Ephesians 4:7-16

7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
    and he gave gifts to men.”

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Many times I think we as christians think that the pastor is to do the work of the ministry. I think we have a tendency to get in to the rut of attending church on Sunday and assuming that church staff are the ones to be conducting ministry…reaching people for Christ. Listen, please hear me clearly…the pastor is also to be doing the work of ministry because they to are believers. However, their primary role, as a pastor, is to equip you for the work of ministry.

When you look at great teams in sports, business, and military you see that they are comprised of people that are uniquely talented but have a common goal. Each person’s individual talents complement the other teammate’s talents to help the group accomplish the goal. Have you ever heard the saying “There is no “I” in Team?” Well…there is “me” in there and without “me” doing my job, my team will be be less effective or efficient than it could be at accomplishing it’s goal.

The same concepts hold true in the The Church. God has chosen The Church as the team/vessel that accomplishes His goals. We are all just members. We are all important. In order to contribute, we must use our gifts (That he gave us) to help The Church reach it’s mission. If you are interested in discovering how you can help, you will want to identify your gifts and here is a quick way to do just that.

Ask yourself these questions:

Ability – What do I think I am good at?

Affinity – What do I like doing/What am I passionate about?

Affirmation – What do other believers (members of The Church) think my gifts are?

In Christ,

Rodney