Why does following Jesus include being a part of the church? So where do you fit in?
Teaming up is God’s way. That is why Jesus created an inner circle of 12.
That is also why we are a local church inside a city. Most New Testament letters are written to the Christians inside a city and called to unify and work together obeying Jesus. God wants His teamed up followers to shine like a light in a city of spiritual darkness. One little candle does not shine bright enough to get the attention of the city. But try collecting a crowd of candles and the light shines bright.
So how do we team up? Making disciples is not the job of the pastors, but our job.
In football the coaches do not play on the field. They oversee, train, equip, coach, encourage, and create plays. The players go out onto the field and execute the plays. The team works together by taking responsibility for important actions and they function together. Each of us has an important team position and must be dedicated and focused to do our part. So what position do you fill?
4/ Jesus gives us all one spiritual strength (a grace gift) to fulfill our ministry
Romans 12:6-8 (NKJV)
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry (serve), let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Remember God’s grace grows our desires to please God and strengthen us to fulfill His will. That is why He gives you His powerful love language. Each grace gift thrusts you into a specific way to love others. Your gift will color what you see is important. It will also press you to love others in the way your gift is designed to express His love.
Where do you fit into God’s team, the Body of Christ? (make sure you score your grace gifts sheet)
The letters on the assessment sheets translate to each of the seven grace gifts. C (compassion) is the same as mercy giver. If you do not have a grace gift assessment contact me and I can email it to you.
Jesus was FULL of all the aspects of the Godhead. But each disciple is intentionally equipped by the Holy Spirit with one of the seven gifts so that we must unite and work together to glorify God. As 1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV) states, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” We need each other to fully glorify God and build each other up. This is how we help make disciples!
The ministers of the Word (1 Peter 4:11 (NKJV) “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.”
1/ PROPHET (preacher, perception) Main focus: HEART a SPIRITUAL doctor whose job is to encourage good and expose evil. They focus on prayer, repentance, and the spiritual healing of the church.
GOD’S DESIGN: To monitor the spiritual health of the BODY OF CHRIST and protect it from evil, bitterness, and satanic attack.
2/ TEACHER (mentor, instructor) Main focus: MIND, full and complete education of all disciples to know the TRUTH of God’s Word
GOD’S DESIGN: To present clear and complete instruction to protect the BODY OF CHRIST from dangerous errors that would ruin the mission of the church.
3/ EXHORTER (encourager) Main focus: SOUL, psychological health, counseling, healthy relationships, solving problems
GOD’S DESIGN: To encourage everyone in the BODY OF CHRIST to grow spiritually and keep all members applying spiritual truth.
The ministers of the work (1 Peter 4:11) “…If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies”
4/ LEADER (administrator, organizer) Main focus: VISION, holding up the church by giving vision and direction
GOD’S DESIGN: To give leadership and organization to the BODY OF CHRIST and keep everyone focused on following Jesus and doing His will (vision: seeing the big picture).
5/ SERVANT (deacon, minister, helper, worker) Main focus: MISSION and MINISTRY, physical work, building or creating projects, doing things
GOD’S DESIGN: To help with the practical needs of the BODY OF CHRIST. This keeps the work of the ministry and mission going.
6/ GIVER (gifts, supplies, support) Main focus: SUPPORT, giver of money, things, time and love
GOD’S DESIGN: To monitor the BODY OF CHRIST and supply it with needed resources to complete the work of God.
7/ COMPASSION (mercy giver) Main focus: HEALING, emotional hurting, helping people feel better, protecting others from hurt
GOD’S DESIGN: To monitor the BODY OF CHRIST to find the hurting members, then show His compassion and nurse them back to health and keep the team in the right attitudes in our relationships.
Once we become friends, love each other, join together as a powerful team, and fill our role as His servants building up each other, then the natural overflow of working together and making disciples will occur.
Jesus raises up leaders to serve and help all disciples unify into teams and grow in all areas of their lives so that they will rise up as disciples and make disciples.
Ephesians 4:11-12,16 (NLT)
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ… He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
You can tell a leader by the focus they have of helping disciples become greater servants of Jesus.
Friendship, the loving best friend type of love, is the command of Christ for you and our church. We are called to do HIS work and BUILD UP the others inside our church team. The only way we will be able to succeed is through each of us stepping forward and volunteering to help each other.
5/ Jesus commands us to go work together and help fulfill His mission
Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
A football team works together to get the football across the goal line. Our team, the BODY OF CHRIST, works together to get the gospel of Jesus in our city across the goal line of the stubborn disobedient hearts of those who do not believe. Together our team uses all the love, truth, grace, strength, determination, prayer, and combined force that God empowers us with to push the devil down the field away from our neighbors,so He can to plant our spiritual football, the word of God, in the end zone of the hard hearts that will be transformed by the grace for our awesome God.
At the same time, we all participate in serving the new “members”
1/ by becoming best friends with them,
2/ gathering them into teams,
3/ teaching them how to help others,
4/ recognize and use their spiritual gift,
5/ and share the good news.
We are disciples making disciples for the glory of God!
As David Platt states, “As Jesus transforms the thoughts and desires of our lives, he revolutionizes our very reason for living.”