From the earliest of times, God put in place certain earthly institutions. The most prominent ones are: Marriage, Family, Government, the Church. These are God’s institutions not mans. Therefore, it’s important we respect what God has put in place and His mandates for each system… marriage is between one man and one woman, the husband is to be head of the family, obey laws and regulations of the land (unless it goes against the Bible), and be an integral part of the body of Christ (the Church). I plan to do more teaching on the different institutions, but today I want to discuss the Church.
We learn in Scripture that every believer in Jesus is part of the body of Christ. At salvation, we have been adopted as sons into His family (Ephesians 1:5). I am eternally grateful for my adoption, are you? Being a part of the family of God is an honor but the Bible says a lot about our membership. Each of us are integral parts of this great big family and it is our responsibility to participate. Our participation makes the body stronger not weaker. Here are a few things we need to keep in mind as members of God’s family…
Each member has been given a spiritual gift! In speaking about the body of Christ, Paul says: “He [God] has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ” (Ephesians 4:7). No one is exempt from this. And no gift is better than another. In fact, Paul says that “God has put each part just where he wants it (1 Corinthians 12:18) and “Some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary” (1 Corinthians 12:22). It’s important that we discover what our gift is.
Our gift is to be used within the body of Christ! In speaking about the different gifts distributed to God’s people, Paul writes: “Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). In other words, the church cannot grow and thrive if the people of God are not doing what they are supposed to be doing… exercising their gift within the body of Christ. There are many ways we can do this so it’s important we use our gift in the context God wants.
On a side note: Solid Truth Ministries is para-church ministry… a ministry that comes alongside the church to equip God’s people in truth. This doesn’t make it less important. My primary gift is teaching. I do this in a number of ways… writing Bible studies, taping messages, writing devotionals, discipling people in truth. The majority of the work I do is through this ministry, but I also serve in my local church in various ways… always utilizing my gifts.
We need to keep fanning the gift! Paul writes to Timothy: “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you” (2 Timothy 1:6). In other words, we are keep using our gift and using it well (Romans 12:4). We are to pour everything we have into it. You know the saying about the physical body… what you don’t use, you lose. Well, the same is true of the body of Christ. The more we use our gift, the stronger it will become. But if we don’t use it, we can lose it. And ultimately the church loses.
How important it is for us to participate in the church by using our gifts to keep it strong and vibrant. Let this encourage you today.