Ordination
377
confidence in themselves, and greater confidence in others whom He
is leading out to advance His work.
There have ever been in the church those who are constantly in-
clined toward individual independence. They seem unable to realize
[444]
that independence of spirit is liable to lead the human agent to have too
much confidence in himself, and to trust in his own judgment rather
than to respect the counsel and highly esteem the judgment of his
brethren, especially of those in the offices that God has appointed for
the leadership of His people. God has invested His church with special
authority and power, which no one can be justified in disregarding and
despising; for he who does this despises the voice of God.
Those who are inclined to regard their individual judgment as
supreme, are in grave peril. It is Satan’s studied effort to separate such
ones from those who are channels of light, through whom God has
wrought to build up and extend His work in the earth. To neglect or
despise those whom God has appointed to bear the responsibilities
of leadership in connection with the advancement of the truth, is to
reject the means that He has ordained for the help, encouragement,
and strength of His people. For any worker in the Lord’s cause to
pass these by, and to think that his light must come through no other
channel than directly from God, is to place himself in a position where
he is liable to be deceived by the enemy, and overthrown. The Lord
in His wisdom has arranged that by means of the close relationship
that should be maintained by all believers, Christian shall be united
to Christian, and church to church. Thus the human instrumentality
will be enabled to co-operate with the divine. Every agency will be
subordinate to the Holy Spirit, and all the believers will be united in an
organized and well-directed effort to give to the world the glad tidings
of the grace of God.
[445]
Paul regarded the occasion of his formal ordination as marking the
beginning of a new and important epoch in his life-work. It was from
this time that he afterward dated the beginning of his apostleship in
the Christian church.—
The Acts of the Apostles, 160-165
.
* * * * *
It was at the ordination of the twelve that the first step was taken
in the organization of the church that after Christ’s departure was to