Growth Attitude: Order

Growth Attitude: Order

By Apostle Felix

14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 

James 3: 14 – 17

God is fundamentally orderly in His operations and never promotes disorder; in fact, order is the very foundation of the Kingdom of God. While on earth, Jesus demonstrated a life of perfect order that honoured the Father at all costs. He openly acknowledged before all men that He was sent by the Father and could only do what He saw and heard from Him—a profound attitude of divine order. Jesus never wanted to be portrayed as acting in opposition to the Father’s will; even in the Garden of Gethsemane, He refused to turn away from His Father’s purpose of dying for the sins of the world. Ultimately, maintaining this sense of order is critical to successfully accomplishing the will of God.

19  So Jesus said, “I speak to you timeless truth. The Son is not able to do anything from himself or through my own initiative. I only do the works that I see the Father doing, for the Son does the same works as his Father. 

John 5: 19

The church was hewn from Christ and is expected to maintain the exact same attitude that Jesus demonstrated on earth. He lived in constant submission to the Father’s will, coming not to fulfil His own desires but to accomplish the purpose of the One who sent Him. Heaven operated with a single, unified mission: the salvation of humanity through the death and resurrection of the Son of God. Amazingly, God, manifested in the flesh, submitted Himself entirely to God the Spirit. As the earthly dwelling place of God, the church today is called to live in that same absolute submission to divine authority.

38  And I have come out of heaven not for my own desires, but for the satisfaction of my Father who sent me.

John 6: 38

40  Let all things be done decently and in order. 

1 Corinthians 14: 40

How can the church maintain this standard of order? The word “order” originates from the Greek word taxis, which means a regular arrangement or a fixed succesion of rank or character. In a biblical context, true orderliness requires recognizing the divine authority instituted within the church by the Lord Jesus Christ. Consequently, no one can genuinely claim to be submitted to God if they refuse to submit to local church leadership, as honoring that leadership is an act of obedience to God’s Word. Furthermore, it is impossible to faithfully serve in a church if you do not believe in its vision. Remaining in a ministry without aligning with its mission inevitably leads to pushing a personal agenda or actively working against the vision of the church.