Called Out...with Purpose (2 of 2)

Part 1 this week took a brief look at the need for a church member to use the gift(s) that God has given them to serve the church and His Kingdom. In this entry, we will see that service alone is not enough - how we serve matters as well. Paul says that we are to serve in love.

One of the worst chapter breaks in the Bible occurs at 1 Corinthians 13. It is the love chapter. And it is a great chapter. But it ties back to Chapter 12. Paul systematically describes the use of many gifts - tongues, prophecy, knowledge, and faith  without love as essentially worthless. He is not suggesting the gifts are worthless - they are from God - but our use of them is practically worthless if we don't also practice the gift of love we have also received from God.

Paul then launches into a further discussion on speaking in tongues* by comparing it to prophecy. Paul does not denounce speaking in tongues – saying he himself does it – but that speaking in tongues, if not done properly, creates confusion, rather than edifying those who hear. The whole point of this passage is that worship should be orderly. It does not say it has to follow a certain order, but that the chaos is not accepted.

*Many debate whether certain gifts are still present in today's world. The point of this post is not to engage in that debate. However, it should be noted that whether the gifts are common or not today, if God wants someone to speak in tongues (or have any other gift), they will be able to do so (consider Balaam's donkey).

Regardless, any gift is not given for the purpose of any one individual. Rather the Spirit gives gifts for the building of the church (1 Corinthians 14.12).

As a church member, we have been a spiritual gift by God in order to serve His church better. A person who does not know their gift should seek counsel, including praying to God to try to determine their gift (Many spiritual gift inventories are available and can be quite helpful, but all do have assumptions which can lead to potential problems).

A church member who does know their spiritual gift and is not using it is not just cheating their church, but is cheating God. Imagine all of the gifts we try to remember to display or wear because a certain person gave it to us. How much more should we make sure we are using the gifts God has given us?

Last week was about following Jesus (Matthew 4.19). This week, we see that we are given tools (gifts) to use as we are following Him. Although there may be a limited number of tools overall, the uses are as diverse as our individual experiences. But, in order to function as members, we must make the choice to do so. Ultimately, this is about choosing to observe what Christ has commanded us to do.

As we think about the Paul's metaphor of the body, we must also consider that Christ is the head of the church. And, as the head (might we say - the brain), He gives us the direction we need.

But we must not overlook that each of us has a purpose. And it is often the hidden parts that makes what the visible parts do possible. For instance, our skin is visible, but without our bones, it would fall flat. If we cut ourselves, it is not the skin that bleeds, it is the hidden blood vessels under the skin that bleeds. The point is that the visible may get the attention, but without the underlying support, that which is visible cannot function properly. Of course, this is quite true in the church as well. Consider all the behind the scenes work that must happen for a ministry project let alone a weekly service.

So, each of us is important. And as the church (the called out ones), we find that we are called out on purpose...for His purpose. Therefore, to truly live out our calling, we must choose to live our lives with purpose as well.

Called Out...With Purpose (1 of 2)

Last week's blogs provided a rather extended introductory look at this series on church membership. This week's entries will focus on our need to be purposeful - to function - as members.

Jesus words in Matthew 16.18 that He would build His church indicates labor is involved. And the workers are us. But God has showed us the way (Matthew 4.19), has told us what to do (Matthew 28.19-20), and promised to be with us as we do His work for the Kingdom (Matthew 28.20). Yet, the beginning of the church was truly after His resurrection. As such, Jesus said little about the church directly. So this week we look to Paul to get some practical insights for how to function.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul is trying to provide instruction and encouragement to a church which had great issues of trust. In the later chapters (12-14), he begins to deal with the idea of spiritual gifts. Each Christian has at least one spiritual gift that is to be used for the common good (12.7). While there are many different types of gifts, each is important to fulfill the mission Christ has given us (plural) as a church. Paul then continues by speaking of various parts of the body. Ultimately, His point is that no one part of a body is independent of all others parts. Therefore, no one part of the body can say it is the most important. This is not to say that there should not be leaders, but 1) any leader in the church is subject to the true leader - Jesus, and 2) biblical leadership is not about tyranny, it is about service.

As a church, each member is a part of the body of Christ - and therefore important. When members choose not to participate in the work of the church (the Kingdom), the rest of the body suffers. Certainly, just like with our physical bodies, when one part isn't functioning (or functioning well), the rest of the body compensates, but this isn't how God designed our bodies - or His church. Yet, just as sin brought illness and disability to our fleshly bodies, so sin corrupts the spiritual body of the church as well.

So, each member is called to use the gift(s) they have received. But is that enough? No. In Part 2 for this week, we will see that it is not just that we are to serve, but also how we serve that matters.

Ministry Context

This post is unexpected, yet nevertheless, is important. There are many churches and ministries that are highly effective, yet many others are not. While there are many reasons this could be true, a big part of the challenge is context. Let me give three short examples of how this relates.

First, the context of time. Some ministry opportunities are just stumbled upon. For instance, our church has recently stumbled upon a ministry of distributing food once a month. It wasn't something that we were intending to do, but it literally fell into our lap. However, most ministry comes from seeing a need and responding. People discuss the need and prepare a plan to serve others because of it. Prayer is often a large component of this (or at least it should be!). Such a ministry can be effective because it meets a certain need at a certain time.

Second, the context of place. Location. Location. Location. These words are used for marketing purposes often. But the same is true for ministry. Thankfully, the notion of the context of a ministry is being made more and more apparent. Of course, many types of ministry can be done in all types of places. But the question is how. Continuing the example of food distribution, many churches and ministries have a similar ministry. However, being in a rural location, the frequency with which we receive the food, the method by which we sort the food, and certainly how we distribute the food will be different from a ministry that is in an urban setting. Neither approach is necessarily better, as long as the approach fits the location.

The third context is people. Again, using the idea of distributing the food, a member of our church was contacted by an organization to see if we would be interested in receiving food in order to help individuals and families in our area. Essentially, the organization does not know what food will be available month to month. In fact, there may be months when we do not receive any at all. When the call came, our church member, knowing the need in the community, said yes to the opportunity. Yet, how does the context of people affect the larger picture.

Well, from the context of timing, our member knew the need, but the opportunity fell into our lap. From the context of place, having a relationship with someone in the organization was critical. But our choice is to deliver the food to the homes. This is not as viable in some communities. And that is where the context of people begins to take shape.

Too often, in churches and other ministries, a ministry began due to a servant wanting to serve. Time was invested. Prayer may have made a tremendous impact at the outset of a ministry - even for several years. But over time, the ministry continues - passed down from generation to generation. This is not all bad, not at all. But when future generations begin to take over the responsibilities some questions need to take place:

• Does the ministry fit our time? Will we commit to pray for this ministry as others have in the past?
• Does the ministry fit our place? Do we still have the correct resources, or should we alter the approach?
• Does the ministry fit our people? What skills, passions, and giftedness are available today?

Too often, well meaning servants attempt to take on a ministry that is not meant for them. Their intentions are pure and their effort is faultless. BUT, God has prepared them for something else. Too often, ministry opportunities which were great in the past get handed down to people who are not gifted to serve in such a ministry. Unfortunately, many churches (and ministries) will criticize these individuals rather than celebrating learning to serve as God has gifted them. Such criticism stymies the effectiveness of ministry and hinders the impact of the church. And, unfortunately, this type of criticism drives many from our churches and from their desire to serve God.

I am thankful that we currently have this new opportunity to distribute food. It is certainly biblical. And it currently fits our time, our place, and our people - or, at least one person who is passionate enough to coordinate the ministry effort. However, as times and people change, my prayer is that this church will re-evaluate this ministry opportunity to make sure it still fits. If not, I hope future servants have the courage to change the methodology or even drop the ministry altogether in order to best serve as God enables them.

Truly our ability to minister at our best - individually and collectively - is for each person to serve as God has called and prepared them (1 Corinthians 12), encouraging each other to reach our potential along the way. After all, it is not our ministry that is being done - it is God's.