Seek Wisdom

“How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” 1 Corinthians 14:26.

We realize that Paul, in the above word, wanted to emphasize that “each” of the brethren must have something with which to serve the church so that it is not only one or two brothers who manage eve­rything themselves. If we are not clear on this point we will ripen more and more in the direction of becoming an assembly of the dead.

In a living church, everybody must serve. Everybody must get an opportunity to grow and develop fully, according to the grace God gives. It is not enough if only four or five of the same brothers always use up the whole meeting time until there is only a little bit of time left which the rest of the assembly can then use for testimonies. All the members of the church must have this feeling, and they must know, that all of them should be active. Then the individual will also feel responsibility for the meetings. It is praiseworthy to have a lead­ing brother who can keep the assembly warm, meeting after meeting, but it is not praiseworthy if this warmth does not forge the individu­als together to be active members of the body.

It is important that each one is led to the knowledge of God, and to wisdom; because wisdom must rule. It is not sufficient to have a warm heart, but lack wisdom. One can see this at meetings where the Word has apprehended the hearts of the listeners to revival. Then one or two of those whose hearts are most on fire can stand up and give such long testimonies that there is no time for anyone else before the meeting is over. Their hearts were on fire—there was nothing wrong with that—but they lacked wisdom, with the result that they hindered their fellow brothers and sisters from testifying.

When a group of brothers and sisters comes together for a prayer meeting it can happen that they have to be asked beforehand not to pray too long. This points to a lack of wisdom, the inability to judge the time, the place, and the purpose of the prayer meeting—therefore such things need to be said. However, much of this falls away if wisdom is allowed to rule in the assembly. The intention is that “each of you” shall serve and be served. An unwise person does not think of that; everything is well and good as long as he is edified.

It has been said about Jesus that He prayed briefly when He was together with the people; when He was with His disciples He prayed a little bit longer; but when He was alone He would spend the whole night in prayer. When we receive wisdom, we can serve the church so it grows up to be a habitation of God in the Spirit. Then the one who leads the meetings gives opportunity according to how the Spirit works, and the others come to give, each of them according to what they have.