What’s going to push us to coordinate our ministries within the Church, to be concerned with the big picture, not just our little corner? And, once we do get on that trajectory, what’s going to keep us going? Consider the motivational effect of His name to coordination.
How the Name of the Lord Becomes Motivational to Coordination
We need to be motivated by something greater than our own needs so we can serve together without thought of whether we’re getting the spotlight or getting slighted. It has to be something that makes comparing and competing with one another senseless and unnecessary. — That will happen when we get to the point where our primary concern is that “His name alone is exalted” (Ps. 148:13). Then we will say, “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.” (Ps. 34:3)
The church at Corinth struggled with this issue of putting one ministry above the other, one saying “‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.'” (1 Cor. 1:12). The Apostle Paul didn’t encourage them to pick one over the other but rather exhorted them that there would be “no divisions” among them but rather that they’d be “perfectly united in mind and thought” (1 Cor. 1:10). He didn’t fall back on his authority as an apostle but rather said, “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” because His name would be the motivating factor.
We must be motivated by a higher purpose if we’re going to yield our own agendas or preferences for the greater good. When we come together in His name, people encountering His presence exceeds all else we do so we do what we do in and for the sake of His name not ourselves (Col. 3:17). We function like we believe Jesus’ promise when He said, “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:20). If we don’t come together in His name, we may not experience the power of prayer described in the preceding verse which says, “if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Matt. 18:19).
We need to be motivated by a reliance beyond the good intentions of others to be on the same page, to do their part, and to do it well. We won’t always agree. Sometimes people will disappoint. But, when we “lift up our banners in the name of our God”, we can rise above because “we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Ps. 20:5-7). Rather than fight each other, we say, “Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.” (Ps. 79:9)
Click Here for Resources about the Name of the Lord
All Posts about Coordination:
- Motivation for Coordination
- Means of Coordination
- Coordination Integral to God’s Design
- Coordination Governed by the Great Commission
- Coordination Showcases Christ
- Coordination in Submission to Christ
- Coordination in the Church is Possible
- Coordination Founded Upon the Gospel
- Grace to Hurdle Obstacles to Coordination
- Holy Spirit Essential to Coordination
- Spiritual Gifts Useful to Coordination
- Motivational Effect of His Name to Coordination
- Does Your Church Function as a Coordinated Whole?
- Jesus’ Resurrection Takes Coordination to New Heights
- Jesus’ Resurrection Provides the Keys to Coordination
- Coordinating with One Another, Not Outwitted by the Enemy
- God’s Word Gets Us Singing the Same Song
- Guide the Body to the Source That Holds Us Together
- Prayer Essential to Coordination