For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. —ROMANS 12:4–5
But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. —1 CORINTHIANS 12:11–12
Listening to God is important not only at the individual level but also at the corporate level. Because the Lord speaks to each of us differently and has made each of us unique, the result is not uniformity but unity.
First Corinthians 2 is quite relevant to the matter of achieving unity. It describes the solution to the problem that arose when believers wanted to follow their favorite human teacher (Paul or Apollos or Cephas) rather than God.
From 1 CORINTHIANS 2:6 through the end of CHAPTER 2, Paul speaks in the first person plural. “We” speak wisdom from God (2:6–9) by the Holy Spirit (2:10–13). Those who are not in the Spirit cannot understand it (2:8, 14–16). He concludes that “we have the mind of Christ.” I believe the plural is significant. Just as the parts of the body are interdependent, so it is in our relating to our Head, Jesus Christ, and having the mind of Christ. God does not reveal His whole purpose to any one individual. We need one another.
At the very least, this common source of our guidance implies a unity or consistency that comes from hearing the same voice. It also implies a degree of coordination or compatibility. I would suggest that one way to more fully achieve this in a practical way is to be intentional about listening corporately.
Because of my cultural background and personality, this has been a difficult lesson for me to learn. I am accustomed to listening to God and making decisions by myself. That is most comfortable for me. But it is not necessarily best. Sometimes it is better to involve other brothers and sisters in the process.
One practical pattern that has helped me has been “listening groups.” In the 2000s, about a dozen of us would meet for a few days every six months or so for the purpose of hearing from God together. We would listen individually for a period of time (a half hour or an hour) and then gather to share what we had heard and determine how those messages intersected and connected. We would go through that cycle repeatedly over the course of our few days together.
At first our efforts were a bit awkward, but over time we came to know one another better and trust one another more. Some significant ministry resulted from our times together. But for me, the greater work was to teach me to regularly listen to God together with others, then assemble the individual messages from the Lord into a coherent corporate message.
This basic approach can be applied in a variety of contexts. It does not have to be preplanned multiday events. It can be a “spur of the moment” occurrence with two or more people. The key is for all participants to be disciples who are walking in the Spirit and who are seeking to know the Lord’s will regarding direction or action in a situation in which each of them is involved. It can be formal or informal. It can involve people in organizations or simply friends or family. There should, however, be a degree of mutual commitment and direction.
The process reminds me of the story of the blind men who encountered an elephant for the first time. Each felt a different part of the elephant—the trunk, the tail, a side, or a leg. One said, “An elephant is like a big snake.” Another said, “An elephant is like a rope.” Another said, “An elephant is like a wall.” The last said, “An elephant is like a tree trunk.” They were all accurately describing what they had felt. They were all right. But each one had a very different and very incomplete perspective on the nature of an elephant. If they pooled their observations, they could much more accurately describe an elephant.
I believe our hearing from God is similar. Because God is infinite and our understanding of Him is partial, and because each of us has a unique calling, gifting, and set of experiences, we gain a fuller understanding of His corporate messages to the body if we share with one another what each of us is hearing individually. In so doing, we gain a greater appreciation for one another’s parts of the greater task and how we can collaborate and cooperate more effectively.
Not everyone’s schedule or situation lends itself to this specific practice of a listening group, but anyone can apply the pattern. Any group of believers can listen to the Lord together in pursuit of corporate obedience and stewardship of the message He gives. Any group that needs to make corporate decisions can set aside time to listen and then share what they are hearing as a basis for moving forward, even if they don’t meet together repeatedly or regularly.
Practicing such patterns proves difficult if the group is mixed—that is, if it includes some members who are abiding in Christ and some who are either not believers or not actively walking in the Spirit. For us to function effectively as the body of Christ, everyone needs to be trained in hearing the Lord and fully committed to obeying Him, whatever the risk or sacrifice may be. We need to trust one another.
This is why the injunctions against allying ourselves with those who do not belong to Christ (e.g., 2 CORINTHIANS 6:14–18) are so critical. We cannot function effectively as a divided group. This is also why Jesus’ instructions on church discipline in MATTHEW 18:15–20 are essential, no matter how uncomfortable putting them into practice may be. We need to judge those who are within the church (1 CORINTHIANS 5:9–6:11).
When the whole body of Christ is walking in the Spirit and in unity, then we can hear the Lord corporately in ways that would never happen in isolation. We can hear aspects of His message to the church that become apparent only when we piece together the messages given to each of us. This is the process I described with the listening group. Together, as the body of Christ, we march to the beat of a different drummer than does the world. Each of us in the body is playing a different instrument in the orchestra, even though we hear the same drummer. This is an important aspect of hearing God corporately.
Jesus illustrated this, using Himself and John the Baptist as an example:
But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, and say, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.” For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon!” The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds. —MATTHEW 11:16–19
Both Jesus and John were hearing from the Lord and fulfilling God’s design for them. Although their approach to ministry and their demeanors were strikingly different, both were “on the same page” in putting the focus on Jesus and the Kingdom of heaven. Their work was complementary, and they both understood and appreciated the contribution of the other.
We also need to discern, sensitively but forthrightly, who is actually not in the Kingdom. We cannot listen to the Lord in unity with those who do not know Him and hear Him. This is a practical application of the command not to be “bound together with unbelievers” (2 CORINTHIANS 6:14–18). Jesus reserved His harshest words and most intense criticism for those who thought they were followers of God but were not (MATTHEW 23:1–39). He told them to their faces that they were not obeying God, and as evidence He cited their inability to hear God (JOHN 8:47).
This is uncomfortable for us, or at least I know it is for me. I need to remind myself that I am not doing anyone a favor by allowing them to continue in a state of false security. This requires clarity and discernment from the Lord, especially when dealing with people who are part of a church but not actually in the Kingdom.
Church discipline is rarely practiced in our congregations today. When it is practiced, it seems to be practiced only with regard to church staff and in the area of sexual sin. This is partly because there is virtually no accountability in place with church members, so we have no reliable way to stimulate them to obey and pass on to others what the Lord has been speaking to us. People listen to a sermon and then promptly forget what they heard. No one has them ask the Lord to personalize the principles they have heard. No one checks back with them to see how they have done. Communications are one-to-many rather than two-way conversations. As a result, we have no way of knowing whether fellow church members are actively sinning or not.
Moreover, in the few cases when church discipline is practiced, the pattern that Jesus described, ending in the exclusion of the offending member if necessary (MATTHEW 18:15–17), is not followed, nor is Paul’s exhortation in GALATIANS 6:1 about acting with the ultimate goal of restoration in mind. We should be concerned with and working toward helping every believer live a fully sanctified life. This is the most loving thing we can do for one another. That is why we need to hold one another accountable.
As for those who truly are in the Kingdom, we need to show more grace to one another. God demands unity, not uniformity. He has, by His own design and will, given us different roles, different tasks, different operating environments, different cultures, and different callings. He also speaks to each of us differently and gives us different portions of His truth and will. This is necessary so we can reach all types of people. We are not to judge the servant of another, and especially not God’s servants (see ROMANS 14:1–23, especially VERSE 4).
At the Tower of Babel (GENESIS 11:1–9), the confusion of the languages was God’s way of forcing compliance with His instructions to fill the earth (GENESIS 1:28; 9:1). As usual, what man intended for evil, God used for good. The end result was the creation of a variety of languages and cultures, each of which reveals variegated nuances of God’s glory.
This same principle is reflected in the spiritual gifts God gives the body. It is also reflected in the patterns of listening groups, as each person contributes his or her unique aspect of the greater perspective. Each of us needs to understand the bigger picture in order that we might know God more fully.
People often assume that the goal of a listening group is to have everyone hear the same thing, and that consensus confirms the message. Sometimes that is the case, especially when a specific decision is required, such as at the Jerusalem council (ACTS 15). But these should not be the only times we are listening together.
When we look to the Lord corporately for His input as a matter of consistent conviction, we learn to put together the pieces of the puzzle as He gives a portion of His message to each person. We are not looking for each person to hear the same thing; rather, we are looking for how the Lord will involve each person in hearing and responding to His message. He wants us to seek and serve Him together. He wants us to need each other as we lean on Him and look to Him.
Some issues of core commitment or morality demand consistency among all believers, but many issues require multiple, complementary approaches. This helps make God’s truth known in its multifaceted fullness. It enables us to play our individual parts in fulfilling God’s will more effectively and with greater coordination. It helps us appreciate one another’s contributions.
The bottom line with regard to corporately seeking the mind of Christ is illustrated by Joshua’s experience just prior to the battle of Jericho, as recorded in JOSHUA 5:13–14:
Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?”
This is the proper perspective. It is not a question of whether others are on “our side,” but whether they are on God’s side. If we are all truly on God’s side, then we will all be in complete unity on a deep level. We will all exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. We will know God’s priorities and display His character, including humility and servanthood. We will experience true mutual submission. We will all be listening to God and assembling what we hear into a coherent, comprehensive understanding of His will. In this way, we will experience the answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17, gaining the wisdom that only comes from having God’s perspective (ISAIAH 55:9).
PRAYER
Lord, enable me to be in tune with You and with my brothers and sisters in Christ to the degree that we can hear You better together than I can alone. Let us then be able to fulfill Your will together in ways and to a degree that we cannot do so separately. Let us bring joy to Your heart and a testimony to the world in doing so.
QUESTIONS
Read the following questions, then pray and ask God what He wants you to learn and do. Listen quietly.
Review your journal. Are there any past commitments you have not completed? If needed, schedule revised completion dates.
1. Have I ever experienced corporate listening, not just to see if group members are hearing the same thing, but to assemble God’s messages to individuals into a coherent whole? Whom might I ask to join me in such an experiment?
2. What specific actions does God want me to take in response to this chapter? (Note them in your journal and schedule them in your calendar.)
3. With whom (at least one name) does God want me to share what I have learned?
Ask the Lord to enable you to follow through on these commitments and to prepare the hearts of those with whom you intend to share insights.
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