[199 words]
If you have ever read Romans 16:1-16, you will see a list of people Paul wished to commend for their work in the church. The vast majority of them are individuals of whom we have no additional details concerning their lives or service in Christ. But Paul wanted to honor them for their dedication and contribution to the advancement of the gospel.
In the early church we see the membership actively engaged in the work of the Lord. Paul reminded the church at Corinth that the church is a body made up of many different individual parts – all with important functions (1 Corinthians 12:12-27; see also Romans 12:4-8). It is so well worded in Ephesians 4:16, “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
The bottom line is this: Nobody is a nobody in the family of God. Everybody is important and everybody has something to contribute. Let us all find our place and do our part. You are an essential worker!
Edd Sterchi
Broadway church of Christ
Campbellsville, KY