If I Were Every Christian…

In the church, every Christian has a job to do. When Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, he described the variety of functions that exist within the body of Christ – “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…” (Eph. 4:11-12).
Knowing that we each serve in the kingdom in a different way gives each member of the Lord’s body a sense of belonging and worth. However, we often will use this idea as an excuse not to do things, because we say we can’t do it, we’re not good at it, or that it is somebody else’s job. What if I were every Christian? How would the body of Christ function? Would God be glorified? Think about the following statements and apply them to your spiritual life:
• If I were every Christian, how many children would be without a Bible class teacher?
• If I were every Christian, would the building be open on Sunday and Wednesday nights?
• If I were every Christian, how many would be added to the church annually?
• If I were every Christian, could the church afford to have a minister, support a missionary, or keep up the building?
• If I were every Christian, could the church be characterized as people who know the Bible?
• If I were every Christian, how many home Bible studies or correspondence courses would the church be doing?
• If I were every Christian, how many Christians would drink alcohol socially, or light up a cigarette as soon as services were over?
• If I were every Christian, would there be praise during the song service, or just silence?
• If I were every Christian, would there be anybody to lead the worship service?
• If I were every Christian, would people know that they were missed, get a call or card when they were sick, or be alone at the funeral home?
• If I were every Christian, would there be anything to eat at the fellowship meals?
• If I were every Christian, could the church do local benevolence?
• If I were every Christian, would my hometown know about the Lord’s church?
• If I were every Christian, would the church stand against homosexual marriages, abortion, and other practices the world is currently accepting?
• If I were every Christian, would there be any evangelists, pastors, or teachers?
Paul continued– “…till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). Although we have different jobs to do, we need to be united in Christ. There should be no job that we are unwilling to do for the Lord. This is the example Jesus set for us. If every Christian truly lived like Christ, just imagine how different things would be.