“…to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” ~Ephesians 4:12-13
Paul makes it very plain in the middle of Ephesians 4 that each of God’s people is to be actively working in service to God and the Body of Christ. If everyone who confesses “Jesus is Lord” is gifted by the Holy Spirit, then every Christian should be using those gifts in selfless service to Christ and his Church.
I think, like Paul, that all works of service, when done in submission to the Savior, are equal. There are no greater gifts and lesser gifts. There are no important works and unimportant works. No act of service is bigger than another. They are all coordinated by God for the benefit of the Church. And I believe that if even one member of Legacy (or your church) is not actively involved in some area of Christian service, we/you are not operating at full strength.
Scripture says these works of service build the Body up, bless us with unity and knowledge, and grow us into mature disciples. It’s this selfless and sacrificial service that is the difference between spiritual infancy and maturity, between being tossed about and being held together, between deception and truth, between things of human origin and things of Christ.
The Church should work harder to equip the saints by giving them more and more opportunities to serve. We should empower all Christians by not throwing wet blankets on their ideas and projects. And we should better educate all disciples of Christ until we all fully understand that our individual talents and abilities and passions, when given over to Christ Jesus and his will and used to his eternal glory, are our spiritual gifts. And they all serve a vital purpose in God’s Kingdom.
Peace,
Allan
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