“How Involved Are You?”

Monday, May 14, 2018

I don’t mean how is the local church doing? I mean, how involved are you personally in the work of the Lord?

Too many Christians are content to sit back and let others do the behind the scenes work in the church. And then, some are quick to criticize and complain that the church just doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere. If that is true, how much of that is your fault?

God’s design for the church is for every part of the body to be active and working. We learn this all through the New Testament, in passages like Ephesians 4:11-16, Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12.

Are you doing your part?

As you examine your relationship with God (2 Corinthians 13:5) and the things you do for Him as a disciple of Christ, think about how long it has been since you did some of these basic, easy things. When was the last time you…

• Visited a person who is sad and lonely, just to try to cheer them up?

• Told a teenager how proud you are of him (or her) spiritually?

• Invited a non-Christian to services?

• Told someone that you love them? It might be your spouse, your children, your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or simply friends.

• Sacrificed a personal item you wanted so you could give a little more money to the Lord’s work?

• Hugged your children for no real reason?

• Thanked the elders for doing their often thankless job of trying to help us make it to heaven?

• Invited another family to come to your home for a Bible study or maybe for a fun evening of food and games?

• Wrote a card of love and encouragement to someone who is hurting for attention and understanding?

• Read through the New Testament in your Bible? (You could easily read the entire New Testament in six months.)

• Wrote a note of appreciation to your adult Bible class teacher or those who teach your children?

• Expressed your appreciation to our great song leaders for the marvelous job they do in leading us in worship?

• Thanked the deacons for their hard, mostly behind the scenes work?

• Prayed for more laborers to enter the harvest (Matthew 9:37-38)?

• Offered to babysit for a young couple so they could have a date night without their small children?

• Thanked the Lord for the good church where you worship and all the godly people who are not perfect but are trying with all their heart to serve the Lord.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
• “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the LORD your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV). Did you catch that word, abounding? Could your work for the Lord be described as abounding? Or is it lacking? Or missing entirely? Could you do more?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it is to be, it is up to me?” That could easily be the motto of every disciple of Christ. If we would all take the personal initiative to do what we can in the Lord’s service, this world would be a much better place in which to live. And more souls would be saved for eternity in heaven.

Are you familiar with the 80/20 rule? That’s the situation in too many churches where 20% of the people do 80% of the work. The key to success is to change that statistic, having every member (100%) doing all that he or she can. Everyone is important to God and we are all needed to accomplish what we can.

What are you doing to help the local church to grow, numerically or spiritually?

--Roger Hillis

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