Called to be participants.
Greetings from the manse, in the name of our soon coming King, Jesus Christ who loved us all the way to the cross before we even knew about His love.
God has called us and is calling some to be part of His Kingdom as participating core-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and in Christ. As heirs of the Kingdom, we are called to take part in the development of the Kingdom. Each member of the Body of Christ is joined together with the Body and connected to Christ who is the head so that each can contribute towards the well-being of the Body of Christ which is the Church.
We contribute to the well-being of the body of Christ by receiving from what other members of the body of Christ give to us through their ministry gifts like words of wisdom and encouragement. I implore you to be willing to receive ministry from others because we are part of the body and have to be willing to be dependent on other parts of the body of Christ to grow in Christ. I know we are living in a world that seems to push us towards individualism but we are called into being part of the body of Christ.
We are also called to contribute to the wellbeing of the body of Christ through sharing the gifts and talents God has given us. The gifts may benefit us but we need to remember the body of Christ has to benefit from those gifts as we contribute as members of the body of Christ. God calls us to be givers in the Kingdom as we are able and within our capacities. You have a significant role in influencing the direction of this Church.
I don’t believe God intended anyone to just watch as things go by but to be an active contributor to the life of the local church. Our participation as individual members of the Church contributes to the well-being of our local Church and Church at large.
Opportunities may be available for each and every one of us to grow in Christ but if we do not take part, we may not benefit from those opportunities and likewise if there are no opportunities, we need to create or nudge others to create those opportunities not just for ourselves but for others.
We exist as members of the body of Christ to infuse each other with the life of Christ that is in each and every one of us.
Pray for us, as we pray for you.
Andrew
