lamp stands

God puts gifts in people for the benefit of others. As He works through those people they are like lively stones, built up into a Holy temple (1 Pet 4:5). We are to become a spiritual house as well as a holy priesthood in our service of God, and this is a picture of what the Church should be. Just as, personally, our bodies are the temple of the Lord (1 Cor 6:19), so we as the Body of Christ are built up into a temple. The process of the building up of God’s Body in the Church is taught in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. The gifts specifically mentioned for the purpose of building up the people are the 5-fold ministry (Eph 4:11 – 13). We are to be “built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” The 5-fold ministry prepares the people for works of service so that they can participate in this growth, until the full measure of Christ is attained.

We all want to attain to the full stature of Christ in our churches, and often look at God’s presence in our congregations as His approval of how we are running our ministry. God’s manifest presence in the temple of the Old Testament showed He was with His people, so it is a natural conclusion that God’s presence amongst us would mean that we have His favor.

If we look at the powerful things God did in the 1st century Church there is a common theme; God was present with them. Yet, we see in the book of Revelation that many of the churches displeased the Lord, and needed to repent. There is a warning to the same church that God gave instructions to on how to build up His Body (Ephesus) that the Lord was about to remove their lamp stand (Rev 2:5). In my life, twice I have seen a church lose their lamp stand. Though He had set His presence and authority in faithful men, over time they competed with the Lord for lordship over their flock. And His presence left. God’s presence isn’t a seal of approval over a man’s ministry; it is just the beginning of a deeper relationship with the ministry.

Just as a man will date a woman he intends on having a relationship with, so God courts His Church for a deeper relationship with her. When He sees that the church or ministry is serious about His affections, the Lord shares on a deeper basis with her so that she can fully get to know His nature. He looks deeply into the eyes of His churches for that seriousness that comes with deep, committed love. His presence grows more intense and He purposes to continue the relationship on ever-deepening levels. He tests the ministries of men to see if He can trust His heart to them, and to their ministers.

If a man’s ministry is dedicated to the purposes in Jesus’ heart for His Church, he will be dedicated to molding people in Christ’s image so that the Spirit of Jesus will reside in their personal temple. That same minister will encourage the members of his ministry to grow in the use of their gifts so that the Church can be built up as a temple for the Holy Spirit to reside in; a Church in the image of Christ, with an enduring relationship of trust with Him. If a man’s ministry strays because of self-ambition, desire for personal lordship, wealth, or favor with men, Jesus will remove the lamp stand and that relationship will lose its vitality.

A minister who is self-ambitious will not raise up the members of his congregation or church in their gifts. If fact, the ministers who lost their lamp stands had competed with gifted members of their congregation, undercutting the authority Christ had given them. Ultimately, a minister who undermines the movement of the Holy Spirit in others is undermining the authority of Christ and competing with Him for His rightful authority in his Church. It is the Lord Himself Who gives the gifts to men for His purposes, and He entrusts those in authority to mentor and encourage those gifts.

Christ is gazing into the eyes of His Church for the seriousness to go deeper in our relationship with Him. We must commit to serve the purposes that are in His heart, and leave behind our own purposes for ministry. If we will trust Jesus and follow His Spirit He will accomplish the fullness of the Holy Spirit in us, and in our ministries. Amen.