When I think of a local functioning church, I imagine an old-fashioned branding. At a branding, everyone has a job to do. There are no by-standers; no observers–everyone has an assigned task to do:
- Someone tends the gate
- Another rounds-up the calves
- One does the roping
- A person attends the fire
- There is one who heats the irons
- Someone holds the calf (That was usually my job)
- While another does the branding
And if some folks remined after jobs were assigned, well they didn’t just stand around. They got involved too, doing everything they could to assist, to help, to lend a hand.
You see, I think that’s what a New Testament Church looks like. The local church is a place where everyone can do his/her fair share to help, serve and minister. There are plenty of jobs to go around:
- To preach
- To teach
- To counsel
- To sing
- To pray
- To witness
- To encourage
- To be a servant
Each one using his/her God-given gifts and abilities to serve the Living Lord and to minister to His people.
I think that’s something of what Paul had in mind when he wrote I Corinthians 12:4-7 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good.”
So, next time you go to your local church, think of it as going to an old-fashioned branding where everyone gets involved; where there are no by-standers. You, too have a gift. Find it and use it! And when you do, going to church will take on a whole new meaning for you.