Properly & Orderly
Part 3 - All Things Done Properly
We are looking at 1 Corinthians 14:40, "Let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner." First, we interpreted "all things." Paul is making a general conclusion. He is referring to all aspects of Christian ministry and service. We must now investigate the terms "properly" and "orderly." We take the first term in this short lesson. In sum, how we pursue ministry and service is just as important as the ministry and service itself. After we look at the definitions of the two terms Paul uses, we will take several examples of how we must do things properly and orderly.
Paul uses the adverb translated properly in 1 Corinthians 14:40 in only two other places. "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders" (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, italics added). Paul describes living properly in three ways.
First, lead a quiet life. Have a "gentle and quiet spirit" (1 Peter 3:4). Place priority on cultivating your inner life before God. Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit. Second, attend to your own business first. As Jesus says, remove the log out of your own eye before you attempt to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye (Matthew 7:5). This requires humility. "Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love" (Ephesians 4:1-2). Note the obvious connection with the fruit of the Spirit. Third, attend to your work. Focus on the tasks God has given you rather than meddling in the business of others. Exercise self-control, another fruit of the Spirit.
Romans 13:13, "Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy" (italics added). Proper behavior repudiates carousing and drunkenness. We do shun drunkenness. We also eschew promiscuity and sensuality. If we do not, we know we should. However, proper behavior also renounces strife and jealousy. In fact, Paul lists jealousy and strife with the sins of sexual promiscuity and drunkenness. How many of us find jealously as serious a sin as adultery? How many of us find strife as serious a sin as drunkenness?
The qualities opposite to those in the litany of Romans 13:13 are the fruit of the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). To act properly, we must display gentleness and humility. To do all things properly, we must bear the fruit of the Spirit. The accent is on how we conduct ourselves in the church and in the world.
Put it this way. We place tremendous emphasis upon gifts, the gifts of children, the gifts of teachers and leaders, and the gifts of pastors and elders. But how do we distinguish believers from unbelievers? Jesus answers. "You will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:20). Exceptional gifts and talents do not mark us off as Christians. The fruit of the Spirit does.
Our service and ministry must be fruit-laden. Living properly we live lives adorned with the fruit of the Spirit. Living properly places emphasis on how we conduct ourselves in service and ministry. We may have gifts of teaching and preaching. How we exercise those gifts is as important as the presence of the gifts themselves. Preaching properly means garnishing pulpit life with the fruit if the Spirit. "Let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner."
