My Part (Now)

In the days of Ezra, the Israelites needed to figure out their part in the Temple-rebuilding project.  The same is true for us today.  The Temple today is God’s Church.  Church members are the living stones being built into the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? (1 Corinthians 12:12-17 ESV)

Our first mistake is often thinking that there are only a few “important” roles in God’s Church.  This simply isn’t true.  Every role is God-ordained and necessary for the healthy building of God’s Temple: The Church.  We cannot say about another person in the Church, “I don’t need you.”

Our second mistake, then, is saying that there is no role for ourselves.  We have many reasons for not actively participating in the Body of Christ, but the end result is the same: we don’t participate.  But God has called you to ministry just like God has called me.  God has appointed you a role in His Body just as God has appointed me.  Each of us is necessary to the fulfillment of God’s Plan.  We cannot say, “I am not needed.”

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ESV)

There will be common pieces to our roles.  They are created by God.  We are appointed by God to these roles.  We report directly to Christ, the Head of the Body (Church). We are connected to one another and we cannot break that connection.  Our roles will be used to build up the Body (Church) into Christ (the Head) so that we all become more mature, experiencing the fullness of God’s design and desire for our lives.  Our part of God’s Plan will help one another walk together with God.

How about you?  Do you see that you have been called by God to participate in the building of His Temple?  Do you recognize that you have been called to ministry?  Do you know what part God has appointed you to fulfill?  Are you living out your part of God’s Plan?