Ephesians 4:11-13 (NLT)
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
As the icon for underdogs worldwide, Rocky Balboa endured many a pummeling through his self-titled series. Similarly, we as Refugees have been pummeled by the idea of reaching out during the Back to the Basics series. As previously highlighted in the “Reaching In” devotion (13 February), we must also serve within our body, the church. John nailed down this thought in week nine’s message, “Serving the Body and Community.” Focusing mostly on the body, he did this by summarizing many valuable ideas into three powerful bullet points:
1. Giving our time and service. More than throwing money in a basket or at the problems of the world or an hour-long service on Sunday morning, serving the body should be about giving our time and service. Time is the most valuable commodity in this life, due to our inability to get it back once its spent and the limited amount we have in this life. When we sacrifice our time, we’re completely emptying ourselves. We’re, in essence, saying, “This person or thing is special. They/it mean something.” Jesus says, “There is no greater love than a person who lays their life down for another.” That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to launch yourself into traffic, shove a pedestrian out of the path of a Mack truck, and absorb the blow yourself. Quite simply, you giving your “life-time” to build up another accomplishes this.
2. Realize your spiritual function. This is where most people get lost. “What’s my function?” “How will I know when I’ve found it?” I don’t know how many people read this devotion, but I’d be willing to bet (and I’m not a gambler) that all of you haven’t turned in your Spiritual Gift Survey. This priceless resource is painless (minus maybe a wicked paper cut) and steers you toward an understanding of your spiritual functions. You may even learn something new about yourself! The other way to realize your spiritual function is by trial and error. Find an area of the church which needs help and volunteer. Test it out on a trial basis. With the amount of ministries, you’re bound to lock onto one you will both enjoy and encourage others.
3. Plug in relationally. Relationships grant life meaning. Our relationship with Jesus brings salvation, hope, peace, eternal life, and a host of other things. Relationships with others brings us closer together, allows us help and accountability, and makes life more memorable. As John advised, get with him about joining one of the upcoming small groups, called LifeGroups. An easy way to get started to changing your life…and strengthening the body as a whole.
