, this corporate mentality can be inverted into a model of corporate self-centeredness by misunderstanding the reason that spiritual gifts must be used. Churches can invert the biblical mentality of the body in motivating the use of spiritual gifts, by propagating that the gifts provide purpose. Self-gratification, self-esteem, and purpose are not the impetus of spiritual gifts. Yet, the average church goer is taught that these gifts are for the fulfillment of the individual. In turn, church attendants have the appearance of godliness, as they appear to be selflessly serving in the corporate structures of the church. The result of this teaching is that churches are great at serving themselves, entertaining themselves, and feeding themselves. Inadvertently, this makes such seemingly selfless corporate deeds nothing more than a facade to mask the idolatrous heart of man.
Don't misunderstand, disciples of Christ should and will find great joy in using the gift God has given for the building up of the church; however, Christians must not not find their sole significance in the gifts. The purpose of a child of God is to bring glory to the Father, as they have been created for such ends (1 Cor 10:31; Isa 43:7). It is in Christ that a believer has purpose--He is the life of those who are in Him (Col 3:4).
While gifts do strengthen the church, God has not given gifts to the body of Christ to build themselves up for their own sake. The church does not exist solely for the purpose of the church. Exhorting believers to find their purpose in spiritual gifts fosters expressions of worship that tend toward an idolatrous worldview, conveying subtly that God exists for the church. Even when veiled in corporate lingo, the building up of the body of Christ is self-serving when it happens for the sake of the religious institutions, denominational affiliation, bragging rights as being the big church in town, or any number of derivations. These all demonstrate a selfishness veiled in self-professed, corporate selflessness.
God does not exist for the church. Rather, the church is the bride, whom exists for God, whom He created for His glory. God's children have been created by him, saved for him, and exist in him; all of their existence is for the one and only Master. In worshiping God, His children are to recognize and operate in the understanding that their existence is for Christ alone. Their gifts are used for something greater than the individual and greater than the whole, namely, GOD.
This subtle methodological blunder, though baptized in Scripture, is as dangerous as it is prevalent within the body. At the root, it will inflate the egos of celebrity-like leaders, seek the establishment of denominational empires, all the while seeking to provide the consumer with yet another product that will satisfy. The purpose of the church is different. Beware the corporate America mentality coupled with a consumer-driven disposition, which is a fertile forum for idol producing factories that yield fruit leading to death. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2
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