The heat is outrageous down here. Right now it is 97 degrees outside, and its only 12 noon. I bet it will be over 100 by three or four this afternoon. It is nice and cool in my office, but I can’t say the same for my car; the air conditioner is broken!! Just my luck. It feels like an oven when you get inside my car, so I roll the windows down as soon as I crank it up. Yet, with the humidity so high here in New Orleans, the air coming through the window at 60 mph feels like a hairdryer blowing out hot, sticky air. Yea, not a pleasurable feeling.
I will have to say though, the radio is working great. I get all the channels, and can crank up the volume as loud as it goes. I also just got new brake pads for my car. I can stop on a dime now without making a single squeal or squeak. In fact, the rest of the car is in pretty good shape considering it is 5 years old. Nevertheless, that A\C being broken is killing me. Despite the great brakes and clear radio reception, I’m still not satisfied. In order for my car to do everything that it was designed to do and be effective, everything has to be working together.
Did you know that the Church has a special design? God has a specific purpose for the Church, and when all the different parts aren’t working together, it becomes a problem. Sure, the discipleship may be working great and you may have just replaced some of the programs, but if certain aspects within the church - such as evangelism or unity - are broken or missing, it messes up the whole system. Every person in the church has a purpose for being there. We all have different strengths that we can use to contribute. Some are leaders, and some are helpers. Some have time, and some have money. Some people are gifted to disciple other Christians and lead Bible studies; some have great personalities and are able to share their faith easily with others; still others have gifts in different areas that fall under outreach, hospitality, or prayer ministries. No matter what your responsibility is, if the whole church isn’t working hard toward the same purpose (God’s purpose), then it really isn’t doing what it was created to do. If one aspect of the purpose is unfulfilled, it can cause the entire church’s ministry to be unappealing and ineffective, much like a hot car on a summer day. In order for the Church to be effective in the calling that God has placed on it, the people have to be willing to put in the work and effort to help the disciple-making process succeed. Only when all the parts of ministry are working together towards a common goal will the Church accomplish its true purpose.
-Spending time in the Word-
1. In Nehemiah 3:1-32, all the citizens of Jerusalem did their part on the huge job of rebuilding the city wall. Some of the rolls were small, and some where very significant. Yet, all the jobs had to be done with everyone working together to successfully complete the task.
2. Acts 6:1-7 shows how the tasks of the church were not all done by the Apostles. Responsibilities were divided up among the members, utilizing each one’s personal gifts and abilities effectively.
-Hiding the Word in your heart-
Memorize these verses as you continue to learn and study the Word of God daily.
1. 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
2. 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Didn’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”
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