Order in the Church.

Everybody spoke at the same time, it was so rowdy that visitors thought it was a local market! Every public gathering requires orderliness and the Church is not excluded from this need. Even Jesus maintained order in the temple by dislodging the merchants of disorder. The leaders of legislative arms of Government and courts have gavels with which they maintain order and quietness while in they are in session, bear in mind that lawmakers are supposed to be honourable and highly respectable members of society, yet when emotions go high and tension rises, they sometimes get so disorderly that they engage in fistcuffs. I'm going to pen a few of my thoughts on orderliness in the Church. 1st Corinthians 14 explains this subject in detail. A major consideration I want to highlight here is found in verse 6 that every sermon that is preached must have at least one or more of;

• revelation, 
• knowledge,
• prophecy and 
• doctrine.

Vs 6: Now, bretheren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?

If any sermon does not have at least one of these essential ingredients, it is a total waste of time and effort from the preacher and hearers alike.For only in these can the body of Christ profit, be blessed or benefit from the sermons we preach. We must be careful not to reduce our sermons to casual conversations or cheerful chats, for it is with God's word that He transforms lives and enforces His will on earth. Ps. 107:20 says
He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. 

It is an awesome fact and a show of God's magnanimity to discover diverse gifts with which God has endowed His Church, however, the main reason why God gave these gifts is to edify and bless His children; the Church ; verse 12. God's gifts were not given to make celebrities out of His ministers(although they may become celebrities as they pursue ministry with focus and dedication). A gift that does not bless others commensurately is either underutilized, or underestimated by the bearer and may become useless in God's eyes. This is a major reason why orderliness in Church is encouraged and should be enforced. No matter how sincere and authentic a gift carrier, his gift and the spirit with which he operates may be, no one hears properly or gets edified when several people speak at the same time. Imagine an event that has 6 comperes and everyone of them addresses the audience at the same time. They may have the best of intentions, but there would be confusion.If edification is the objective (as it should be in the church), then orderliness is a must.

Considering that Church and doctrinal matters are critical, and can therefore make or break believers, the bible also enjoins us in verses 27 and 29 to ensure that whatever is being said at any time should be judged and processed by at least one or two other individuals to ensure that the message being conveyed is not counterproductive; leading to heresy or apostasy.Verse 26 also reminds us that speaking in Church should not become a competition or an attempt to claim spiritual superiority above other children of God. It is amazing that verse 32 reminds us that no one loses control of himself/ herself to such extent that he/ she will become a nuisance or source of distraction while attempting to pass on a godly message. You are still in control and you should control your urge and inspiration until the appropriate time for you to speak. If you are not in control, won't exercise restraint, and must become a nuisance, the source of your inspiration should be questioned, as it may not be from God. We have an example in the story of the young girl possessed by an evil spirit in Acts 16:16-18. The young girl said the truth, but continued to follow the apostles and constituted a nuisance and a source of grief to them and the community. It shouldn't have been too surprising to discover shortly afterwards that her source was questionable and in fact demonic. This is an instance in which you may not need the spirit of discernment to spot a foul spirit!

Prophecy is a powerful inspirational gift among Christians and the Apostle Paul encourages every believer to desire it,(verse 1). Verse 22 of our text tells us that prophecy is predominantly for believers and not those who are yet to believe. I am convinced this is so stated because the first and most important thing an unbeliever needs to hear and believe is the saving Gospel of Christ, not prophecy.

When the Spirit moves and men are inspired to speak in prophecy, tongues, interpretation, exhortation and the likes, only one person should speak at a time. This call for orderliness should also remind us that everyone is entitled to express his/her gift before God and men. Being heard in Church is not the exclusive right of any person or group of people. Therefore no one should suffer an inferiority complex in Church, it is our Father's house and belongs to us all, as long as we behave responsibly! The Spirit of God, the same Spirit of the Prophets, the Spirit that made Jesus rise from the grave cannot be in you and do nothing or say nothing! Express your God given gift without fear today, make full proof of your ministry in the Word, Choir, Sunday School, prophecy, tongues and interpretation, welfare, administrative work, outreaches, evangelism... the list continues 2nd Tim. 4:5. Ministry isn't only for Pastors, it differs from person to person, as far as you are a child of God you have a ministry which is special in God's eyes.