“Let all things be done decently and in order.”
-1 Corinthians 14:40
The apostle Paul penned this verse in his letter to the church in Corinth in regard to the chaos that was breaking out. Though we are no longer dealing with disorderly prophesy and gifts of the Spirit we are still very much at war against chaos. When God fashioned Adam from the clay, we read, “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it (Genesis 2:15).” Part of our purpose is to bring order to chaos. It is a good thing to live an ordered life. It is an excellent thing for the Lord’s people to carry an ordered service.
For most of us, we gather each Lord’s Day, greet the brethren warmly and find our way to our seat. The service is consistently ordered, and we gather with a certain expectation of the flow and orderliness of the whole service. We honor the Lord through the reading of scripture, offering praises and petitions, through singing, giving, and the pinnacle of each service which is giving our full attention to the rightly divided Word from God given elders, and gifted brothers. This blessed expectation is only made possible through the efforts of many faithful brothers and sisters. We often acknowledge the pastor for his preaching, but I want to praise the Lord for the little things.
In Acts 6, we see that the office of Deacon was established so that the elders could devote themselves over to the ministry of the Word. This is all part of keeping things orderly. Indeed, a church with faithful deacons can praise the Lord for the order that they bring. However, the elders and deacons can only commit to so much. May we be in prayer for their success, as God appointed leaders, to the benefit of our congregation. However, I hope to encourage us to also remember to pray for and praise God for the Lord’s faithful who take care of all the rest.
May we be in prayer for the family with young children, trying to balance family integrated worship, and keeping their child from becoming a distraction to the congregation. No one desires to be a problem on the Lord’s Day. Encourage those mothers laboring in this way. May we never fail to praise God for the faithful nursery workers, who are sacrificing their own opportunity to sit under the preaching in order to assist the families of our congregation. We have all heard the sounds of war that can emerge from the nursery, but that battle is fought faithfully by the wonderful, loving, gentle spirited women of the congregation who have committed to the task. Pray for their spiritual success. Though God has instructed parents to provide their children’s spiritual care, have you considered what a blessing our Sunday school program has been to our little ones, who get to receive biblical instruction at their level, and increase in their own fellowship as potential future members of this congregation? Pray for those teachers and helpers who are spending their down time praying and planning to provide the best spiritual teaching that they can.
When you arrive, and the lights are on, the trash bags are changed out, the bathrooms are clean, the grounds are beautiful, the lawn is mowed, tables and chairs are reordered, the elements of the Lord’s supper are prepared, the bulletins are organized and printed, the dishes and utensils downstairs are clean, plates, cups, and coffee are well stocked, and the service moves forward orderly as expected – all of this is the result of the cumulative efforts big and small from faithful servants of God – many who will never receive payment, praise or recognition for their efforts.
To everyone who makes even the slightest efforts to do good toward the household of faith, be satisfied in your service unto the Lord, seeking His honor over the praise of men. To everyone who benefits, praise the Lord; seek not only to encourage and pray for those who commit to such things, but ask yourself what you can do to further assist the congregation. Just as each part of a body contributes toward its good, ask what part God has given you. Rejoice today in the faithfulness of our congregation in these things and pray for the Lord’s blessing upon it and increase of it, to His glory.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!”
– Psalm 133:1
