| by James McBride (United Kingdom) |
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| The apostle Paul’s letters shed a bright light on our walk with God The apostle cautions the brethren about getting above themselves: don’t rate yourself too highly, he writes to the Romans (e.g., Romans 12:.30). As the center of the Empire, Rome and its citizens exalted themselves over the ‘barbarians’ they had conquered. It’s a lesson for all of us and applies whether or not we serve in a church office, and it echoes the guidance of Jesus: ‘…you know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great one’s exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chief, shall be servant of all’ (Matthew 10:42-44). We are each called to serve. And Paul continues to explain to the church that concept of being a ‘servant’. As Christians we have been removed from the mire of Satan’s kingdom and are grafted into the one pure ‘body’ that is Christ. That calling is by no means random—each of us, as in the physical body, has a vital part to play: ‘…we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another’ (Romans 12:5). Each member is there not to ‘warm a pew’ but to serve each other and to forward the work of their congregation—and the work of the church at large. In the apostle’s analogy Jesus is, of course, the Head, and as such directs every function including the distribution of each gift. Notes Paul: ‘…When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men’ (Ephesians 4:8). Those gifts are individually ‘installed’ ‘…each according to his ability’ by the Lord himself. They have, often, been shaped by our life experiences and we are responsible to ensure we improve our use of it. When we are privileged to be part of a local congregation we are assigned to develop and to use our gift for the benefit of all. Others, if cut off from a local congregation, find ways of deploying their gift—e.g., by prayer, writing, letters of encouragement and calls to other brethren, where appropriate supporting needy brethren etc. All are vital and when neglected the church is falling short of its high calling. Our spiritual gifts (and how diligently we develop them) are among the ‘good works’ that will determine our role in the coming Kingdom. [Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 16:1-13 are useful related studies] Ω ———————————————————————————————————- Reprinted with permission from: The Churches of God Outreach Ministries http://www.cgom.org/ ———————————————————————————————————- |
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