Playing Second Fiddle

Brother David Stegmeier

Being in a Supportive Position

The fiddle is the same instrument as the violin. A fiddler plays folk music and usually plays at dances. My children have played violins for years, and they prefer to be called violinists. A violinist usually plays very serious music and often plays in a large symphony orchestra. Perhaps you have heard the adage, "Playing second fiddle," which means filling a subordinate position, or a secondary role; in other words, not being in the limelight, but being a support.

A typical symphony orchestra has approximately one hundred musicians. The largest section in the orchestra is the first violin section, and behind that section is the second violin section. The most proficient of the violinists sits in the first chair. He or she is called the concertmaster. That person is the most skilled of them all and is the one who is in the limelight. However, just because he or she is in that position does not mean that person is more important than the last second violinist; that person is important as well.

Throughout the Word of God we have many illustrations of situations where two or three individuals worked together in close proximity: one was in the limelight, and the other walked in his or her shadow. In the Old Testament we have the case of Moses and Aaron. When speaking of the relationship of Moses and Aaron, God said in Exodus 4:16, ". . . he [speaking of Aaron] shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God." Why was this so? Moses could not speak well, but Aaron was a very eloquent and gifted speaker; therefore, Moses availed himself of Aaron's abilities. Moses said, "I am not eloquent" (Exodus 4:10). In other words, he was saying, "I cannot communicate well; I am not very charismatic."

Some people follow whatever minister is the most charismatic. That is what is going on in the world today. In many places, it is not what is being taught that most influences people; it is the charisma of the leader. Some people are naturally gifted at communicating with others, and they make good salesmen. Some such people are selling false teachings, and many people are buying what they are saying.

I wonder sometimes why some cults are growing so rapidly and why intelligent people are imbibing those doctrines and teachings. If one asks them if they have been saved, they do not know what that person is talking about. However, it has become popular for people to claim the experience of being born again. Many politicians, movie stars, drunkards, drug addicts, and others claim to have a religious experience, but their lives are just the same as they were before they had the experience. Some people just follow the crowds and go wherever a speaker is gifted in natural abilities. Friend, you must go deeper than that.

Aaron had a gift, but he was not a leader. Did Moses need him? Yes. In the New Testament we can read of several examples of individuals working together; one taking a prominent position and the other taking a supportive role, or playing second fiddle. I thought of Paul and Silas. We hear much about Paul, but very little about Silas. In fact, as I was looking in my concordance, I saw a number of places where Silas was called and used, but we rarely hear of Silas. How many children do you know named Silas? However, you may know of several individuals named Paul. Silas was a good man and a tremendous help to Paul. He was very important to Paul's ministry. In the city of Philippi, Silas was a great source of strength and an inspiration to him. When they were beaten and put in the Philippian jail, did they sit and nurse their wounds, crying and lamenting about their plight? No, they rejoiced! They had an old-fashioned Church of God revival, and the jailer even got saved.

You might be incarcerated, physically speaking, but you can be free in the Spirit. I am reminded of a man whom I have visited in a penitentiary. While in prison, he was gloriously saved, and he sees the Church of God clearly. (Paul said he was the chief of sinners.) He got saved when a Church of God minister went to the penitentiary. He was first led to Truth through The Gospel Trumpeter; that whetted his appetite. After he came to know God, he confessed to three murders. The state did not lock him up for murder; they locked him up for stealing. He was never found out; however, when he got saved, he went deep and took care of it all.

To be a Christian, you have to go deep and uncover everything. Because he did that, he has a clear vision of God, and he has peace inside. He may be locked up physically, but his spirit is free. Being locked up in this time world and being free in eternity is far better than being free here and destined to a lost eternity.

The Body of Christ

When describing the works of the body of Christ (the church), Paul used the human body as an illustration. You may be playing the second fiddle, but how well are you playing it? First Corinthians 12:1-17 reads: "Now concerning spiritual gifts [if you are saved, God has given you a gift, and one gift we surely need much of is the gift of helps], brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. [What God has given to you is to be used by the whole body, to promote the cause of Christ. It should be good for the entire body of Christ. It is not your own. God gave it to you so that He could use it for the furtherance of His cause and kingdom, and the body of Christ should be better for it.]

"For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom [some people have an extra amount of wisdom, and that comes from God]; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; [Some are very gifted to understand deep meanings and truths. Should you envy them? No. When it comes to your physical body, has the left hand ever attacked the right hand? No. The same is true of the body of Christ. No matter what position you hold, you should never attack another member of the body of Christ nor be envious of that one. You should appreciate all the members and pray for them.]

"To another faith by the same Spirit; [Some are gifted with a tremendous amount of faith. How did you come to have the faith you have? God gives it, but is there a secret to how you can avail yourself of it? The Bible says that 'faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God' (Romans 10:17). There are ways that you can grow in faith.] to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy [some have several gifts, others may have only one]; to another discerning of spirits [we all need discernment]; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

"But all these [What is the antecedent of these? All the gifts that he mentioned. We all have at least one gift. We are to be helpful. Whatever gift you have, you should give it over to God for the furtherance of His cause.] worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he [God] will. [God knows what gifts you can handle. Some people cannot handle certain gifts, because they would get too big for themselves. God used King Saul as long as he remained humble. God chose him, but he did not stay humble. That is the key to being used of God. You must stay humble where you can be taught, instructed, schooled, and disciplined. The more one is willing to be disciplined, the more beautiful he becomes and the more God can use him.]

"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.

"If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?"

God puts some in the position of being watchmen when they have good spiritual insight. Though you have a gift, God gives a pastor the greatest amount of insight concerning the operations of the local congregation and the needs of the people. The same is true in the home: the father and mother of the children know the children better than the neighbor does, or at least they ought to. If the parents are saved, they do.

Successful Functioning of the Body of Christ

First Corinthians 12:18-22 states: "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary." You never see two of the most important members of your body: your brain and your heart. Likewise, some very important members in a congregation are never seen, but their work is extremely vital to the operation of the work. We all are needed in the body of Christ. Speaking of the physical body, some individuals have lost the big toe on one foot and had a real struggle with their balance. This illustrates well that every member is important.

Verses 23-24 read: "And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked."

Christ is the head, and we each are the members. We all have gifts, not for self-glory but for the edification of the body of Christ. No member of the body should quarrel or try to compete with other members. We need each other. Also, no congregation should try to compete with another congregation. We are workers together with Christ.

The Bible says there should be no separation, no division, and no discord in the body. We should be closely united in love. Love is the adhesive that keeps the body of Christ together. If one member of your physical body suffers pain, then the whole body suffers. We all have experienced that. If you get a pebble in your shoe, it hurts to walk, and the whole body suffers until you stop to remove it. When one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. When one part of the body is having pleasure, the whole body enjoys it. The successful functioning of the body of Christ should be the aim of every member, not that you can be seen or heard, but for the work of God to go forward. We are dependent upon one another. We sing a song entitled,

Isn't that a beautiful song! We are dependent upon one another. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 18:16, "A man's gift maketh room for him...." Maybe the gift that you have should be used in a particular place, perhaps a place different from what you thought, but do not be too hasty. God will make room for you. A man's gift will make room for him. You do not have to force your way. God has a place. When I was a child, my mother used to sing a song, "There is a place for everyone in the kingdom of God," and there is. You should be happy and content where God places you. You should not envy a person who you feel occupies a greater position. You should be willing to play second fiddle.

The songwriter wrote, "Oh, how sad to see some of our brethren, As they strive for earth's pleasure and gold; Become selfish and strive with each other." That is an awful thing. We need more men like Abraham, who said, "Let there be no strife, I pray thee, . . . for we be brethren." Brethren should not quarrel or strive with one another. If you and another brother have wonderful fellowship, but then someone says something to you that causes the relationship to be severed, whoever told you something that affected you against the other brother is hated by God. The Bible says in Proverbs 6:16-14: "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: . . . he that soweth discord among brethren." God hates the person who does that.

Will He Find You in Your Place?

God's people are a music-loving people. All great men of God love music. Martin Luther said, "Next to the preaching of the Gospel, nothing has blessed the hearts of men more than music." Music plays a very important part in the work of God. We have a song that reads:

My prayer is that God will find me in the place where He has put me. The Bible tells us there is a place for husbands and wives. Sometimes a wife might feel that she does not get much recognition and that her husband is always in the limelight, but there would be no home without a good wife.

The Bible says in Ephesians 5:2224: "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." Though the wife plays a supporting role, she is just as important as the husband. Some women have a real problem with that nowadays, but it is still Bible.

A young lady once asked me, "Pastor, do you still read the portion of Scripture that says wives are to be subject to their own husbands?"

I said, "Yes."

She said, "I will not ask you to perform my marriage ceremony."

So I proceeded to tell her, "If you have a husband who obeys the next portion of the Scripture (Ephesians 5:25), you will be happy to let me read that first part, because if he is a good husband, he will treat you like a queen, and you will have no problem submitting." I have seen some exceptions to the rule. I have seen women with very dear husbands, yet the wives refused to submit because rebellion was working down inside them. I have seen the reverse as well.

A pastor's wife may be living in the shadow of her husband, seldom heard of and seldom recognized, but she is a valuable resource to him. We need each other. I once heard about a couple who were both very good musicians, and they even made recordings. However, when they got married, he told her, "You'll not play the piano anymore," because he wanted the limelight. That is not God's plan. When I preach, my wife is right there and listens to every word. When it is time for her to play the piano for church, I sometimes walk by her and say, "Don't tell anyone, but the pastor has a crush on the pianist." She smiles and plays so much nicer. We need each other, and we need to understand our limitations and capabilities. Some people exercise in a position where they do not belong, and they do not have the grace to be there.

Staying Where God Places You

If you are playing second fiddle, so to speak, you should play it well and be happy playing in that position. I have directed choirs for years in church and in the schools. I will say, "All right, choir, gather in. How many sopranos do we have?"

"Fifty."

"Wonderful. How many altos?" We have only two? What's the problem?" Everyone wants to sing soprano. Singing the melody is easy. They don't have to use their heads. An alto has to think about the part she is singing, and a second soprano has to really use her head.

To illustrate this, if you were to break apart a four-part harmony and listen to each part separately, which part would you hum? The soprano, or the lead part. You would not hum the alto, the tenor, or the bass part. These are supportive roles. You would not want someone to sing for you and sing the alto part. Although the alto part is important, it is a supporting part, just as playing second fiddle is. Can you play second fiddle well?

We all like to sing the melody. That is like playing first violin. All violinists clamor for that chair, but some have to play the supportive roles. The soprano sings the melody. Though the other parts probably do not get the recognition the soprano receives, they are just as important.

Whatever you are doing, can you play second fiddle quietly without a lot of show, without criticizing, and without being envious? Can you be supportive, not always wanting a different role or a different function in the church? It is important that you stay where God places you. Sometimes people become insubordinate. They become rebellious and begin to complain and fuss against leadership.

In the Old Testament, Aaron became discontented and began to envy Moses. What did Aaron say? (Actually, his sister Miriam was privy to this.) Numbers 12:1-2 tells us that they spoke against Moses and asked if God was only talking to Moses. God talks to all His children, but He was using Moses in a special place. God often speaks through His chosen leadership. He has given the leader a special position in the house of God. Verse 9 says, "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them," and they suffered for it. This happened because Aaron and Miriam were not willing to play second fiddle.

Another example of a person becoming discontented and envious is found in the New Testament. Third John talks about a man by the name of Diotrephes. John wrote to the church and worked with the church, but Diotrephes withstood the Apostle John many times. He hindered John because, according to the Bible, he wanted the preeminence. We do not know what position he had in the body of Christ, but he wanted a greater position. To want a position that God has not intended for you to have is wanting the preeminence, and that is an ugly quality. Diotrephes wanted to be the head, and he wanted to lord it over everyone. Something within Diotrephes caused him to exert himself to stand against John and cause the work of God to be thwarted. The Bible warns us to be careful of feeling that we are greater than we really are.

We read in Romans 12:1-3: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

Often the Word of God speaks about the church and uses the metaphor of the human body to describe the functioning of the body of Christ. My feet can do well what God has intended them to do. And so it is when God has given you the grace and the ability to do what He has called you to do.

God-given Grace According to the Measure of the Gift

Ephesians 4:1-7 states: "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."

If you are a God-called pastor, God has given you a pastor's grace. If you have been called to be a Sunday school teacher, God has given you the grace to fulfill your position. Whatever your calling is, God gives you the strength, the wisdom, and the grace to act in that position. Another translation says, "Christ has given each of us special abilities, whatever He wants us to have out of His rich storehouse, and He will give us the grace to function in that position."

The saints are to encourage and support one another to play second fiddle well. Some preach, some sing, some can repair things well. Others are naturally gifted in knowing how things work. They can take things apart and put them back together so beautifully. Each of us is gifted in certain areas, and we need one another. You should be happy where God has placed you, and you should perform that part beautifully. God will help you to fit in where He has given you the qualifications. You may say, "I don't know what I am qualified for." You need to keep praying and work hard and joyfully for the Lord. If you are faithful, God will give you more opportunities and responsibilities.

If you are a Sunday school teacher, He can make you a better Sunday school teacher. You may say, "I wish I could be the Sunday school teacher for the senior citizens. I teach fifth grade boys, and sometimes they are so rowdy." Maybe God sees that you are best qualified there. The time may come when you will grow to where you can have another position. However, you should be content where you are.

I want you to read one more hymn:

When God made man, He made the greatest creation in the universe; he is the apex of God's creative work. David said we are fearfully and wonderfully made. The church should be just that beautiful; and it is, when each of us is in his or her place.

If you are not a pastor, are you content in doing a good job where God has placed you? When the pastor asks you to do something, do you do it without causing problems, allowing the pastor to be the leader? God has a place for each of us; therefore, you ought to be content and work together. You should not try to push yourself into a position that God has not intended you to have. How well are you playing second fiddle?

(Cassette C-4154M)

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