| How Would You Rank Your Importance in the Body of Christ? - article by Joel Hempel Significant? Present but Uninvolved? Insignificant? You come to church on a Sunday, and you look around. What do you see? There are the pastor, minister of music, Sunday School teachers, and deacons with their significant roles, the elders and council members faithfully fulfilling their duties, the greeters, ushers, and sound technicians ensuring the service runs smoothly. And you, in addition to your importance as worshipper, what’s your role? Do you have one? And those people with titles in the church, following Sunday worship, do they go back to being unimportant in the Body of Christ? Would you believe it if I told you you are indispensable in the church? Yes, I’m talking about older adults with our low energy and multiple challenges. I’m talking about you tired, already stretched-to-the-limit parents, and you exhausted, overstressed breadwinners. And especially I’m talking about those of you who feel like your lives are meaningless. Do you feel indispensable in God’s Body, the church? INDISPENSABLE = Absolutely necessary, essential! Not subject to being set aside.1 Does that sound like you? It is you! Please reflect on the following from God’s Word: All of 1 Corinthians 12 (NIV) is worth reading it in its entirety. But especially note the cut-and-pasted verses below, and especially my emphases in bold print:
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one [each person in the Body of Christ] the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good . . . 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines . . . 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free . . . 18 God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be . . . [Think about it. You may not like the way God created you with your limitations. But v.18 says God wants you to be you. You are highly valued as you. Why? Because God needs you. If you don’t believe me, read on] . . . 22 Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor . . . 24 But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. . . 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
In the fall, our church will be undertaking a Spirit-led process as we seek God’s will, His unique purpose for us at GLC. Whatever future picture will be revealed, we can be certain that each of us will be needed. There will be bigger jobs and smaller ones. All will be significant. But don’t wait for the fall. Each of us is needed now to pray for God to bless us with His plan.
1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indispensable | 
