One-Man Bands

Serving2 – January 2021 – Grace & Truth Magazine

One-Man Bands

But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. —1 Corinthians 12:18-20 NKJV

Have you ever heard of a man by the name of Werner Hirzel? He, having died years ago, is said to have been the king of the one-man bands, able to blow, thump, push, pull and inhale in such a way as to play 51 different instruments at the same time!

One time I saw a kind of spiritual one-man band in a gathering of saints. He seemed to take the lead, give private admonitions, do most of the preaching and praying, administer the funds, write the letters and even clean the building!

A person cannot help but be impressed by the energy, abilities and creativity of such one-man bands. But it is very sad, particularly where such are operating in the sphere of God’s assembly. The glory of Christ as displayed in the functioning of His body is obscured by a solo performance. Further, that company of saints is not experiencing the truth of Scripture: “The whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying [building up] of itself in love” (Eph. 4:16).

But let us not simply blame the one-man bands for this problem. Often they are almost forced to play every instrument in sight – to take up every role –because no one else is doing anything. Let’s remember that God has placed each of us in the body according to His pleasure; and then let’s lay hold of His grace to function just where He has placed us for His pleasure.

By Grant Steidl

“I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith ... Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them.” —Romans 12:3,6