Membership Means
Involvement
Acts 2:39-47; 1 Corinthians 11:24-33
Week 4: Membership
Means Involvement
Central Bible Truth
The local church is made up of very distinct
individuals, differently gifted by God, designed to work together, involved in
ministering to one another.
Background passage:
1
Corinthians 12, 14
Focal Passage:
1
Corinthians 12:14-25
Lesson Aim for Week 4: (Instructional, How To?)
Week 1, 3, and 5 are to be informational, or “how come”.
Weeks 2, 4, and 6 are to be instructional, or “how to”.
To lead adults
to discover their unique individual ministry as a member of the church and to
lead them in knowing how to become equipped and involved in ministry to others.
To encourage members to work together as individuals for the good of the whole
church.
The Bible in Context
Members of the church need to be involved in
some form of ministry. We are not saved by serving, but we are saved to serve
in the cause of Christ. That is our goal as members.
The topic of spiritual gifts for the church
is addressed in detail four times in the New Testament (in Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-14:40; Ephesians
4:8-16; and 1 Peter 4:8-11). Salvation was a gift by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9),
and our spiritual gifts are also given by grace. Being involved as a member
should not be optional for believers. For every believer to serve is
significant for three reasons:
Grace Gifts. To say “God has not gifted me to minister” is not
humility. It is almost the opposite to proclaim that God Almighty, the Creator
of the universe, could not use us. In Judges 7:2, there is an amazing story
about Gideon, going to battle with a formidable enemy, when God says to him,
“Gideon, you have too many men.” God wanted to use the least of the least to
lead the fewest of the fewest, so that God could show His greatest grace.
In 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, Paul essentially
said “Get over yourself and get busy in the ministry.” Okay, perhaps not
exactly like that. In the New Living Translation, it reads, “Remember, dear
brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful
or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers
foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things
that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.”
That should take away our excuses and
humble us all in knowing it is not about us, but all about God involving us in
the service to others. The Potter has power over the clay (Romans 9:20-21) and
God created you for His purpose. Don’t look at your inabilities but at God’s
infinite abilities (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Growth. When spiritual gifts are taught in the Bible, there are strong
encouragements for the church to grow in love and unity. 1 Corinthians 13 is
surrounded by teachings on gifts. After the gift passage in Romans 12:6-8 is
the command “Let love be without hypocrisy...be kindly affectionate to one
another with brotherly love” (12:9-10). Immediately before Peter’s
description of the gifts, he wrote “And above all things have fervent love
for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
Christ’s gifts are for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13).
In week one, we briefly mentioned
LifeGroups and the various ways of getting involved through the POINT ministry
(Prayer and worship, OutReach and evangelism, InReach and fellowship,
Need-meeting and missions, and Teaching and Discipleship). Members do not grow
simply by listening and learning, but in going and doing through involvement.
In addition to LifeGroups that meet at
church on Sunday mornings, small groups meet at home (HomeGroups), or at church
at other times (“DT” or Discipleship Training). There are also DiscipleGroups
which meet for consistent accountability, Scripture memory, and devotional
“quiet time” development.
Two weeks ago in the topic of
“Interdependency”, we also discussed how members and non-members can serve on committees.
While few people love to sit in meetings, strategic planning is a necessary part
of growing and involvement.
Glory. Last week we saw that glorifying God was in Jesus’s prayer in John 17
and in Paul’s Ephesian 4 passage. Both our identification which unites us and
our unique involvement which diversifies us combine to bring God the most glory.
Jesus said we are to let our light shine before men, that others would see our
good deeds and glorify God in heaven.
Failure to use our God-given gifts, our
heart enthusiasm, our natural and learned abilities, and our experiences will hide
our light, and potentially will cause us to miss the purpose of our salvation. Jesus
compared it to salt that became so contaminated that it was trampled under the
feet of the world, and failed to glorify God.
The outline
for Week 4 explains the biblical basis of how
we can be activated and equipped for ministry in the church:
we can be activated and equipped for ministry in the church:
Spiritual Giftedness – What gifts has God given you? .....Day 1
Spiritual Gifts -- Gifts Distributed, Distinct, Different .Day 2
Spiritual Gifts -- Gifts Distributed, Distinct, Different .Day 2
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