We Aspire to Every-Member Ministry
Pastor Eugene continues our series in the eight aspirations of the church, by encouraging us to love and serve one another for the growth of the whole body of Christ.
It has been a busy start to 2022 for my family. We spent a good part of January packing and moving. This was followed by a week or so of unpacking and settling into our new home. Amid all the activity, I had a chat with both my sons to encourage them to help around the house. They assisted my wife and I to organise items, pack stuff, carry boxes, move furniture, and unpack our possessions. As fellow family members, we all had to pitch in and work together to get the job done.
We have a part to play in the growth of the church
Our life together as a church is a lot like that too. “Church” is not merely an event we attend on the weekends; it is fundamentally about how we do life together as God’s
gathered people. We all have a part to play in the health and growth of the church.
The Apostle Paul likens the church to a body with many different parts, or members. The members work in unity for the good of the whole body. Biblical Christianity is personal but not individualistic. Since God gathers us to be his people, we are to grow together with our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ. Growth happens corporately, not merely individually.
Scripture says in Ephesians 4:15-16, “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Notice how the goal is the growth of the whole body.
Think about our own physical bodies. If some parts of our body grew while others did not, we would look rather strange and disproportionate! For example, our arm might be awkwardly shorter than the other, or one leg would be more muscular than the other. For the whole body to grow in a healthy way, “each part” must be working properly to build the others up in love. To use a mixed metaphor: No body part should be a passenger or, worse, a back-seat driver!
For this reason, one of Grace Baptist Church’s aspirations is for every member to be involved in doing ministry to build up the whole church. Let me unpack this in two parts.
We are members of one body
First, we are members together of the one body. Romans 12:5 says: “We, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” We may come from different backgrounds and walks of life, but we are one in Christ. It is not our nationality, culture, socio-economic status, or age that holds us together. Rather, it is the gospel that creates the church and unites God’s people. This also means we are no longer disparate and disconnected persons, but we belong to one another as spiritual siblings in God’s family.
Being a member of a local church is distinct from secular notions of membership. In the world, we tend to ask, “What’s in it for me?” before we join an organisation. We see ourselves as consumers and the organisation as the service-provider. We join and stay if the level of service is good; we complain or leave if we are dissatisfied.
Biblical church membership, however, is not like that at all. We are not consumers but productive members of the body. We are to bear fruit for God. The wellbeing of the whole depends on the proper functioning of each member. In this case, our key concern is not self-centred but other-person centred. Therefore, the question we ask is, “How can I do good to other members?” God has gathered us, that we might encourage one another to grow in Christlike maturity.
So, if you profess to follow Jesus and are not a member of a local church, can I encourage you to get plugged in to a Christian community? Biblical discipleship primarily takes place in the context of a local church. I urge you to join a church where the gospel is proclaimed, and where God’s Word is faithfully taught and obeyed.
We are involved in doing ministry
Second, each member is involved in doing ministry. What does this look like? Romans 12:4, 6a says, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function… Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…” Because we have diverse gifts, abilities, and opportunities, we don’t all have to do the same thing; we can serve in a variety of ways. But regardless of how we serve, we share the same goal: to build up the whole body in love. The crucial thing is to use and faithfully steward what God has entrusted to us to grow the gospel and God’s people.
What does it mean to “do ministry”? This entails more than accomplishing tasks and getting things done. Ministry means people. Specifically, it involves helping others to know and follow Jesus by hearing and obeying His word. Therefore, we commit to know, love, and serve one another with God’s Word as our authority and reference point. We encourage and edify one another with God’s truth, lovingly and humbly helping each other to become more like Jesus.
Beloved, we are fellow members of God’s household. God has gathered us that we might grow together in Christ. Church is not a spectator sport; we are fellow runners in the race set before us. Let us help one another to keep our eyes fixed on Christ (Heb 12:1-2). May God help us to love and serve one another for our spiritual good and His eternal glory!
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Read also:
We Aspire to Cultivate Christlikeness
We Aspire to be Shaped by the Gospel