Building Project

Someone has said that “If you are a hammer, all the world looks like a nail” which is a memorable way of saying that we look at the world through the framework of our personal inclinations.  I am an orchestra conductor and so tend to view groups of people as musical ensembles.  My role as conductor is to bring out the unique voice of each instrument and to see that each functions in accordance with the greater good of the whole ensemble.  Of course, the best framework through which to view life is scripture.  Scripture views believers corporately as a body.  Not just “a” body but “the” body; the body of Christ.

Romans chapter 12 opens with Paul’s unforgettable exhortation that every believer should consider himself as nothing less than an offering to be consumed by God: Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Rom 12:1)  A statement like this is all well and good but not especially useful in the abstract.  Thankfully, Paul was a practical guy and what follows is Church Life 101:  “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Rom 12:4-5)  These verses are rich in implication and application but one idea Paul is getting at here is that in the church it is not “every man for himself.”  It is “myself for every man.”  We have an interest in the spiritual well-being of other members of the body of Christ.  It is our role as individuals to function for the overall good of the body, which is the church.  Needless to say, this flies in the face of the secular “me first” philosophy which is ingrained in modern man.  It is also at odds with much of evangelicalism which has adopted the strategy of appealing to the self-interest of unbelievers as an evangelistic method.

Paul goes on to say that, “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.”  The French Horn brings a unique sound to the orchestra.  It may be warm or heroic.  Muted horns may sound brittle or even scary.  This role is unique and cannot be adequately filled by any other instrument. In the same way, each of us is unique in our individual giftedness.  The church is a multifarious organism of prayer warriors, leaders, organizers, servers, teachers, givers, and so on.  In this context we see that giving is a spiritual gift.  If you have this gift, you want to use it for the overall benefit of the church.  You feel joy and are fed spiritually by exercising it.  Not only are we to exercise our gifts but we are to strive to do so with excellence.  Paul wrote to the Corinthians “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2Cor 8:7)” Just as a great musician wants to use his gift to make music so does one gifted to give looks for opportunities to do so.  This is why Paul says to them: “he who gives, with liberality.”  One does not have to be wealthy to have the gift of giving.  We should not allow a large need to keep us from doing our small part in meeting it.  The second movement of the Second Rachmaninof Piano Concerto has one short note for trombones.  But it is an important note. Giving is the same way.  One sees and acts on opportunities to give in accordance with the grace given by the Spirit of God to do so.  Paul specifically "notes" that the Macedonians “gave out of their poverty.”  There may be some who say “all they want is my money.”  To those I would respond that actually it’s more than that.  God wants everything you have to be given to Him.  Which brings us back to Paul’s original plea, “ to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”  Please give to the building fund!