For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Chris

DIGGING DEEP NO. 956 – October 11th, 2022 CHURCH MANAGEMENT 1 Corinthians 12:12

Although it may be possible to run a church, ministry, business, or organization single-handedly, it is certainly not the most efficient or effective method of operation. Nevertheless, countless people have tried to do so with minimal success. Inevitably, however, these same people eventually get so tired that they just can’t run the whole show anymore. After a while, even the most stalwart become weary of carrying never-ending responsibility refusing the help, advice, or contribution of others and refusing to make use of the talents that God has placed in their mists. Doing things alone is a course of action that guarantees your goal and vision will never be accomplished to the extent that God has a purpose for you. You may do a top-quality job, but without the help of others your sphere of influence will never increase, and you are bound to be limited in your reach.  Consequently, your lack of a team limits your ability to touch very many people at one time. You can run a ministry, church, or organization single-handedly on a small scale, but you won’t be able to build a larger church, business, or organization without the manpower needed to touch and serve many people. The philosophy of doing it all single-handedly limits the growth of any organization — not to mention the fact that it can physically wear you out and make you despise the very thing God has called you for. This will inevitably lead to talents around you being suppressed, dreams of those you are called to lead being killed, and the people and their vision inevitably falling into mediocracy and remaining stagnated.  In First Corinthians 12:12, the apostle Paul compared the Church to the human body, with different parts that are equipped to perform different functions. He says, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also, is Christ.” Paul uses the word “many” to describe the various parts of the body. This word is translated to describe a huge quantity. But the word “many” not only accentuates the fact that there are many members; it also presents the idea that there is great variety among the members. You can easily see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts — limbs, organs, cells — but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It is the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said goodbye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. As believers, we must say goodbye to our old, independent way of thinking and learn how to be integrated into a greater whole. We need each other, for, without each other’s input and gifts, we are incomplete. When God’s people come together as a team to achieve a common goal, their unified effort brings divine power and world-transforming moves of God to the earth! Doctrine, culture, language, and creeds will never bring unity to the Church. But when we become single-focused, working together as a team to win the world to Jesus Christ, that is when genuine unity will come to the Church. And unity is such a powerful force! For some, unity is a vague, dream-like wish for a day when Christians sweetly smile at each other and sing in harmony; disagreements are resolved and eliminated, and we all say, think, and do the same identical things. But the Bible never promises that a day will come when we all agree about everything! This is a false concept of unity. It’s a fantasy that will never be reached on this earth.

So, what is unity? Unity occurs when people are united in action and in passion for a common cause. Their shared goal is so strong that it removes hostilities, puts away disagreements, and gives previously divided people a reason to take their place alongside each other. When this occurs, different gifts, talents, and anointings become connected together, and the result is an amazing river of divine power that achieves the supernatural and accomplishes the impossible. We can see from our own church and leadership that we are very gifted and a diverse group of people from many different denominational and cultural backgrounds, yet we are extremely united as a church. But it is not our culture, language, or doctrine that unites us — it is our common goal to get the Gospel to as many people as we can by God’s grace. We see this in our mission statement. Our pastor is a true believer in this principle of harvesting people’s talents and ensuring that every member who is gifted and willing to use their gifts is given the opportunity to do so. The Church is run according to the principles as stated in Exodus 18:13-27.  A single purpose pulls our whole church together in phenomenal unity, which is one of the reasons we have had such powerful results. We may be many in number and diverse in gifts and talents, but we are one in purpose. It is simply a fact that phenomenal results are reaped when concentrated attention is given to building this kind of teamwork. People who become cemented together by a common goal produce unity. And when this kind of chemistry is at work among the members of a church, family ministry, business, or organization, that team becomes a mighty force that helps you reach the goals and visions God has placed in your heart. So don’t try to fulfill your dream or run your family, church, ministry, business, or organization single-handedly. If you do, you’ll only serve to exhaust yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually. Why don’t you instead allow God to bring other team members to you who can help you fulfill your task? Don’t settle for accomplishing your goal single-handedly on a small scale. Develop the manpower to build a larger church, business, or organization with enough hands to touch and serve many people! As other members join your team and begin to use their gifts and talents to press toward the common goal, you’ll find that their help greatly enhances both your effectiveness and your ability to impact this world for God. So why don’t you ask God today to open your eyes to the gifts, talents, and abilities of the individuals who need to help you fulfill your God-given assignment?