[328 words]
It is said that the former Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, used to walk from the palace every morning to the shops to buy flowers and vegetables. A visitor once asked a Danish citizen, “Who guards the Queen when she walks to the shops?” The citizen replied, “We all do.”
The same is true of the church. Who will help the church grow and thrive? God, certainly, but we each help (1 Cor. 3:6-9). Paul states in Rom 12:4, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function.” We each have something to offer the church. There are no talentless people in the church.
It is like the fable of “Who Flew the Kite?” “I did,” said the sticks. “I did,” said the paper. “I did,” said the boy. “No, I did,” said the wind. But they all flew the kite together. If the sticks had broken, the tail caught in a tree, the paper torn, or the wind had lulled, the kite would have come down. Each had a part to play. The application is clear.
We each have work to do in the Kingdom of God. If the work of the Lord is to be a success, then every member of the church must participate.
We have the work of visiting, giving of our time and means, teaching, caring for children, widows, and widowers, helping feed those who need food, and countless other jobs to do to make the church and its work successful. We must all work together and each do what we can to help. It is a matter of teamwork. We all have something we can do to help the church of Christ grow and mature. The church in the New Testament is never spoken of as “they,” “them,” or even “I.” It is always “us.”
How are you helping the congregation to grow? God does His part; what about us?
Mark T. Tonkery
Norval Park church of Christ
Zanesville, OH