Olympics - 3

The coach knows which player is best suited to play in a particular position. He knows the strengths, weaknesses and abilities of that player – and knows exactly where to use them in his team in order to win the gold medal.

But apart from that – it then becomes each players responsibility to work as a team, carrying out their coaches instructions, if they want to succeed and win that medal.

And likewise in the body of Christ; God knows which individual is best suited for a particular function in the Body, He knows exactly where He wants to use them in order to bring glory to His Name and reach others with the gospel.

And it’s then also true that even though we can know which “event” we’re meant to be doing; and have all the coaches (God’s) instructions; it then becomes our responsibility as the body to work together to carry out those instructions if we want to succeed at reaching people with the gospel.

About 2 weeks ago on a Friday night, I was in a state of despair; almost feeling depressed and empty, when I looked at all the people around me and had thoughts of the fact that they need to be reached with the gospel … then when at home I asked God about this and He led me to Ephesians 4, about how God gave some to be apostles, prophets, pastors, etc.. for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry (and if you read the versus that follow – it looks like the perfect church)

Ephesians 4

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”

⁹ (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.