ORDER MY STEPS IN THY WORD

God’s Order for Leadership The Higher Powers of Romans 13“Now ye are the body of Christ. . . .” TheBody of Christ is the Church. We believers arethe Body of Christ, and every person in thatBody is a member in particular. God is telling usthat each person in the Body is special and has aspecific function, or ministry, in that Body.When each member of the Body functions withthe greatest of his or her God-given ability, eachperson’s spiritual life will be totally full. Thenthe entire Body of Christ, the Church, willoperate with complete perfection.A person in the Body of Christ has the samerewards available whether he or she serves as aprophet or as an apostle or a teacher or in helpsor governments or some other facet of theChurch. Those who teach are entitled to nogreater reward than those who minister in helpsor governments or in any other way. Each of usin the Body of Christ has a particular function inthat Body, and we are to function with all ourheart, soul, mind, and strength.Let me give you a literal translation accordingto usage of verse 28 of I Corinthians 12: “SoGod has placed some in the Church having theministries of apostles, prophets, and teachers.Some are effective miracle workers. Some are veryeffective in imparting the blessings of healings.94Some are very adept as helps and governments.And some contribute best with diversity oftongues.”Apostles, prophets, and teachers are gift ministriesto the Church. Miracles, healings, and diversitiesof tongues are manifestations of the gift fromthe Holy Spirit in the Church. And helps andgovernments are service ministries in the Church.Whatever a person’s God-given assignment is,he or she must proceed to carry it out. A personcan have the ministry of an apostle, a prophet, or ateacher, in helps or governments, or be adept inprophesying, but what profit is it until that abilityis put to work? A person may have the ministry ofteaching the Word of God, but instead of teachingthe Word of God, he just sits and does nothing.Then that ability will not be a benefit to anybody.The Body of Christ is perfected as each person carriesout his or her assignment in that Body.The same truth concerning the functions in theBody is set forth in Romans 12, the context ofthe thirteenth chapter of Romans, which is thefocus of this study.Romans 12:4:For as we have many members in one body,and all members have not the same office.95