FINDING OUR PLACE

Scripture for the day: Romans 12:4-6a For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…”

Thought for the day: We often talk around the church about spiritual gifts; preaching, teaching, hospitality, healing, evangelism and so on (I suspect one of mine is the gift of sarcasm, but that’s another story for another time). We speak of talents, and abilities and the need for each one to discover his or hers and use them for the good of the Kingdom. Unfortunately, we often talk about them to the exclusion of actually doing them and, as a result, the Kingdom suffers, people who should have been shown the way to the Master still wander in the darkness of their sins, those who should have discovered new and fulfilling ministries are still sitting in their pews (or chairs if your church happens to be more “modern”) and the Body of Christ remains unhealthy.

“But Bill,” you may very well say, “it’s not all about evangelism and reaching the “lost” you know. There are other things to be done.” It is all about evangelism! It’s always been all about evangelism. Even in the early church it was all about evangelism. The Bible says they went from house to house preaching, teaching and having times of fellowship with one another. When the persecution of these new “Christians” began, Luke reminds us that, “Those that were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” That sounds like evangelism to me. Now, having said that, let me remind you that evangelism takes many forms, at times overtly preaching and teaching the word, at others simply giving a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name.

Several centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he could leave to his townspeople. He made a good decision. He decided to build them a church. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was finished. At its grand opening, the people gathered and marveled at the beauty of the new church. Everything had been thought of and included. It was a masterpiece

But then someone said, "Wait a minute! Where are the lamps? It is really quite dark in here. How will the church be lighted?" The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls, and then he gave each family a lamp, which they were to bring with them each time they came to worship. "Each time you are here'" the nobleman said, "the place where you are seated will be lighted. Each time you are not here, that place will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to church, some part of God's house will be dark."

That's a poignant story, isn't it? And it makes a very significant point about the importance of our commitment and loyalty to the church. The poet Edward Everett Hale put it like this:

I am only one,

But still I am one.

I cannot do everything,

But still I can do something;

And because I cannot do everything

I will not refuse to do the something I can do.

It’s not about filling stadiums with huge crowds of people. It’s not about seeing thousands respond to the gospel call. It’s about finding our place in the kingdom and doing that one thing the Spirit shows us today that will help move that kingdom forward.

Now go take on your world. - Bill