In the modern church system, there are certain expectations that are not Biblical or are not clear enough to make a rule about, but that oppress those who adhere to the pressure of the group in the system.
If a group is coming together to worship God and fellowship with one another there can be a wonderful experience, but when the group system operates from an expected enmeshment it becomes a burden and a trial.
1 Peter 4:9-11 "…9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining. 10 As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. 11 anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.…"
1 Corinthians 12:14-26
"14 For the body is not one part, but many.
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."
Each part of the body is needed but if some parts are not recognized and even discouraged from using their gift then, as God said, the body suffers. The body of Christ is suffering today for lack of wisdom because not everyone in the body is recognized for their gifts. Often when someone demonstrates a gift that the body thinks is not important then a part of the functioning of the body is thwarted even rejected at times.
When one or two people are seen as those with gifts and all others are seen as pew sitters without any gifts to offer we have moved into the realm of enmeshment and even cult-like oppression.
The gifts are given by God not man and man does not train anyone to have a gift.
If we cannot be loved by the group unless we say what they say, do what they do, and elevate the leader as special above others, we are seen as troublemakers.
The modern church system operates more like a cult and a clique than it does like the authentic body of Christ.
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