THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVENESS:
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
[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.
For the church, the Body of Christ, to fulfill its role and purpose on earth, each member must discover his or her place in the church, and function effectively. Therefore, every member must discover, develop and deploy usefully, the gifts that God has graciously deposited in us for this purpose.
For the Church to be effective, we all must firstly, understand the purpose for which Jesus Christ came into the world (TO SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST – Luke 19:10), and be committed to fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Secondly, we must do our best to discover the gifts and abilities God has placed within us, by developing an intimate relationship with Him and His Holy Spirit in us by giving ourselves to praying, fasting, studying the word of God together in fellowship with other believers.
Thirdly, we must have the right perspectives about ourselves and each other. We must understand that no matter how insignificant our roles may seem, they are no less important than the most visible or seemingly most important role in the Church (Romans 12:3-13, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31). The Apostle must not see himself as more important than the one who ushers because we are all one in Christ and we are all needed.
Lastly, we must diligently apply ourselves to our tasks so that we can be effective contributors to the overall growth and functioning of the church. It is the strength of our commitment and the effectiveness of our contributions that makes the entire Body of Christ strong. Let us unite, let us grow together, let us work effectively together, and let us make our world a better place to live in!