A405 : by Steve Lewis 
Obviously, a believer must rely on the written Word of God as well as the teaching ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:26). These are two of the primary avenues for learning and growing spiritually. Even if these were the only two avenues available to a believer, they would still be sufficient in making him accountable to God for knowing the truth and responding correctly to it.
But are these the only two ministries that God provides for spiritual growth? The question becomes, “Are believers to isolate themselves from all other God-given ministries in order to rely exclusively on their own personal understanding and interpretation of God’s Word through reading the Bible and submitting (however imperfectly) to the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit?” We should probably behave more like the Ethiopian eunuch described in Acts 8:26-39. Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him (Acts 8:30-31).
When a person becomes a believer and experiences God’s salvation, there are several things that take place – many of which the person himself may be unaware of at the time. One of the things that occurs for every believer at the moment of salvation is that he or she is placed into the body of Christ through the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many (1Cor. 12:12-14).
Believers are part of a body that is composed of many members – not just a single member living in isolation. Each of us is individually accountable to God for his attitudes and actions, but our spiritual journey is undertaken in company with other believers. Leading up to his comments about the body of Christ quoted above, the apostle Paul had said, Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (1Cor. 12:4-7). In other words, God has given spiritual gifts to various members of the body of Christ, and they are to be used for the benefit of other believers. In fact, the other members of the body of Christ need their fellows to exercise these spiritual gifts – they rely on the help of others around them to make progress in their own individual spiritual journeys.
Each member of the body of Christ has been given specific responsibilities. I would refer you to one of the places where these responsibilities are discussed: The Body of Christ. Believers have responsibilities toward God, toward other believers, and even toward unbelievers in the world around them. In many cases, it will be impossible to accomplish your God-ordained responsibilities apart from the ministry of others in the body of Christ.
God did not leave us without resources to accomplish our responsibilities. He provides other gifted believers (both past and present) who can help to equip us. That is the primary goal of the fellowship of believers within the church. Here are some additional resources where this equipping ministry of the church is discussed:
The teaching ministry of gifted believers is one of the primary methods used by the Holy Spirit to bring personal illumination and understanding of the truths of God’s Word. For a believer to cut himself off from that ministry is the equivalent of sawing off the tree branch upon which he is sitting. By isolating himself, he is also hindering other believers from being able to use their unique God-given spiritual gifts.
Each of us is responsible for exercising spiritual discernment as we examine and evaluate the things we are taught. But as we grow in spiritual maturity, we will grow in our capability for spiritual discernment. Solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil (Heb. 5:14).
I’m reminded of the story of the man struggling to survive a flood. Despite being offered several means of help, he refuses and insists that God alone will save him. Unfortunately, he drowns, and upon reaching heaven, he questions God about why he was not rescued. God responds, “I sent you two boats and a helicopter. What more did you want?” This principle applies to our spiritual growth. God provides so many gifted members of the body of Christ, so why would a believer stubbornly refuse to benefit from them?
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