God’s Grace Already Holds That Position
An exhortation on spontaneity and order in worship
Last week a dear sister spoke up at the end of our Lord’s Day worship service. She had a word from the Lord that she wanted to share with everyone. I replied that we would finish the service, and that’s what we did.
That’s because 1 Corinthians 14:40 tells us to do all things in worship decently and in order. But that was not the end of it. Later I asked her what she wanted to share, in case it was a “word from the Lord.”
This concept overlaps with “prophecy” and “revelation,” which are gifts Paul desired for all the churches. As Paul defines it, it has three characteristics:
It is driven by LOVE. It’s not self-focused; it’s focused on loving the church, that people would be built up, encouraged and consoled by it (1 Cor. 14:3). And because it is loving,
It is BIBLICAL. A word from the Lord never adds to or subtracts from Scripture, but completely agrees with it and communicates it such that others receive it. And because it is submitted to the Word,
It is HUMBLE. The person who receives this “word from the Lord” is not a spiritual diva. They offer it humbly to the elders for their prayerful evaluation and to decide how it should be disseminated.
So I did that - I sent this sister’s word to the elders. And here is how I shared it with the church on Sunday:
For those in our body who are struggling with physical pain or emotional sorrow, the Word of our Lord to you today is this: keep going. Do not give up. Though it may feel like it, your God is not far. He is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
So believing that, the other part of the Lord’s word to us is this:
Now is the time to walk boldly by faith. But what does bold faith look like when we are dealing with pain or infirmity? It can go in many directions, but it seems the Lord would challenge us to not become curled in on ourselves. We must not find our identity in our illnesses and struggles.
Bold faith does not always talk about one’s own infirmities and trials but looks outward to others, in humble love. It prays for others and sends them encouragement. Because it knows, by faith, that this illness or trial doesn’t define me. God’s grace already holds that position.