Do you want success, or order?

I’ve heard several teachers I respect refer to Proverbs 14:4 recently.

Proverbs 14:4 (NLT) Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

Bill Johnson of Bethel Church paraphrases this verse this way: There are no poopless cows. The way to not have to clean up after the cows is to not have cows in the first place – but then you don’t have the milk, you don’t have the beef, you don’t have whatever benefits come from owning a cow. My grandfather at one time raised cows for milk. I remember how large the manure shovels were, and how nasty it was to clean up after the cows each day.

If we want God to move on our behalf, to welcome Him to show up in healings, deliverance and the other things the Kingdom of God has to offer, we have to understand that it could interfere with our nice, pretty, structured church order.

Letting the man down through the roof in Capernaum (Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26) was disruptive, and the religious people got all aggravated, but the man got healed.

Consider this story from Mark 3:

Mark 3:1-6 (NIV)
Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”
Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

The pharisees wanted to kill Jesus because He defiled their pretty sabbath service with a healing. How many pastors have tried to lead their church into changes, at the cost of their jobs? More than I care to count.

Working in IT, I’ve always focused on “getting the process correct”. But in ministry and in churches, “ministering to people” has to be more important, although there still needs to be some level of “decency and order” (1 Cor 14:40). Let’s not interpret “decency and order” as “rigid and inflexible compliance”.

Finally, we read:

1 Corinthians 14:33 (NLT) For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.

When Paul wrote this, he was writing in Greek to the Corinthian church. But thinking as a pharisee, he knew what peace meant: Shalom. Peace, prosperity, wholeness, well-being and success. Nothing missing, nothing broken. So Paul wasn’t just looking for a calm, peaceful church order, but a church order where God is welcomed to move and visit and show Himself strong and touch His people.

Doug