The Balance August 1980

by Dick York

“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little.” Isaiah 28:10

It is sometimes difficult for us to learn the many facets of truth that the scriptures reveal concerning various aspects of Christian conduct. Sometimes these facets seem contradictory rather than complementary, so we have a tendency to embrace one side and not the other. Therefore, we become unbalanced. Subsequently, when we do learn the other side, there is an inclination to abandon the first precept in favor of the second. In other words, we have a tendency to trade line for line, precept for precept rather than add line upon line, whereby we expand and increase our understanding of the Word of God.

Two important aspects of the Word of God have to do with:
1. Our personal walk.
2. Our corporate walk as the body of Christ.

As an example of this, consider the Great Commission: “Go ye and teach all nations.” Believing that to be a command to every believer, there are those who, without co-ordination with other believers, simply go, applying the commission to themselves. They are independent and individualistic. The command is personally to them, and it precipitates individual obedience. How necessary that individual obedience is.

Later, God teaches those same individuals that the command is to the collective church and every member is co-operatively engaged in that commission whether they “go” or “stay.” This requires corporate obedience. Our understanding of this command affects our response to it and also what we teach about it. When we individualize or personalize the command, we obey independently and tend to teach that everyone should “go.” When we begin to see the corporate involvement, we begin to teach the “body ministry;” the “church” function. However, when we do that, we must not lose sight of the urgency of personal response. Sometimes we do. In that case, we have traded line for line, instead of adding line upon line, precept upon precept.

So it is with “living by faith,” or trusting God for our provision. We can see clearly from the Word of God that He has promised that if we “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,” He will add all the other things to us. (Matthew 6:33) Obviously then, I need be anxious for nothing. He will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) The conclusion has to be, therefore, that I need not make my needs known to man but only to God.

How many times God has proven this to be true! The Apostle Paul, in the midst of the affluent Corinthian church, did not make his personal needs known. He remained silent even though he was among them and lacked many things, which could have been provided by them had he only declared his need. However, he didn’t. He made his needs known to God alone, and God was glorified. This principle of trusting God alone for personal need has to do with our personal walk and should be a continuing policy. This is especially true where God has strongly impressed the individual believer.

On the other hand, there is the corporate function of the church. Projects and activities that are not personal commissions and responsibilities fall into this category. This corporate function includes those efforts that involve the co-ordination of all the particular members and ministries. In this case, to personalize the commission or to withhold the needs and requirements of the work is to fail to communicate. It jeopardizes co-ordination and hinders the saints in the execution of their part. Some projects belong to the whole church. Therefore, there must be the dissemination of information pertinent to this. (See II Corinthians; chapters 8,9.) Furthermore, this is not a contradiction to the principle of making my personal needs known to God alone.

For many years, I personally, saw the individual side of this issue very clearly and very compellingly. I was, and am, convinced that I should make my needs known only to God, who has proved Himself faithful as I lived by that principle and taught it to others. I was also convinced that the commission was to me personally, and I obeyed it in that manner, expecting others to do the same. But I had no clear picture of the work of the whole church as a singular body.

Then I began to see the “Church.” What an eye-opener! What a blessing! I taught it strongly and still do. But there had to be the balance of individual and independent obedience with the corporate function. God gave that balance. I continued, however, to be secretive about the material needs of the work, even when it meant hindering the ability of the participants to meet their personal obligations. Due to that influence, for example, we never let the facts be known about the production costs of materials that the saints would have been delighted to bear. Conference costs were never divulged even to the conferees. The material needs of the work, that the saints eagerly desired to meet, were not made known. As a consequence, a chronic monetary shortage continued to plague the work. This too, was of God. He was teaching us something about “body ministry.”

The error of failing to share these concerns with participating saints was pointed out to me frequently and forcefully. I began to see the other side of the coin. Without abandoning the first precept of faith in God for the supply of personal needs and addressing God alone for the meeting of those needs, I yielded. I recognized the wisdom of the brethren who saw the balance in the other side of the doctrine. It became evident that the Apostles taught much about how to give. I, on the other hand, had been reluctant to mention money or material because I applied my personal convictions to the whole work as though it were all my responsibility. Thus, the saints were hindered.

Before the 1980 Memorial Day Oregon Conference, it was decided that the attending believers should know exactly how much everything cost, and although no one would be deprived simply for lack of funds, amounts were clearly stated. The saints thoroughly approved, and all the expenses were met. At that Conference, as we were preparing for the Nigerian project, we were asked over and over about finances for the work. How are they coming? Who is participating? As this was discussed, we were urged to share the project with the saints. We did, and frankly stated facts and figures declaring our recognition that the church is a team.

The response was surprising. One brother said, “You finally let us in. Now I know how I can openly participate in the work.” Another said, “Now I feel like part of the team.” Without further urging, the need was met in less than two months and well before the deadline. What was God saying to me? What was He teaching us? Where the church is a team, there must be communication! We need to pray together! We need to minister together! We need to give together! The work is the corporate responsibility of the church. Now I understand what the Scriptures mean when they say, “And all that believed were together and had all things in common: and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all as every man had need.”

No, I was not wrong in believing we can trust God for our needs. We do not need to make them known to man. God has proved His faithfulness in that matter. But there must be added to that everlasting precept the matter of communication. When there is a corporate work or a corporate responsibility, there is a collective need to know. We are a team! To work as a team, to pray as a team, to give as a team, we need to know the same things. This is not a reversal, but a further insight into the corporate body ministry. Therefore, if we pass on information about projected needs of the work in the future, please understand we are trusting God and praying for provision. We are looking to Him together.

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