by T. Austin-Sparks
First published in "A Witness and A Testimony" magazines, 1928-1929, Vol. 6-5 - 7-3.
From observation of the maladies which come upon the people of God and bring arrest to His work through them, we have been much impressed with the fact that the violation of a Divine order is the cause of much trouble. If it is true that what God is doing in this age is not just saving individuals as such, but in constituting a "Body" and building a "House" by the addition of each saved one, then the right position in each is vital to its perfect functioning. There is an order, and there is a position for each member. Let us say it with emphasis - it is not given to us to appoint the place or to manipulate into position. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. What we do say is that each member has his or her place and God knows what it is. If they fail to do so or get into a wrong place, they fail in their essential ministry and upset the effectiveness of the Body. There is only one sure safeguard against the colossal delusion by which multitudes will be carried away in the latter days, and that is a clear apprehension of the teaching of the Holy Spirit concerning soul and spirit and the continual operation of the Cross in the realm of the "natural" man.
