Refreshing Faith

My daughter used to love to put together puzzles. She used to do them so often that I built a coffee table with a compartment to protect her puzzles from the cats. At first, a puzzle can look like nothing more than a pile of pieces. Some pieces are bright and colorful. Others just look plain. A few may be easy to recognize and see where they will go, while others do not appear to belong in the puzzle anywhere.

Yet every piece was made for a particular place.

As the puzzle begins to come together, the picture slowly becomes clearer. The pieces that once seemed like they did not belong become necessary to the whole picture. Even the smallest piece matters. Once the puzzle is nearly finished, one missing piece does not seem like a small thing anymore. It leaves a glaring hole that immediately draws everyone’s attention.

While churches are not puzzles, the work in a similar way, you see there is a very important truth we all need to understand: every believer has a place in the ministry and the mission of the church.

You may not believe that your contribution is especially important. You may look at the gifts that others have and assume they have more to offer than you do. You may feel you are too young, too old, too inexperienced, too busy, or perhaps too ordinary to make an impact.

But God did not save you merely to keep a seat warm in His church.

He has given you a part to play.

God Has Given You Something to Offer

First Peter 4:10 says:

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Notice that Peter does not say that only pastors, teachers, or only the leaders of the church have received gifts.

He says, “Each of you.”

Every believer has received something from God that can be used to serve others. Our gifts are not given just for our enjoyment, or for recognition, or even for success. They are expressions of God’s grace that have been entrusted to us for the good of others.

That means we are stewards.

A steward understands that what they possess ultimately belongs to someone else. God has entrusted us with gifts, experiences, abilities, resources, and opportunities. We honor Him by using what He has given to us rather than hiding it away or assuming that it does not matter.

Some people serve through teaching, leadership, music, or through public ministry. Others serve in very different ways through hospitality, generosity, encouragement, mercy, prayer, administration, or by quietly meeting practical needs.

Some gifts are seen by almost everyone in the church.

Others are noticed by only a few.

Visibility, however, does not determine the value in any way.

The person preaching on Sunday is not more important than the person who quietly prays for hurting families throughout the week. The worship leader is not more valuable than the person who welcomes a nervous guest at the door. The teacher is not more necessary than the person who prepares the room, repairs something broken, checks on someone who is lonely, or gives generously allowing the ministry to continue.

Different roles receive different levels of attention, but every single act of faithful service matters to God.

The Church Is a Body, Not an Audience

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul describes the church as the body of Christ.

A body has many parts; those parts do not all have the same function. An eye cannot do the work of the hand, nor the ear the work of the foot. Each part is different, yet every part contributes to the health and the effectiveness of the whole body.

Paul writes:

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

This challenges the way we sometimes tend to think about the church.

It is easy to approach church as a spectator sport or as an audience. We arrive, find a seat, sing, and leave. We evaluate the service often on whether our needs were met or if it suited our preferences. We ask questions like, “Did I enjoy what happened today?” (We will talk about this in a later blog)

But the church is not a weekly performance presented by a few for everyone to come and watch.

The church is a body.

That means everyone has a place, and everyone has a responsibility.

A healthy church is not built around a handful of people doing everything. It is built around every member coming together and using what God has entrusted to them for the purpose of advancing His mission.

Paul even warns against believing that one part of the body is unnecessary. Some believers may think, “Because I cannot do what that person does, I must not be as valuable, or I must not have anything to contribute.”

Others may quietly think, “My role is more important than other people’s.”

Both attitudes are wrong and miss the point of what Paul was saying when he said we are the body of Christ.

Comparison can cause us either to become proud or discouraged. Neither response honors God.

Your responsibility is not to become someone else’s piece of the puzzle. Your responsibility is to faithfully fill the place that God has given you and equipped you for.

Your Story Can Become Part of Your Service

Sometimes people hear the word “gifts,” and they assume it only refers to talents or abilities.

God can certainly use our abilities, but He can also use our experiences.

The places you have been, the lessons you have learned, and even the difficulties that you have endured can prepare you to minister to someone else.

A person who has walked through grief may understand how to sit with someone who is grieving.

Someone who has struggled financially may recognize practical ways to help a family in need.

A person who has experienced recovery, restoration, or forgiveness may be able to offer hope to someone who has come to believe that change is impossible.

A parent can encourage another parent.

A mature believer can mentor someone who is beginning to follow Jesus.

 A person who once felt overlooked may become the one gifted at noticing those who stand alone.

God does not waste what we surrender to Him, if we are willing to let Him use it.

Our experiences do not always determine where we serve, but they can give us compassion, wisdom, and the understanding we need to help those we serve.

Small Acts Can Make a Significant Difference

We sometimes fail to serve because we are waiting for a big assignment.

We imagine that making a difference must involve doing something dramatic, leading a ministry, or working with a large number of people. Much of the ministry of the church, however, happens through ordinary acts of obedience. It happens when someone makes a phone call. It happens when a meal is delivered. It happens when a person is welcomed by name. It happens when someone notices that they were absent. It happens when someone gives, prays, listens, encourages, teaches, repairs, organizes, visits, invites, or just makes room for others in their life.

We may never fully know how God is using us, but we can be available to Him. In God’s hands, small acts of obedience can become part of something far greater than what we can see.

What Has God Placed in Your Hands?

Perhaps you are unsure where you fit.

Begin by looking at what God has already placed in your life.

What do you enjoy doing?

What needs do you naturally notice?

What abilities have you developed?

What experiences have shaped you?

What resources can you share?

What do other people frequently ask you to help with?

Where do you sense compassion, concern, or holy dissatisfaction?

You may not discover your place by waiting until you feel completely prepared. Often, we recognize our gifts while we are serving.

Try something.

Help somewhere.

Ask questions.

Be willing to begin with a small responsibility.

You do not need to know everything before you take part. You simply need to make yourself available to God.

The goal is not to find the most impressive role. The goal is to become faithful with what He has given you.

Everybody Has a Part

When a puzzle piece is missing, the rest of the picture may still be visible, but something is clearly missing.

In the same way, when believers hold back their gifts, the church loses something God intended to contribute through them.

This does not mean that the mission of God depends entirely on any one of us. The church belongs to Jesus, and He remains its head. Yet in His wisdom and grace, He has chosen to work through His people.

He has chosen to work through you.

You have something to offer.

You have someone to encourage.

You have a place to serve.

You have resources that can be used for God’s purposes.

You are not simply an attendee. You are part of the body of Christ.

At Fresh Faith, our discipleship pathway reminds us that following Jesus includes learning to Give. We give our time, abilities, gifts, experiences, and resources so that others can encounter the love of Christ and the church can fulfill its mission.

So consider this question:

What part is God asking you to play?

Perhaps it is time to stop assuming that someone else will do it.

Perhaps it is time to move from watching to participating.

Perhaps it is time to offer God what is already in your hands.

Your part may seem small to you, but placed alongside the faithful service of others, it helps reveal a much greater picture. It serves the body of Christ as we work together to know, love, and share Jesus.

Everybody has a part.

That includes you.