Articles
“Finding Your Place”
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
(Romans 12:6-8)
Paul consistently teaches that every Christian has an integral role in the strength and growth of their local church. Have you ever wondered what your role is here at Dulles? You have unique abilities that God has given you and he expects you to “use them” to build up of the body of Christ (Mt. 25:14ff; 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4:16). Paul emphasizes that no one is unimportant, no task is trivial and no action, if done for the Lord, is meaningless (1 Cor. 15:58).
Consider the text in Romans 12 above. While prophecy was a gift unique to the first-century, every Christian has some measure of giftedness in the areas listed. For example, all Christians must be merciful but there are some who, already having compassionate hearts, are particularly predisposed to showing mercy to the suffering. All must be servants in the kingdom but some excel in service; they naturally see and seize opportunities to serve while others may have to force themselves to do so. The same with teaching, exhortation, contribution, generosity and leadership.
We are all equally made in God’s image but each possess unique traits. Once we give our loyalty to King Jesus, his Spirit can either create and awaken talents within us previously unknown or refine and enhance talents already present. We must learn to evaluate ourselves and each other to point out where our spiritual strengths lie so that we can exercise and develop them for the Lord’s sake.
Backing up a bit, consider Paul’s words in Romans 12:3-5: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
Rather than thinking we are self-sufficient (thinking of ourselves “more highly than [we] ought to think”) we must learn to soberly reflect on our need of others and others’ need of us in the church (3). Paul describes the church with the helpful metaphor of a human body consisting of “many members” each having functions that are essentially different from, yet complimentary to, one another (4-5). The implications of thinking of ourselves and others as unique body parts like limbs or organs are enormous.
First, there are no extraneous body parts. Each one is needed to perform a special function that contributes to the health and growth of the body. Every member matters. Also, what each member does (or fails to do) affects the entire body because of the interconnectedness of the individual members. Moreover, if a member is subtracted from the church body, the church is not simply reduced in number but has suffered a grievous injury!
As is typical for Paul, he gives us the ideal so that we know what to shoot for. The church is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 4:12; 5:23). The exhortation is to think and behave in accordance with this reality. If we are a member of Christ, we are no more or less important than any other member. If we are a member of Christ, we are also members of one another to share and bear each others’ burdens. If we are members of Christ, our connection to the Head (Jesus) is paramount; our common faith in Christ makes us one. Therefore, above all else, we must hold fast “to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.” (Col. 2:19)
