One Member of the Body Saying I Have No Need Of You

[Presbyterian Continuist]

When I read 1 Corinthians 12, I came across the passage where it spoke about the different members of the body of Christ and the different gifts and functions each one had. It said, like a human body, each part has it own function, and all parts are equally needed for the body to function in a healthy way.

Paul goes on to say that the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you."

Then I got a thought. There are members of the body of Christ who do not agree with today's use of the gift of tongues, and they tend to accuse Pentecostals and Charismatics of being false because we speak in tongues, minister healing and cast out demons. In effect these ones are saying, "We have no need of these Pentecostals and Charismatics. They are not true members of the body of Christ." They may not say it directly, but the implication is very clear.

So, those who have never received the revelation that the Holy Spirit gifts, including tongues are for today, and that there are genuine believers and members of the body of Christ who do speak in tongues, command healing, cast out demons, are going against the principles of what Paul is saying about the body of Christ and that every member, whatever their function, needs each other to be a healthy body.

Paul also speaks against division, jealousies and factions in the church. So we have the non-tongues speaking faction putting down those who speak in tongues, and we also have the cessationist faction criticising genuine healing and deliverance ministries.

I just wonder if that is the reason why we have so many ineffective, powerless religious institutions and "clubs" instead of a church that preaches the gospel with the demonstration of the Spirit and power?

 

[musicalpilgrim]

So true...in my part of the country we have Churches with lovely Christians who work very hard serving others, food banks etc., read their Bibles and pray, but the gifts of the Spirit are not evident.