Determine to Serve in the Body of Christ

Pray – (1/2 minutes)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews of Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)
   Passage: Romans 12:3-8

         William Mitchell (goes by W), was born in 1943. He served in the Marines, earned a called degree and began working as a gripman on a cable car in San Francisco. In 1971, he had a motorcycle accident that severely burned him and caused the loss of portions of most of his fingers. He didn’t life. He kept on and became a pilot and started a business making wood-burning stoves. In 1975, he had a plan accident that injured his spinal cord and left him paralyzed from the waist down. He didn’t quit. He became mayor of Crested Butte, Co. in 1977 and kept building the company into a multi-million dollar business. He began sharing his story and one key statement he made has resonated with untold numbers of people. He said, “Before I was paralyzed, there were 10,000 things I could do; now there are 9,000. I can either dwell on the 1,000 I’ve lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left.” He focused on the 9,000.

God calls the church His Body. Every believer is a part of His body and every part is important. When believers drop out, do not serve and do not give, it is like having part of the human body lost. It doesn’t mean the church can’t do things. It just means the church is limited from doing everything she was designed to do. Healthy local churches, like W Mitchell don’t dwell on the 1,000 things they can’t do because not everyone answers the call to find their place of service. They focus on the 9,000 they can do and they do it for the glory of God and the growth of His Kingdom. However, they would still be better if every member did his or her part. Find your place and be faithful to serve. God will bless you in it and the church will be stronger for it.

‍Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)