Oct
23
Servers, Not Observers
Filed Under Devotional
Our church has a large college-age ministry that has been very successful. Once a week, a huge crowd of kids come to worship, to hear the Word preached, and to fellowship. I’m too old to actually attend, but I do get to listen to the messages online. After listening to one such message, I was struck by something the pastor said to these kids and realized that he could have said the same thing to all of us.
He pointed out that many of them were new Christians and had spent their early months and years in this ministry hearing good music, hearing the gospel, and building relationships with other Christians in the same age group. But, then he challenged them to not just sit and watch. He reminded them that they needed to get involved with a church (ours or others) where they would begin to serve, to tithe, and to otherwise work for the Kingdom. He told them to not just be consumers.
It’s a frustrating truth that in every church I’ve attended, a very small percentage of the body volunteers to serve in kids ministries, as ushers, preparing coffee, directing traffic in the parking lot, greeting at the door, and so on. So many folks treat church as free entertainment. They have just decided that all they have to do is show up, sing along, listen to a message, put five bucks in the plate, and go home. They are consumers.
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:7
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27
If you are part of the body, you have a job to do. There are no useless parts and no meaningless assignments. But, if you don’t do your job, the rest of the body lacks and will have to make up for it. Don’t fall into the trap of being consumers. Don’t just sit back and watch it happen. You are part of the body. Get to work!
Be servers, not just observers.