For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. Romans 12:3-5 HCSB
If I were to ask you what was the most important body part, what would you say? Maybe you would say the brain, but if the brain works and sends signals to other parts of the body that don’t work, that doesn’t really do you any good does it? Maybe you would say the heart, but if the heart pumps blood to organs that fail, then you still have a major problem.
What if I were to ask you what is the most important part of your car’s engine? There again, if one part works well but another doesn’t your car won’t function properly or maybe not at all.
If you were cooking a recipe would you consider one ingredient more important than the other? I’m sure we have all gotten in a hurry while cooking at one time or another and left out one simple ingredient only to ruin the whole thing.
As Christians in the body of Christ or the church, we are an important part. We bring something that is much needed to the congregation. We are a small part of a big machine. This big machine functions as it should when we all do our part. God gave each and everyone of us a spiritual gift, a gift with which we could honor Him and contribute to our church. Charles Stanley did a wonderful study on ministering through spiritual gifts if you would like to determine exactly what your gift is. There is also a website called giftstest.com which will ask you several questions and within a couple minutes, will email you the results and tell you what your spiritual gifts are based on your answers to the questions.
In order for you to be a part of the body of Christ, you must first find the right church. Now don’t get this twisted, I don’t mean that you find a church that suits your schedule or permits the things that you want to do even if you feel they go against God’s word and yes you can find churches that do that. I am talking about finding the place where God wants you to be. You see when we trust God to guide us, then we trust Him to connect us with the right body of believers in order to further the gospel.
It’s like this, you never go into a church filled with only musicians, right? If so, they may have a wonderful worship service, but who would preach? Who would teach? Who would organize events? No, churches are made up of different people with different spiritual gifts. This is no accident or coincidence, this is how God works these things out. Churches are made up of people that can preach, people that can teach, people that can administer and lead, people with the gift of organization, people that encourage others, people with the gift of hospitality all working together.
I have two nephews. One is good with cars, the other is good with computers. So if my car malfunctions I am going to call one nephew and if my computer malfunctions, I will call his brother. This works well for me. Having people with different spiritual gifts works well for the body of Christ, the church.
When you are looking for the right church the most important thing is that it is a Bible teaching church. Check to see that the teaching and the preaching is in line with God’s word. Does it have a sweet spirit? Sadly, there are churches today that don’t have that sweet spirit. If you can cut the tension with a knife, you may want to look elsewhere. If you have children, you want a church that can provide classes for them. You may want a children’s church service or a large youth group. It is important that you know what you and your family need, but it is just as important to know what you and your family can bring to the church. As a new member, it is okay to get in there and be fed and get a feel for how things operate. But, in time you want to get involved. I always say, God didn’t call us to be church décor. He calls us to work.
Realize that you may be just one tiny part of your church, but you are a very important part. You are needed.
If you are not in church, then find a good Bible teaching church for you and your family. Lead your family to serve Him. If you are in church but have been content to just go sit in service on Sunday morning, think about getting involved. Think about what you can do to serve in your church. The whole mechanism shuts down if one part fails. Think about that. Pray and trust God to guide you. Figure out what your spiritual gifts are and use them to serve Him. You reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7) so why not get busy sowing so that you can reap the rewards of a life of service to Him?
Have a great day!