Ben Workman

Lately I have been doing some meditation on 1 Corinthians 13 and the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5. I have concluded that our attitude plays a large role in our level of spiritual maturity. Whenever I hear acquaintances of mine vent about the difficulty of ministry, the source of their issues generally stems from other leaders, particularly other staff members. Pastors, staff, and other leaders do a good job at turning small problems into big problems. We often take a comment given to us by a member or even a staff member and we let it fester. Why? Because we take our education and position in the church as proof of our spiritual maturity. But Paul makes it clear that knowledge itself is not an indicator of spiritual maturity. Now, I would argue that a person’s attitude towards learning is a good indicator of maturity, but not the actual knowledge itself.

I do not mean to pick on only staff members of churches. What about the members’ attitude towards each other? Do they delight in being in the presence of each other? Or do they tolerate each other and roll their eyes when they hear something they don’t like? The church at Ephesus did several things right, as Jesus points out when He lists them in Revelation 2. But He ends His description of them with a call for them to repent because they have lost their first love. Jesus does not explain explicitly what they ought to be loving, nor does He explain what love means. The same general use of the word love is used in Paul’s letter of 1 Corinthians 13. A general understanding of the biblical use of the word love is to put someone else’s will and betterment over your own.

               I do not believe churches have a fellowship problem. I believe they have a gospel problem. Our love for each other is based on our understanding of how Jesus can love a sinful people such as us. Praise God that He doesn’t keep a count of our wrong doings. Praise God that He forgives us seventy times seven. We love because He first loved us. Let’s be honest here, there are mean people at church. There are mean pastors, deacons, staff, and members. Their comments may even be true, but their attitude is far from what I call genuine love for your well-being.

What can we do about the fellowship between church members and staff? First, pray for people. If we truly love people, then we will pray to the God who can change people. This same principle applies to us as well. If we don’t think we need to make major changes in our own lives, then we have a massive sized log in our eyes. Second, keep small things small. Do not let issues like personalities and administrative decisions rob your joy in the love that Jesus has for you. As leaders in the church, I believe one of our primary responsibilities is to demonstrate to people what is important and what is not.

Finally, pay attention to your own heart. Paul tells Timothy to pay close attention to his life and his teaching and he will ensure the salvation of both himself and his hearers (1 Timothy 4:16). At the end of the day only you can make decisions for yourself. Therefore, be constantly pursuing the Lord in all humility. Recognize the sins that God has forgiven you of and rejoice in His grace. Be a good reader and listener of Scripture. Pray for wisdom that you may walk with your God. By focusing on your own heart, you will help those around you just as Paul told Timothy.