God is a God of Order!

God is a God of Order. Paul tells the Corinthians, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (I Cor.14:40). But He also tells them, "where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty" (II Cor.3:17). Is there a contradiction between these statements? Can we have a church that is organized and orderly and still have an atmosphere that is free with the flowing of the Spiritual Gifts? I believe that we must find the Biblical balance.

Recently, I was pondering about how everything in God's universe was created perfect and has remained in perfect order for millenniums. Isn't it fascinating that the earth rotates in perfect time, minute by minute, day by day, year after year, century after century, for untold thousands of years. Even Millions of years according to most scientists and professors. We can set our clocks and know exactly, to the minute, when the sun will rise and when it will set. We've been doing this for centuries now, and the earth's rotation never winds down nor alters its' time in any way.

Last year a young student of mine asked me, "which is correct, science or the Bible". My answer was, "there is no contradiction between science and the Bible". The boy appeared to be very surprised by my answer. I further explained that there are contradictions between scientific theories and the Bible, but anything in science that is true proven scientific fact, is fully in agreement with the Bible. The whole scientific world gives greater evidence of a Creator. All creation screams, "God is real. He's alive and well, and is orchestrating the events of this universe."

Those who have known me for awhile probably know that I've never been too interested in Science, as a subject to study. But now that I am teaching a science class at school, I have begun to think more deeply about some of these things. God is a God of order. From the magnificence of outer space and the greater universe to the awesome detail of the smallest of insects, all creation flows harmoniously as God intended. Today's Global warming fears are unfounded for two primary reasons. One, since God is a God of order and His Word is truth, He will bring the end of this dispensation in His perfect timing and in a manner consistent with His Word. Two, man is incapable of causing as drastic of a climate change as the extreme environmentalist fear.

God is a God of order in His church also. We know that Scripture tells us "Let all things be done decently and in order" (I Cor.14:40). We see His Divine Order throughout the Bible. From the consistency of how numbers are used in Scripture (3, 7, 12, etc) to how He organized His people in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. We see an orderly flow of ceremonies and practices within the tabernacle and the temple. He has designed an order for the home and He has designed an order for His church.

We must have proper order within the local church, based on the guidelines that we see in Scripture. But there are many today who resist any kind of order or structure within the church. The church world has gone from overly liturgical to overly un-organized in some circles. Without basic order to the church organizational structure, there is an appearance of chaos and confusion, which isn't of God. I always want to encourage the free-flowing of all the Gifts of the Spirit, but we also must never forget that God is not the author of confusion.

Don't get me wrong. God is a God of order, but He is also a God of spontaneity. We see this in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and the various events of the Book of Acts. We cannot plan out step by step what God is going to do. We cannot put Him in a box, limiting what He is allowed to do. So when I say that God is a God of order, it isn't to take emphasis off the moving of the Holy Spirit. We must remember also, that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (II Cor.3:17). There is freedom in the Spirit, but guard against the potential dangers of "flesh-led" spiritual gifts or emotionalism. There is liberty in the Lord, and the Holy Spirit is to be in control, but there must always be a degree of Bible-based order within our meetings.