YOU are the church. As much as we think the church is the pastor, the praise and worship team, the deacons....they are actually servants who the Lord put in place so the Church could be what He wanted it to be. He wanted the Church to be His body to the world. That was why He identified it in terms of relationships we understand. The church is the bride, He is the Bridegroom. The Church, not Peter, was the Rock that Jesus said He would build on. In this respect, we need to ask a couple of questions that should affect us as we go back to help build the body of the Church.



1. What relationships are most important to you? Are they in the Church? Or are they in the world? Jesus never intended us to be separated physically from the world. The concept of a “bunkered” mentality was not part of the model. On the other hand, making our relationships outside the church the most important ones and the ones inside the body something that we only do once a week can make us spiritually weak? It is true what has been said, “you will never rise higher than your friends you connect yourself to.”

As we grow through our teen years, we seriously need to examine the kind of people we spend the most time with. You will be like them. Are they really the kind of person you want to be? When you date, you need to date others who share your convictions and beliefs. For this reason, Paul tells us in 2 Cor 6:14 “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” If a friend doesn’t pass the “darkness” test, you should find another friend. If the girl or guy you want to go out with doesn’t pass the “communion” test (“Is this someone I could have communion with?”), it shouldn’t matter how good looking or how popular they are. Find someone else!



2. What part of the body are you? Where do you fit in? Are you an elbow or a kneecap? If you think you are an eyelash when the pastor is crying out for hands to do work, you might be cheapening your own expectations of how the Lord can really use you. The passage in 1 Cor 12 talks about some being apostles, prophets and teachers. It also talks about each of us having the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good/for the profit of all. (1 Cor 12: 7) Has the Spirit given you “the word of wisdom”? How about the Spirit of faith? Or tongues or interpretation of tongues? Maybe He would use you for working a miracle...or maybe he wants you to wash dishes or the floor (helps and administrations). When all the members are working as assigned by the Holy Spirit, the Church is working like a well-oiled machine. When you have a need, some part of the body will be there to help you through it (What can the church do for me?) Some elderly person in the church probably needs someone to help them get to church on Sunday. That might be what you can do for someone in the church.



3. What can the church do for me and what can I do for it? That is seriously a question you probably need to talk to your Youth Leader or Pastor about. You might be surprised some of the areas in which you are needed in the church. One true fact that always bears out is that in order to be used in greater and greater ways in the Church, you need to be faithful in what you are doing now. It was an awesome testimony to see Pastor Scott Pullum being faithful to cleaning the bathrooms and washing the dishes long before the church called him to replace Pastor Tony Green as pastor. 1 Cor 12:27 says, “You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” The verses preceding it say things like: “God has combined the members of the body”, “there should be no division in the body”, “its parts should have equal concern for each other.”

You need to be the part of the body Jesus has called you to. If you don’t know what that is, find out from guidance from your pastors. When you find out, do your part with all your strength. Do your best. Watch to see how your part works in with all the other parts. Have a sensitivity to the concerns of others.

We are all part of a body that is put together to “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (Eph 4:12) Discover your part. Commit to do it with all our heart. Be faithful to the calling Jesus has called you to.

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Churches and Ministries - Missions - Youth Camp - Conferences - BPH - Leadership - Doctrine - History - Doc Varnell

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