1 Corinthians 12:12–14 (NKJV)
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
How important is the body of a person? If we had no body we would not exist. God has intricately formed our body to function in harmony with all parts of the body. Each part of a person is important. Some parts of the body are seen, some are not. We identify a person by their outward physical appearance.
Our bodies are made up of over 70 organs, and each is important. When one part does not function properly then the whole body is affected.
Each member of the church is important! There are no major or minor members of the church. Some parts of the body are more visible than others. When one member is not functioning, applying, or using the spiritual gifts they were endowed with, then the whole body suffers. The heart pumps blood to the body but if the blood is not oxygenated by the lungs then the body suffers. The lungs also remove carbon dioxide from the blood plus perform other functions we take for granted. When the lungs do not function properly we suffer. How often do we think about our gallbladder, pancreas, Hypothalamus, lymph nodes, or other parts of our body? We don’t -unless they cease to function properly.
Each member of the church is important! We may not take much notice until it quits functioning.
If we have a visible gift from God, we need to use it. But it does not mean that our gift is more important than other gifts given by God. We may have a gift that is not visible, and others may never notice the gift, but it does not mean that our gift is less important than other gifts given by God.
We may attend a church of many members or attend one with few members but it does not matter. God has given spiritual gifts to be used in the church we attend.
Some in the church are well-educated, some not. Some in the church are extroverts, and some are introverts. Some in the church have a natural inclination to organization, some do not. Some in the church are more vocal than others, natural leaders, high energy, and can do amazing things in the church that bewilder others. Each gift is important. We must allow God to work in our lives to bring His church to function for the benefit of each member. The church is needed not just for the members, but also for the community it exists in.
Choose today to be a viable, dependable member of the church you attend.