Cohesiveness By Fire

“For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:” (1Co 12:24 AV)

The simplest idea of tempering is to co-mingle or mix into a cohesive single and new identity.  But the word has a bit more of a meaning then mere mixing.  It has the idea of softening those materials to be mixed so they can be co-mingled more thoroughly.  We use that word when speaking of mixing metals.  Tempered steel means the steal has been heated, then softened, cooled, and reheated again.  The more it is heated and worked, the more tempered it becomes.  The more tempered the steel, the harder it becomes because the individual materials that make up the steel have been diluted to its smallest form that it might accept the form of other material and harden to a new form.  To speak more plainly, heat is applied that material not normally cohesive in their natural state, might unite and become so.

 Have you ever asked yourself why churches seem to go through hardships?  Sometimes it the lack of planning.  Sometimes it is poor doctrine.  But sometimes, the hardships of persecution, trials, or striving over sin are the means God uses to add heat to the body that it might be tempered together into a cohesive and stronger body.  In my earlier Christian life, I didn’t like church problems.  I thought churches should be a place were there was no trouble.  Heaven on Earth, I thought.  Sometimes, the trouble was the way of the LORD to cleanse out problems.  Either problems with the church or problems with certain people in the church.  Other times, tragedy would be inflicted upon the church.  Still others, false accusations would be leveled.  I remember one such time when our singles class had an outreach at a local college and we were called into the deans office.  It was a good thing our leader knew the law.  These things are often allowed or sent by God to temper the body together.  It is interesting how self -interest dissolves in the midst of shared trouble.  All of a sudden, those difference we had don’t seem as insurmountable when trouble threatens our existence.

 I worked in a factor that attempted to mix three materials together than would not normal work.  There was a base.  Then there was a pliable substance that allowed for forming this material into a usable shape.  These two would not mix.  One was rigid.  The other pliable.  We struggle to get the two to mix.  The missing ingredient was a lubricant.  A substance that allow the two opposing materials to avoid friction as they mixed.  There is a message in that right there.  Which one are we?  But the force needed to mix it all together was heat.  Heat and pressure were applied that opposing material would mix into a unified whole.  We wish churches could be trouble free.  We wish they could be heaven on Earth.  The truth of the matter is, we need trouble that we might unite.  It is the method and means of God to temper the body as a usable whole.