In church service, we often hear, “Do things decently and in order.” The phrase is found in 1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order. This passage is about the use of spiritual gifts and the appropriate interactive use of those gifts. However, after over sixty-plus years in the church, I don’t see a concerted effort to teach the people how to do things decently and in order by acting in faith with love with the aid of the Holy Spirit before receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When individuals receive Christ as their personal savior, they can be at various levels of faith. Some believe and doubt, others don’t look back, and everyone else is somewhere on that belief continuum. As we begin to discuss this topic, let’s first define what doing things decently and in order is not. They are not deceptive, distracting, or delusional. I want to state this upfront because when we consider attitude as important as activity and actions, we must understand our attitudes during the process. The process is not deceptive. As participants, we must be fully authentic.
This requires that we must be aware of our strengths as well as our weaknesses. Being open with this knowledge means we might avail ourselves of criticism from others, but if we walk in faith, we can accept it for our own good. We are not acting to make others think more highly of us thanthey should since we know that it is through Christ Jesus that we move and have our being. The process is not distracting and does not take one’s focus off Christ but reinforces that focus by minimizing the chaos and confusion around us. The God we serve is not a god of confusion and chaos. Nor does he cause saints to sin to carry out his plan. Finally, we can’t be delusional about our current state. The assumption that we are “ready” is a form of delusion. God is not through with us yet. If someone elicits a visceral response of hatred in our hearts, then the devil has found our weakness and has taken up residence in our body. If you find yourself in this position, you must ask for forgiveness in Jesus’ name, pray to the Lord to help you, and follow the urgings of the Holy Spirit to guide you in your acts of reconciliation as you make restitution to the one(s) you have hated.
I have often heard the phrase, “All the answers to your problems are in the Bible.” However, as a new Christian, how am I to know that? When Philip asked the eunuch, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The eunuch responded, “How can I unless someone guides me?” As I interpret this passage, with the preponderance of Christians in the church, we who are spiritually mature are to aid and encourage the growth of the babes in Christ. It is not just to be left up to the Pastor, Associate Members, and Sunday School teachers. This facet of doing things decently and in order follows the scripture: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity?” Sharing theGospel of God News with one another to aid in each other’s spiritual maturity is a blessing and expands the church’s capabilities. It also calls for a level of personal accountability heretofore not practiced on a wide scale. The Bible encourages us to develop these points of personal accountability within the body.
As recorded in Titus 2:1-6 in The Message Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, wisdom, healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, and be good wives. They will also guide the young men to live disciplined lives. But mostly, show them all this by doing it yourself, being trustworthy in your teaching, and making your words solid and sane. This paraphrase of the Gospel encourages the Pastor, Titus, to not just talk the talk but, even more importantly, walk the walk. In this manner, the pastor is accountable to the congregation, and everyone is accountable to each other. How does all this get us to do things decently and in order? The phrase infers that there is a proper process to accomplish anything that needs to be done in the church. All too often, we assume that it begins with the pastor’s approval. That is a deception. It is a deception because we focus on the pastor’s approval. We must first seek confirmation from the Holy Spirit for our actions. Two entities know our past better than we do: God and the devil. Only one knows our future and the plans to prosper us. That is why we should first seek confirmation from the Holy Spirit.
In that confirmation, we need to truly examine our weaknesses, for the devil tempts us through our weaknesses and will distract us with a noble goal that provides us an opportunity to seek vainglory if being in the spotlight is our weakness. If we do all things for God’s Glory, then the focus is always on what he has done and not what I did. This is the point and time when we may get delusional and not see the beam in our eye while criticizing our brother with the mote in his eye. This is where personal accountability within the body of Christ is critical. If no one can correct you but the Pastor or your specific Deacon, you put yourself in the place of being overtaken by a fault and fall prey to the wiles of the devil. So, you have obtained confirmation from the Holy Spirit that the event will benefit the Church.
Now, you need to examine yourself and ask the Holy Spirit if you are the face of the activity or if you better serve the church by working in the background while bringing someone else to the forefront. All too often, people hold a position for life and never give anyone else an opportunity to spread their wings. When that person transitions on, no one else has the knowledge to do what they did. Are you continuing that tradition or bringing new converts opportunities to express their gifts and talents in the church? Once you have the Holy Ghost confirm the activity and your role in it, you go to the Pastor to share your vision. Habakkuk 2:2-3 in the King James states, And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end, it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. As God told the prophet Habakkuk, the vision will be complete before you start. You don’t have to wing it if it’s God’s plan and you are following the Holy Spirit. During every step of the process, continue to seek confirmation from the Holy Spirit so that you don’t stray and will find that you are doing things decently and in ORDER.
