Gifts that Profit All, by Warren Zehrung It
is good for us to go back from time to time and reread the Scriptures
closely to make sure that we have stayed the course of truth and
righteousness. Within the Church of God there have been so many
twists and turns over the last twenty years or more that we sometimes
begin to think the Bible says one thing – when it really says
another. Too many terms and definitions have taken on different
meanings over time because we were not careful to maintain the
fundamentals. Let’s
take for instance the term ‘church’ and how it has changed.
Long ago I heard pastors say, “I’ll check with Pasadena; I’ll
check with the Church.” That is not how Jesus Christ used the
word ‘church.’ Jesus said: “I
say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build my church; and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) Jesus
did not say, “I will build my churches (plural).” He said
‘church’ singular. Jesus had one thing in mind – and that
was the called out brethren who constitute the Church of God.
As Jesus looks down from His heavenly throne, He sees only His one
Church. “Jesus Christ is the head of the Church.”
(Ephesians 5:23) “By
one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink
into one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13) “[God]
hath put all things under [Jesus'] feet, and gave Him to be the head
over all things to the Church.” (Ephesians 1:22) In
1 Corinthians 1:13 we read that Jesus is not divided.
Therefore, the Body of Christ cannot be divided – but it is!
According to God, there can be no barriers of division between
like-minded, converted brethren when it comes to His Spirit and the
gifts Jesus Christ has bestowed on the Church brethren. “Now
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would
not have you ignorant. Now there are diversities of gifts,
but the same Spirit. And there are differences of
administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities
of operations, but it is the same God which works all in all. But the
manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
(1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-7) “Withal”
is a word that we very seldom use. It means, for everyone.
Withal means that each and every one of the brethren are to profit
from all the spiritual gifts. Are these gifts given by God for
a select few members in only one of the corporate organizations –
or, are the gifts of the Spirit for the entirety of church brethren
anywhere on the face of the earth? The answer is this:
Jesus Christ’s spiritual gifts are given to God's people by the
Holy Spirit for the common good of all the Church brethren. Jesus
says that the gifts that He gives are for the profit of everyone.
Nowhere in these Scriptural verses do we find any limitation
whatsoever that some brethren are to be excluded from benefiting from
these gifts. There is no indication at all that some brethren
are more worthy than other brethren to be beneficiaries of Christ’s
gifts. How then are church leaders able to say that God has
made them apostles; prophets; evangelists; pastors or teachers for
only a portion of the Church? Why does Jesus give these
particular gifts mentioned here? This
next verse, Ephesians 4:12, gives us the answer to this question of
why God gives these special gifts. These gifts are given
by Jesus for the purpose of perfecting God's people; for serving and
for building up the Body of Christ. “For the perfecting of the
saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of
Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12) Since
the gifts of God are clearly for the profit of all the Church
brethren according to Jesus Christ, how in the world do church
leaders withhold the gifts they have received from Jesus from all the
other brethren who are entitled to them? I submit to you
brethren, that this Biblical truth is not believed or practiced by a
single one of the larger church organizations today. They reserve the gifts of God to their loyal followers and severely
sanction any who would go outside their corporate organization to
share God's gifts - which God says they must share. Almost
every church organization freely admits that there are converted
brethren in all the other groups – and yet they somehow withhold
the spiritual gifts God has given them for the profit of all.
The Scriptures clearly say that those gifts given by God are for the
profit of all the brethren. |