Lena's Journalin' to 1 COR 12 R U a "Mary" or a "Zacharias"?

Paul is addressing congregations and behavior within the meetings of the congregations.
Why do we as Christians congregate/assemble?
Hebrews 10:23-25 states some why’s, Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.
There are some awesome words to consider, inside of this text. “Let us hold tightly to the hope…God can be trusted, encourage, love, be good to, don’t neglect meeting together, again encourage and warn…”
God IS always faithful. That being the absolute, what needs to be considered every time we read scripture? Are we faithful, and full of faith? How will we become faithful, full of faith, and do those things commanded of each of us inside of His word? How does a human person, who is weak by nature and (culturally speaking) lives mostly for their selves (by default), become faith-filled, and demonstrate their loyalty to God? Then how do they remain that way, once they catch the heavenly vision?
They assemble with those who know their destiny in Christ as a counter-culture. They submit their lives to the assembly and become a part of it, as they would a natural family. They take on the responsibility of being a spiritual family member, each one bringing something to give to the whole. They are faithful to Be there, no matter what the culture calls out to them and tries to schedule for them.
Within the assembly there are natural guidelines that will allow an orderly array of spirit life and spiritual encouragement to be all we can be in Christ.
This is what Paul speaks of and instructs us in here.
When we assemble, we are a demonstration of who He is to us, piece by piece. I demonstrate a portion of His Spirit, and so do you, so does our brother, sister, father, mother. We all come together and what each of us adds to any given meeting assembly is a representation of Him. I cannot manifest Him alone, but with you, we can, and we do!
This may mean even my personality gifted me by God with certain tendencies adds to our gathering; it can also mean that on any given time I also could manifest a part of Him that only He could help me be at that time. The point is we all do, we are a willing, yielded demonstration of Him! My true heartfelt desire is the same as His, that no matter which aspect of His character I’m available to be used in today, tomorrow or whenever, I have an extreme desire and an availability to yield to His workings and manifest presence in me.
Today, when I assemble, with my family, my Bible Study Group, at work or at church service, I desire that the best gift be manifest, the one most needed for today would come through me, as needed. I stay cleaned out, as an open conduit, for at any instance He may desire to use me.
The Spirit of God is as water. He will go the pathway of least resistance. If I resist, He won’t use me. I can pray all I want, “Lord, use me”, but unless I believe and yield to His use, it will not happen. If I refuse His promptings, He’ll find someone who will receive Him willingly.
Resistance is like sludge in a pipe. Unbelief is like sand in the pipe, doubt is like hair in a drain, the water does not flow.
Our faith in Him must be without question. We act in faith, even when we do not understand. When a person does that, The Spirit of God reveals Himself with understanding.
I’ve noticed that the religious heart must know why first, before any action is even considered. That is not faith. Faith is what pleases God.
His word is not awaiting our opinions to be validated. His word is not up for debate, that we can see if it is believable. We do not weigh the word, the word weighs us to see if we’ll conform and be available to carry His glory.
A tender heart, receives the word with meekness, which is able to save the soul. We have a lot of souls needing “saved” (minds, wills and emotions), because they have never yielded to “blind” faith in Him.
It must be sad for God, when a Bible Study or gathering is planned and the people who come, come with a fine tooth comb to comb through His words for debate-sake rather than coming to simply receive whatever the Lord has prepared for the tables of the hearts that day, whether we understand it or not.
I think of a scenario of a “Mary” compared to a “Zacharias”.
“Mary” may have headed to the “Bible Study” saying, “Lord, I want You to know You can say whatever You want, and do whatever You will in me. Lord, please use my live by teaching me Your ways, I know I don’t know Your ways well enough yet and need to learn so much more, I can hardly wait to go tonight and hear more through whoever You have appointed at the study group tonight, so that I may be able to apply more truth to my life…I pray that I’m so refreshed tonight that I can go home and go over some of my notes and enhance what I’ve heard so I can get it deeper in my soul that I won’t forget it. Help me be faithful to the responsibility You’ve called me to in keeping Your words. I know that the enemy will be after stealing whatever the teacher teaches us tonight, so I’ll want to guard the word and hide it in my heart that I’ll be able to stay pure before You Lord.
I’m so thankful for the ones who teach us the word, I know they struggle with stuff in their own lives. I want to pray they will be strengthened and be able to overcome evil. Lord help make them stronger over comer’s. Father, I thank you for helping them to be on course and hit the target, at least of my heart, tonight! Use them Lord in a mighty way, that my life will be affected and changed. I pray they will have a reward for their service to us tonight, in Jesus name. I know they can mix a bit of self in the words they give us sometimes, we all have weaknesses, but Lord, I thank You for helping us know what is what and to forgive them for being weak in their humanness like we are, and help them grow as well as us, as they feed us. Lord help us to not hold them to an unreachable standard in our own eyes, but to always stay focused on You.”
“Zacharias” may have headed to the same meeting saying in His head, “I hope this meeting isn’t too long. I hope it is only 1 hour, like they suggested. Ya know they should start doing what the paper says to do. I’ll be glad when I’m on my way back home today and I can just rest in front of the TV in my own home for a bit. Ya know, I do work hard and I get stressed out, and I do like to be where I’m more comfortable. Man that almost makes me feel like not going, Ya know, I really don’t like being around people anyway, they can be so unnerving, but I love God, so I’m gonna go even though people can get under my skin.
I wonder what the teacher is gonna teach? Man he’s starting to bother me too. I’m not even sure that what he is saying is very accurate, in fact I may have to go home afterwards and search out how to prove whatever he’s said tonight is not correct. Ya know, he has been wrong oftentimes before. This guy is staring to expire with me, I may have to do that instead of watching TV tonight. I may get so stirred up that I have to do a word study and send him another e-mail. I hope and pray he receives it well.
Man! Now I’m glad I am going, this guy probably needs someone like me to put him in His place and reveal how unqualified he is anyway. I could do this study class thing better than he does, I’ve at least been coming to this church for many more years than he has, ya know. I wonder when the leaders are gonna recognize who I am, and how much I know about all this stuff? Maybe if I come more often I can get an inroad somehow. It’s a bout time. Man. Now that’s bugging me, how come every time I start to help out somewhere, they find another place to “let me” help out? I’m wondering if there may be something wrong with this organization as a whole. God help us!
“Lord, I pray for these people, that they’d get a revelation of who they really need to help them, maybe even this leader tonight shouldn’t be in this place, I mean did You see how they treated their own wife and kids? They really don’t deserve to lead this study group. I mean I will not be responsible to follow them down a path blindly. In fact I’ve got my eyes wide open tonight and am gonna discern which of their words are at work in their own life and which are just puffs of air. Ya know, you have to be wise and weigh out these things! Thank You, Lord for helping me see all I need to see, so I won’t stumble over their lives tonight, In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Ok, well I’m here, so I’d better make sure I’ve got my full armor on before I go in…”