The one man system, over time, has largely shut down the functioning of the body and quenched the participation of the saints. When one man is expected to do all the preaching, all the leading, all the ministering, and all the hearing from God on behalf of everyone else, the rest of the body inevitably becomes passive. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.
But the responsibility does not lie there alone.
Many among the congregation have become content with such an arrangement. They want to attend for an hour, tick the religious box, and then return to their lives until the following week.𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗹𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀. They would rather someone else ascend the mountain, someone else hear from God, and someone else bring back the word.
Yet this was never God’s intention.
𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲.Every saint is called to seek the Lord for himself. Every member should be daily gathering manna, receiving some fresh word, some fresh insight, some encouragement from the Lord that could be shared for the edification of others. We are told to always be ready. But readiness implies preparation, pursuit, and personal communion with Christ.
Thus the problem is multifaceted. There are systems that have fostered passivity, and there are people who have willingly embraced it because it demands less of them.
And then there are the few.
There are always the few.
There are those who sit quietly among the congregation, year after year, with an increasing sense that something is missing. They cannot fully articulate it at first, but deep within they know that the biblical pattern has been lost. They know there must be more than this. They know that the body of Christ was never meant to be a gathering of spectators watching a few perform.
Eventually, many of these saints can bear it no longer. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲.They go searching for that which they know in their hearts to be true, a gathering where Christ is central, where every member can function, where spiritual gifts are exercised, where fellowship is genuine, and where the Lord Himself is free to lead His people.
For deep calls unto deep, and 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹.
A Call To The Remnant 