You Are A Gift To Your Local Church
On a recent trip to Colorado Springs, I noticed something fascinating. From the time I entered the SDF airport in Lousiville until I landed safely in Colorado Springs, nothing seemed out of place. Printing my boarding pass was simple. I passed through the TSA security check without a fuss except for the one item I had up my sleeve—my Whoop band. I found my gate and boarded the plane without the slightest delay or frustration. Considering that nearly 5,700 flights take off and land each day in the US, this was a highly efficient operation.
For me, the most spectacular area in the airport is the runway. At first glance, it looks like a frantic chaotic mess with dozens of little red vehicles carting around luggage, giant gas trucks fueling the planes, massive aircraft moving in and heading out, and brightly vested people walking around everywhere. Despite all of the seeming chaos, every plane took off from the proper runway at the appropriate speeds with no accidents or major mishaps. In fact, there are fewer than 500 airplane fatalities in the US each year compared to over 38,000 deaths in car accidents.
We tend to overlook some of the most vital people at airports, though. We apprehensively pass by TSA officers, eagerly listen to pilots throughout the flights, and carefully study the reactions of the flight attendants when we feel a few bumps of turbulence. Yet there are nearly 1.2 million people employed at the 485 commercial airlines in the United States. The vast majority of these people work behind the scenes to ensure that you take off and land safely at your destination.
The church is very similar, though the scale is typically much smaller. Pastors and worship leaders serve as the face of many local churches. They often welcome guests, proclaim the gospel, sing biblical truths, and pray for the saints during our corporate gatherings. The welcome team may greet you with a smile, handshake, or a hug when Covid isn’t running rampant. Though you only see a few people during the gatherings each week, there are many more people working behind the scenes.
The local church would be incomplete and ineffective without each member and the gifts God has given.
Over 12,000 Days To Serve
At Grace Church, we allow different members to read the Scripture passage each week. Some members help with audio and video, others watch children in the nursery, and several families volunteer to teach the K-5th grade students. A few others lead small group bible studies or community groups. Others don’t serve in these ways but devote themselves to prayer for the church. There are many moving parts, and we have several members helping to build up the church and reach unbelievers with the gospel.
Just as we each have one body with many body parts, so it is with the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12). Whether you proclaim the Scriptures with passion or break into a cold sweat if you’re asked to pray publicly, you play a vital role in the health and functioning of your local church. This may sound like hyperbole, but God’s Word is clear that every Christian has been uniquely gifted according to the wisdom and will of God to benefit the local church and the community around them.
The majority of Christians you meet won’t have a Master of Divinity degree, play an instrument, read the Bible in its original languages, or sing well. Many of the most seasoned saints have never walked up and prayed publicly for their local church during any corporate worship service. After 40 years of trusting in Jesus, a seasoned Christian has had over 2000 opportunities to come together to worship the Lord with their local church. This is incredible.
More remarkable is the fact that this same Christian has had 12,520 other days to use their gifts beyond the main Sunday gathering to benefit the local church and help the gospel go forth in their community. Whether you have 40 years or 40 days in the local church, God has placed you there with a purpose. You’re probably not in a formal ministry leadership position, and it’s also likely that you don’t have a leading role in corporate worship on Sunday morning. However, you are not useless to the local church. The Scriptures are emphatic: your local church needs you.
Here are three important reminders as you consider ways to serve in your local church.
1. Every believer is spiritually gifted.
We often speak of someone as being “gifted” when they excel in ways that we don’t. This understanding of gifting, though innocent enough, can be deceiving. Some people work hard at public speaking. Others spend hours practicing music. Are they gifted in specific areas or did they simply work harder than everyone else to do well? It’s tough to know the difference, but let us not forget what the Scriptures teach. We all receive gifts from the Lord, but we are also called to cultivate and use those gifts for His glory.
We need to remember that God gifts every believer with something to contribute to the local church. There are a couple of lists of spiritual gifts in the Bible that include everything from tongues and healing to hospitality and generosity (see Romans 12:3-8, 1 Cor. 12:4-11, and Ephesians 4:11-12). In our minds, some of these gifts may seem more supernatural than others, but we must not deny that God gives these gifts completely by his grace, in his wisdom, and for his glory. Regardless of which gifts we possess or where the Lord has placed us, “let us use them” (Romans 12:6). Let us also never forget that we glorify God when we are humbly reliant upon Him to use these gifts.
2. Every gift can be used alongside the local church.
Pursue the joy of serving your community alongside your local church. In these days of individualism, we can be tempted to seek and build our own platforms. Yes, evangelism and community outreach can indeed happen outside the context of the local church, but imagine the impact of believers joyfully working hand-in-hand to meet the spiritual and tangible needs of your neighbors. Imagine praying daily with other church members for friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers as your reach them with the gospel. In a time where disunity seems to cloud our vision at every step, this sort of gospel unity cuts through the fog and reveals the beaming sun of God’s glory for all to see.
3. God is always at work in and among His people.
God never stops working in and through His people for His glory. Whether you’ve been serving passionately and joyfully for many years or you’ve been sidelined for a season, now is the perfect time to begin praying for opportunities to use your gifts in the strength of God for the glory of God.
God gave you gifts so you could be a gift to your local church. Will you take the next step?
