Consider the ant!

(Proverbs 6:6) “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.

In yesterday’s post I received some positive remarks, a few resolute comments and others remained silent, no doubt digesting what was said. Even throughout life we are taught that a divided house will never stand. Unity must be unanimous if one is to have the best possible opportunity for success. The greatest of teachers is found in nature and we needn’t look much further than our feet; just look at the ant, they are so regimented and work with such purpose, unity the order of the day. Something so small and yet they achieve such amazing feats. Ants work in groups, and achieve their goal in unity Alas!  Most men lack this and fail; amazingly they do not have a leader. The ant never gives up; it is not in their character to succumb to defeat. Destroy their nest for whatever reason and they immediately attend to their new task at hand as they start to rebuild a new home. They do not stop to lick their wounds, but get on with the task at hand; “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.” (Proverbs 6:6-8)     

What is interesting in the above verse is what I have highlighted. I see them teaching us the body principle, even God’s creation through nature speaks. Will we have ears to hear! What is the objective for a body of believers is it not “unity of the faith”. Yes it is! – “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)   

Why is this important? “So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:14-16)

This is why for this very reason we need to be part of a body of believers that have amongst them teachers that propagate sound doctrine, as they have been appointed by God to steer the ship, His ship! Get this wrong and the ship will soon go off course and its heading will no longer be heaven but some hidden reef seeking to destroy all those who venture into those treacherous waters. Having said that the teacher has as much need of the weaker vessels input; the bruised reeds if you like; for when they work together in unity they will “grow up in every way who is the head, into Christ”! This is not up for debate as God’s Word is clear; “For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. (1Corinthians 12:14-18)

I am convinced that a body of believers, a church must avail itself to allow each member to function as God has intended for them to function, if it does not, then it is no more than men interfering with God’s design. Men putting their hand to that which is holy; “God’s altar was to be built of unhewn stones, that no trace of human skill or labour might be seen upon it. Human wisdom delights to trim and arrange the doctrines of the cross into a system more artificial and more congenial with the depraved tastes of fallen nature; instead, however, of improving the gospel carnal wisdom pollutes it, until it becomes another gospel, and not the truth of God at all.” (C.H.Spurgeon) 

This is one of the responses I received from yesterday’s post and I quote; “The operation of the local fellowship: Still working through this but I definitely do not see the 'body building itself up in love' as every Tom, Dick and Harry using the pulpit. We build one another up through prayer and fellowship.”

I couldn’t agree more, as it is only the teacher that should teach, but he should not dominate and shackle the other members from their rightful role within that body of believers. Would a teacher cut off his left hand because he only thinks he needs his right hand to write with, no! That would be preposterous! Or what if I was an athlete and trained for a body building competition and it was obvious that my biceps were smaller in proportion to the rest of my physic, I wouldn’t spend more time doing squats building my legs but rather give more attention to doing curls and the like, in other words giving more opportunity to the weaker vessels not less, thus giving myself every opportunity to win the competition. Why then do we not reason wisely as men in authority, is it that we feel we know better that God! I pray this is not the case!

Therefore provision in application must be afforded each member the platform to operate within their measure and no more, so that the body may eventual find unity and grow and build itself in up in love.

Signing off

Tyrone