Saturday October 1, 2011

Read: 1 Corinthians 12

 

A car without a door. A motorbike without one wheel.  A pair of sunglasses with one lens missing. An aeroplane with one tyre missing. These are all illustrations of the body of Christ when one member refuses to be involved or to do the job that God has assigned to them. God makes it exceedingly clear that in the church there are no side line sitters. There are no pew warmers or reserves. To each one a manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. That means that you and I have a spiritual gift, a God given endowment by which we can be serving others for their good. That means that we have a vital role to play in the church, be it a church meeting tomorrow morning or evening or during the week when the church is not gathered.

 

But think about tomorrow.  How will you serve God tomorrow? How will you bring benefit and blessing to others in church tomorrow? What can you do to activate your spiritual gift and to put it into practice?

 

These kinds of questions are the questions that really move a church from being great to being awesomely fantastic!  As each and every individual gets involved in the church and ministers and serves with God’s gifts an unstoppable dynamic is created. People in the church are encouraged and blessed (rather than drained). People start praising God rather than complaining to Him about the lack of involvement. People start telling their friends and family about the church and that internal blessing flows outwards into the community. Pretty soon the community will start rolling through the doors to check out what’s happening. The church grows and through that each member is encouraged and blessed even further. The cycle grows and continues. More and more people stand together to sing the praises of the Lord God Almighty who has blessed them and worked so powerfully in their life.

 

And just think, it all started because you and I made a firm decision to obey God and to get involved.

 

Prayerfully consider what your spiritual gifts are and how you might be using them, not just tomorrow but each and every Lord’s day. Make plans to get active tomorrow.

 

Prayer Points:

> For the protection of our Bible Society and staff from persecution and harm.

> For Open Doors and for greater interest in our Bible Exhibition and Media Centre, and for opportunities to share with students, classes, and schools the origins of the Bible.