There is one silent source of confusion in the Body of Christ which must be addressed for the sake of the advancement of God’s kingdom. It is a combination of attitudes and feelings known as the “complex”. A complex is a mental or psychological state that should be alien to the Body of Christ. It manifests itself as inferiority or superiority complex. Ironically, the Church has lived with this issue through the ages. Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:1-12 warns us against the manifestation of such attitudes – whether as inferiority or superiority complex. How does the issue of “complex” operate in the Body of Christ? It is through the exhibition of spiritual gifts. There was an issue with the demonstration of spiritual gifts in the Church at Corinth, whereby some offices were considered superior and some other spiritual gifts were looked down on as inferior. Against this background, Paul wrote to the Corinthian brethren to enlighten them on the distribution and operation of the different offices and spiritual gifts in the Body of Christ. The analogy of human body parts used by Paul to explain this spiritual truth is very profound. In 1st Corinthians 12:17, Paul rhetorically asks,
“If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?”
The truth is that the whole body cannot be the eyes; if this were the case there would be no movement, which is the prerogative of the legs. Therefore, if the eye cannot do without the legs and the ears cannot do without the nose, why should the eyes or ears think that they are superior to the legs or nose? Unfortunately, this was the situation in the Church at Corinth, as is the case in a typical church organisation today. We must recognise this reality and work towards eradicating the anomaly by continuously teaching ourselves the truth of God’s word. The most important thing about spiritual gifts is that their recipients must use them for the edification of the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13, 1st Corinthians 12:22-25). Another mystery of spiritual gifts is that those gifts which some consider as less important are equally as important as those held in high esteem (1 Corinthians 12:22-25). For example, if we ignore the ministry of intercession because intercessors are often not known or seen like the evangelists and minstrels, the Church may become a comfortable zone for demons to operate, and then the preachers and the choir will preach and sing with no effect. The Church must begin to appreciate the gift of God in each member of the Body of Christ and celebrate them for who they are as very important and valuable. There should be no complex of any kind.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.