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A CHURCH FULL OF PAULS

Every church needs an Apostle Paul; but in addition it needs a Barnabas, a Timothy, a Peter, a Thomas, a Martha and a Mary.  In short, diversity is essential.  Paul was a wonderful thinker, organizer, speaker and writer.  These are extremely important roles.  Nevertheless, a church full of Pauls would be a disaster because he was also opinionated, egotistical and quick to judge. 

Barnabas, on the other hand, was a mediator, a benefactor, and advisor, and a friend; but a church full of Barnabuses would probably be unproductive because he wasn't a strong leader.  Timothy was dedicated and helpful, but he was also immature and inexperienced.  Peter was earnest, but impetuous.  Thomas was loyal, but skeptical.  Martha was hard working, but critical.  Mary was intelligent, but impractical.

On and on we could go enumerating individual strengths and weaknesses.  You see, in churches, as well as in life, diversity is needed.  Since no one human being is perfect, each must contribute his or her unique gifts and abilities in order to balance and complete the whole.

"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.   If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.   And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.   If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  

But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!'   On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, . . .  so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other" (I Cor. 12:14-18,21-22,25).
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This issue of NEW PERSPECTIVES  is from an unpublished manuscript © copyrighted 2004 by Miles and Maralene Wesner, Idabel, OK.  PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE THEM IN ANY WAY YOU THINK IS APPROPRIATE.  The only thing we ask is that you give credit for original material in PUBLISHED works. 

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