Monday: The Material an Expression of the Spiritual
WEEK 20
MONDAY
THE MATERIAL AN EXPRESSION OF THE SPIRITUAL
1 Corinthians 15:46-49
We are taking up marks of the New Testament church as seen in the church at Antioch. We come now to the second mark: this strong corporate sense was not confined to the spiritual; it included the material. “Agabus stood up and, inspired by the Spirit, predicted that a severe famine would overtake the entire Roman world. (This occurred during Claudius’ rule.) The disciples decided they would send support to the brothers and sisters in Judea, with everyone contributing to this ministry according to each person’s abundance. They sent Barnabas and Saul to take this gift to the elders” (Acts 11:28-30). They felt responsible for one another’s economic condition.
This was important. It shows that this lay group, rooted in the seven, kept life a unit. The apostles at Jerusalem separated the spiritual from the material, said they would give themselves to the spiritual and turn over the material to others—the seven. Here the spiritual colleagues of the seven turn around and take care of the material needs of the apostles and their spiritual colleagues. The material is part of life; and if you put it out the door, it will come back by the window. As here, the “spiritual” apostles were dependent on the “material” laity. So the church at Antioch was in line with Jesus, who taught, healed, and fed people as a part of the coming of the kingdom. This was Jesus succession instead of apostolic succession. The Word was word among the twelve, but the Word was flesh among the seven.
And they sent “everyone . . . according to each person’s abundance.” Note “according to each person’s abundance”; a sound basis for giving, the only basis for real giving. And note “everyone”; they were all in with all they had. They really went to church!
The test of the reality of the spiritual is whether it functions in material terms. If it doesn’t, it is unreal.
Another illuminating thing is that the account said: “The disciples decided. . . . They sent. . . .” Their determination and their doing were parts of one whole. The Holy Spirit had both their minds and their wills, and above all their emotions. And the emotions, driven by love, made the determination pass into the deed. They were whole persons holding all life in a living whole.
O Lord, help me to bring all life into a living whole centered on your will and purpose. May my creeds and my deeds be one. May oneness characterize me and all I do. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: All my material relationships shall be an outer expression of the inner spiritual.