The Bible teaches that we all have a role within the church. Every believer has a special gift from God. Some people are meant to teach. Others are called to evangelism. Some have received the gift of hospitality and are the nicest people you will ever meet. So it’s no wonder they find themselves fulling the role of hostess, greeter, usher, or so on. In our modern age, God has even given some members of the body gifts that apply to technology. Allowing the church to reach more people than ever before. All of these positions and more within the church are important and necessary. Completing the whole body.
Romans 12:6–7 (ESV)
6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;
1 Corinthians 12:4–11 (ESV)
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
1 Corinthians 12:15–20 (ESV)
15 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. 16 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. 17 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? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
1 Peter 4:10–11 (ESV)
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
We need people in the roles that God has gifted them for. Allowing them to do the best work they can for the Lord and have the greatest impact. A great evangelist more than likely won’t make a great teacher and vice versa. The same could be said for greeters and those on the tech team. In most cases, people in these positions cannot be swapped because they won’t have great success. The same could really be said about any roles in the church. Everyone has a spot that they best fit in and that is where God has created them to be.
However, that does not mean that you should fall into the trap of believing that you can’t do anything else to serve God or that you don’t need to. Too often our roles within the church can hold us back from doing more. We either believe that all we can ever do in the ministry is our one task. This is never the case because the truth is God can choose to use you anywhere. He can give you the gifts needed to succeed at the moment. Or we become comfortable believing that by fulfilling the role we have been given we are already doing enough to serve the Lord. But the truth is every one of us could stand to do more in service to God every day.
A great example of not allowing your role to keep you from doing more is Stephen. He was assigned the task of distributing food to those in need. He could have easily become comfortable in his role and just carried out his daily duties. Never doing more but feeling as though he was doing enough. Falsely thinking probably wouldn’t be good at trying to do something else. But that wasn’t how Stephen operated. Instead, he still stepped out in faith sharing the Gospel and even performing miracles. He had been assigned a role and no one would have questioned him if that was all he ever did. But he didn’t allow his position to keep him from doing more.
Acts 6:1–5 (ESV)
1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.
Acts 6:8–10 (ESV)
8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
Multiple times the Bible describes Stephen is as a man full of faith. I believe that is the key to why he was willing to go beyond the roles that had been assigned to him in the church. Someone full of faith can’t help but do more. They are not willing to justify a lack of action as they look out at a lost and dying world. Those with deep-rooted faith don’t look at a task and think that’s not my job or not what I am good at. Instead, they ask themselves what they can do to ensure the task gets completed while also making sure not to neglect their own duties.
Every Christian should be like Stephen in this way. It should be said about you that you are full of faith and that faith should cause you to step beyond the role you have been given in the church. Your gift may not be in a certain area but that doesn’t disqualify you from performing tasks in that area. For instance, being on the tech team doesn’t give you an excuse to not extend love and kindness to everyone. Because scripture calls all believers to more in those ways.
John 13:34–35 (ESV)
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Romans 12:10 (ESV)
10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (ESV)
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
The same is true for those who are not pastors, teachers, or evangelists. Just because you are not in one of those roles does not mean you should walk through this life never sharing the Gospel. Every Christian is called to make disciples no matter what their primary role or gifting is. This same comparison could be made regarding any roles within the church. God has given you an ability to do something great within His church but in His word, he has also called you to step out into other areas as a part of living a Christian life.
Matthew 28:19 (ESV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Don’t let your gifting or current role in the church stop you from doing more. It’s easy to become comfortable in a role and think that’s all you need to do but you can still do so much more. Remember in God’s eyes your actions towards others are counted as your actions towards Him. Extend kindness to others, share your beliefs, pick up that piece of trash, hold the door, see if others need help, and be willing to fulfill your role even when you aren’t on the schedule that day. See a need meet a need whether it’s what you are great at or not. Honestly, effort from a good heart is often worth more than skill.
Matthew 25:34–40 (ESV)
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
What you do in the church isn’t simply helping out the pastor, a fellow believer, or taking care of a building. Those things are true to an extent but what you are really doing is serving God the very one who has given us so much more than we deserve. So it’s only right that we step beyond our role and give Him more. Following the example of great men of faith like Stephen. What could you do to go beyond the current role you fulfill at church and offer God the more He is worthy of?
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