BODY MINISTRY

BODY MINISTRY, BY MARLENE ROESSIGER

Concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. I am not talking about the gifts themselves. I will be talking about the specific place where these gifts abide: in the person right next to you. Look around. There are diversities of gifts that are spread through a Body. Each one of you carries a specific gift. God works ALL in ALL for the profit of ALL. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all! According to His will He gave and distributed them. 

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” 1 Corinthians 12

Until we believe that this word is Truth – we will never see it in us or in our brother and sister right next to you.  And only when you see it – by Faith – will you see it – in the natural – and only when you see it will you start honoring and respecting it. A religious mindset has learned and respected these gifts in ONE MAN, but never these gifts in the BODY. We know it is there because we read it in 1 Corinthians 12, but that knowledge is just knowledge. And knowledge in itself does not produce fruits. Only when 1 Corinthians 12 becomes flesh in you – the fruits of the Spirit in the Body will become a beautiful reality full of strength running through the whole Body of Christ. 

Make no mistake. The administration of the Holy Spirit is glorious – in 1 Corinthians 12! He knows to whom to give what. When we want the gift of others, we are committing a huge mistake: not honoring the lordship of the Spirit – telling him, “You could have done it this or that way.” When we hide our gifts we are hiding the Holy Spirit. 

Here are some proofs that we have been walking in ignorance:

•   The lack of submission towards one another
•   The lack of honor
•   The weakness in our members
•   Baby stages: you are still struggling to come up and pray – in an apostolic house this should be prohibited. 
•   You still rely on somebody else to do what your gift was given to do

The Bible says to honor the elders. 1 Peter 5:5 – Elders are those in the faith that have more maturity than you. The World says to honor the elders because of a matter of age. The Word says honor them because of a matter of spiritual age! You may be an elder in the faith concerning a certain area but a baby concerning others. Humble yourself and submit to those – whosoever they are – that are more mature. Because if you do, their gifts will profit you a lot!

The Deborah’s of the Old Covenant were replaced by a Body ruled by fired-up men like Paul, John, Peter, Timothy … John the Baptist – the evangelist – pointed out the new way. It is called the Body Ministry. After Pentecost, EVERYTHING changed. The women went to the back of the front line giving support to the man. The lonely prophets in the Old Testament received a place in the Body – and the prophetic voice was given to all men. We should ALL prophesy! The tearing down of Jeremiah was continued by the hands of Apostle Paul and his letters are now not only tearing down but building up a strong BODY because, after the pouring of the Spirit, a chief cornerstone was put into place. 

Shane W Roessiger said, “I don’t want visitors. I want Body parts.” So if you don’t move in your gifts, you are just a VISITOR to HOT. And if you are just a member, you do not know who you are and what you have. If you see the person next to you, just as a member – and not a SPIRITUAL GIFT, you are lacking revelation and you are ignoring that gift that can help you to reach maturity in Christ. And don’t forget this: the distribution of the gift was a divine plan of God! It was not just the Holy Spirit walking down on Earth throwing out gifts like out lollipops. There is a specific gift with a specific purpose inside of you and your brother. It is divine. Just like your salvation is divine. 

Ephesians 4: “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,  with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”

Why? Why? Why? We honor the fivefold office and ignore the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. The fivefold ministers can’t go anywhere if the BODY does not move. This is exactly what is happens very often: Some doing what they were called to do and others just sitting in their chairs. Gifts buried inside – sleeping. Do you know that the fivefold officers also need your gift? There will be days that they will be in need of you. Personal testimony: Some days I just sit and wish somebody else would take up the battle for us. Somebody would grab the mic. Somebody would lay on hands. Somebody would deal with this and that for us. The gifts MUST be moving in this house. Or we will be walking like we are going at a slow pace. 

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

This verse is concerning you: THE WHOLE BODY – joined – knit together by WHAT every joint supplies. Tell me WHAT you supply to this Body? You must be supplying something to me? Every part of the Body should be sharing SOMETHING. If you are not, you are just a member of an organization and not a member of a living Body. And maybe because of you, I am not growing as fast as I should. Remember: not even an apostle can give it all to you. Or we just go back to the Old Testament pattern – today’s modern church is pastoral – all about one man. That is why He placed His Spirit: upon His Body – called the Church. 

Maturity comes from apostolic order – but also comes from a Body ministry. Year after year, we have been sitting on chairs waiting for somebody to stir the water – like that guy at the pool. Waiting for Shane. Waiting for Joe. Waiting for someone. Paul gave us revelation of this amazing powerful Body of Christ. You must believe it. See it. And be it. 

I can tell you each gift you have but you must hear it for yourself. Man can tell you – you are this, you are that. Example: Mary telling Jesus that He was the son of God. But that one moment: the voice came down from heaven! THIS IS MY SON! Confidence rose up inside of Jesus Christ and that confidence was never taken away…If you are the son of God, Satan said and lost his argument right there on the spot. 

The pouring out of the Spirit during Pentecost was not just for you to speak in tongues! Diversities of gifts. Diversities of offices. Diversities. We need all. 

We must have submission to the head – Christ – and submission to the Body – the Church. The embodiment of the Spirit is the Church. It is you! His body is the fullness of Him that fills ALL IN ALL! Ephesians 1: The church is the abiding place of the Holy Spirit. 

You must believe. Do you need an uplifting message? You got it. Do you need healing? You got it. What you need people around you have it. Don’t hide it. I need what you have. You need what I have. We must get to that level of maturity before Jesus comes back. So much to do. We need all the given gifts. It will be glorious when we ALL start moving together. The Body Ministry is the clear manifestation of the unity of faith. Until a perfect man in Him. There will be no more children being tossed to and fro. We will grow up into all things. All the gifts are given for the WORK OF THE MINISTRY – the Ministry of the Body which is you!