The Body Has Many Parts that Support and Enhance the Rest of the Body.

One of the favored tactics of this generation is to exclude us so we cannot influence anyone else. When that doesn't work, the gossip begins, so that we are rejected by those who don't even know us.

Galatians 4:16 "16 So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They eagerly seek you, not in a commendable way, but they want to shut you out so that you will seek them."

Thank the Lord that those who hate Jesus Christ and have contempt for us have isolated us from them, leaving us free to walk with Christ without their continual contempt and anger displayed in an attempt to mock and intimidate us.
We are never discouraged because we know the condition of this world and its tricks of the devil to control the people in it.

 
Romans 15:7
"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring glory to God."

1 Thessalonians 1:6
"And you became imitators of us and of the Lord when you welcomed the message with the joy of the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering."

Authentic believers agree together about the things of the Lord and they support one another in whatever calling God has for each one.

 
We do not intimidate one another into becoming like the group. We encourage and uplift through edification, for each one to be as God made them.
Placing cultural rules on others that God never commanded is ungodly.

 
Galatians 2:14
"But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?"

God made each of us to walk independently as we support the whole.
Each member has their own job to do, but in doing i,t there is support of the whole group.

 
1 Corinthians 12:15-26
"15 If the foot says, 'Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, just as He desired. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 But now there are many parts, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again, the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
23 and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable,
24 whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another.
26 And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it."

Many parts of God's body within the church are being ignored and rejected because they are not the designated leaders paid by man to do a job for man.

 
There are people within the body who are being ignored and even chastised for doing what God called them to do, simply because of the man-made hierarchy designed by men to control others. The body is now controlled by men instead of the Holy Spirit.

 
Many people within the body are not allowed to carry out their role as led by the Holy Spirit; therefore, the Holy Spirit takes second place to the man-centered hierarchy.

 
I am sure many of you have felt led to do something, and others have treated you as though you had no business doing a job that only hierarchy can approve.

 
I have even heard stories from others who told me the pastor disallowed a bible study in their home because it must be led by the designated "pastor." Please ignore these foolish men who place themselves above the Holy Spirit.

 
We are to do what the Holy Spirit tells us to do, not what men decide for us to do. Those who usurp the Holy Spirit have no authority over others. They are teachers who are to lead by example and teach; they have no power to rule over others in a dictatorial fashion.

 
Our culture values education above God! Do not follow the culture, follow Christ.