Have you ever seen those funny TV clips where the character
put together a machine of some sort only to find a few spare parts lying on the
table after the assembly was finished? The
character usually shrugs off the extra parts only to have the equipment malfunction
and cause a mini-disaster.
We usually chuckle when we see a skit like that, but in
real life, if you assemble something without using all the parts, that piece of
equipment will almost always malfunction and not be able to do what it was
designed to do.
Case in point is an automobile engine. The average automobile engine has thousands of
parts, some big, some very small. But, regardless
of the size, each part has a specific and important purpose.
As a former automotive mechanic, I went through great pains
to keep track of every nut, bolt, washer, gasket, and o-ring that came out of
an engine to make sure it went back in during reassembly. If even the smallest of parts was missed, the
engine would not perform at peak level, or in some cases, cease working all
together. Every part was indispensible.
The body of Christ is the same way. It is made up of many different parts called “you”
and “me” that function collectively to present a tangible Jesus to the world
around us. 1 Corinthians 12:27 says “Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body
and [individually] you are members of it, each part
severally and distinct [each with his own place and function].”
You and I have a distinct purpose in the body of Christ
that only we can fill. And when we are not doing our part, the whole body of
Christ suffers. Just like that part
sitting alone on the table can’t fill its designed purpose, we also can’t fill our
purpose when standing on the sidelines of life.
You may think the part you have to play is small and
insignificant, but it’s not. Each part,
big or small, is equal in importance.
You are an indispensible part of the body of Christ and your local church
and necessary to the advancement of the Kingdom of God on the earth.
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