“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10
This verse starts off, “As each one…” so we know that the author, Peter, is addressing every person that would read this letter. Peter shows us that each Christian has a part in ministry in their local church. When I refer to the local church, I’m not referring to a church building, but to a group of people who are committed to Christ and to each other. Every person in a local church has value for who they are, and every person has purpose in something they can do – every person.
Like Peter, the Apostle Paul wrote about each person having an active role in the local church (Eph. 4:7). In Ephesians 4:16 Paul compared the local church to a human body, made up of parts, with every part doing its function. Ephesians 4:16 says, “from whom (Christ) the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, cause growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Paul did not attribute church growth to the pastor, the church staff, the music team, or any one gift or area of ministry in particular; Paul accredited growth to every person becoming involved in doing something to serve in their local church family.
The church reminds me of an ant colony. Ants are small creatures, yet they form great communities by working together. You never see one ant sitting down with nothing to do. The participation ants demonstrate is the same responsibility we each have in the kingdom of God and in our home church. The churches that are most effective are the churches where there is a greater percentage of involvement from church members. Think about it. What if every attender in your local church, your city, your state, your country, and in your world became a participator? What if everyone?
Too often we treat church like a football game where only a few players are on the field, and the majority of people are spectators in the stands. The church is not an event, it’s not entertainment, and it’s not a building. The church is Christ’s body, where He is the head and every person has something to do. Brian Houston, the pastor of Hillsong Church, said, “Church is not built on the gifts and talents of a few, but on the sacrifices of many.” Church isn’t just about the pastors and a great weekend experience; it’s about people participating with opportunity, authority, training, and resources to serve one another and their community all through the week! Yes, the gifts and responsibilities are for everyone!
Application: Do you have a dream to help others? Don’t feel like to you to wait on someone else for your purpose to come to pass. Do something, serve somebody, and let God do the rest.