Divine Order

Let all things be done decently and in order. I Corinthians 14:40 (KJV)

I Corinthians 12, 13, and 14 all give direction on how we are to do things when we come together. One thing He expects is that there is to be order in our church services. He instructs us on how to worship, including the sharing of revelation knowledge, prophesying, doctrines, tongues, and how we allow the Holy Spirit to move and have His way. Our God is a God of order, and even the Holy Spirit will manifest Himself in ways that are orderly and without confusion. The supernatural may be amazing and awe-inspiring, but it is not chaotic. His gifts are released with power and demonstration but not with confusion. In the Old Testament, we even see that God had an order in the way the tabernacle was crafted, set-up, and run.

We don’t approach God any old way. We must come to Him using His way- which is based on the Word. His Word IS His way. First of all, we come into His house and His presence with reverence and respect, ready to praise and worship the Lord, give to Him, and fellowship with Him and His children. We are to follow the set way that the service is being run, which should be based on Scripture. And when the Holy Spirit chooses to move, we must be willing to lay our plans aside and let Him have His way. Order gives structure but should not be so rigid as to prevent the Holy Spirit from operating.

God gave us the five-fold ministry gifts in Ephesians 4 to lead us and help us grow and mature so we can do the work of the ministry. When we allow them to lead the service and do not attempt to disrupt and overrun their authority, things flow in an orderly and God-pleasing fashion. The five-fold ministry gifts are the gifts given to the body of Christ by Jesus Himself.

In Romans 12, the Father also has given gifts- the motivational or foundational gifts. These gifts are selected by Him and given to us as individuals- and they are to be used in the body of Christ. And in I Corinthians 12, we read about the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit as He wills. The gifts of the Spirit can be manifest in the life of any believer when and how the Holy Spirit chooses. All of these gifts- from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- should operate and function in our services; but with order.

As we follow God’s Word and allow order to guide our services, we create an atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to move and for the gifts to be manifest as the Lord sees fit. When this happens, God’s supernatural power is released and His divine will is done.