rather does it lift the average man, the commonplace person, to a place of use fulness and even indispensability in the Church of Christ. The Importance of Every Christian The very fact that God called you to give your heart to Christ is an indi cation that you are useful to Him. God never does things without a cause. If you love Him today; if you want His will for your life: if you are confident that you have been born-again—then, you are important to God. Little things done in the name of Christ do not go unnoticed by the Saviour (Mark 9:41). If Jesus takes note of one who gives only a cup of cold water then we may be sure that He keeps a record of everything a be liever does out of love for Him. Surely the Word of God makes it clear that rewards shall be handed out on the basis of everything the Christian has done (2 Cor. 5:10). The figure of the true Church as a body indicates the indispensable service of each believer (1 Cor. 12:12-27). There is not one member of the human body that does not have some function to per form. Not one of us would like to lose any part of our body; we are grateful for every member and rightly so. The same thing holds in the spiritual body, the Church. Every believer is located in the body of Christ in order to perform some special service, to do some duty that no other member can contribute. The Bible clearly states that every Christian has some gift from the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 4 :7). Each be liever must discover what his gift is and then he should use that gift to the glory of Christ. The Influence of Small Things Mighty results have come about from little actions. We recall with gratitude that crimson cord let down alongside the wall at Jericho by Rahah. That thread identified her to the Hebrews and spared her life, in turn making it pos sible that she might have part in the genealogy of our blessed Lord. Moses performed miracles through the use of an insignificant rod; a humble disciple named Ananias, about whom we never hear again after Acts 9, was the instrument used of God to open Paul’s eyes and start him on his marvelous career. How we thank God for that little rope that lowered the Apostle over the wall at Damascus and saved his life (Acts 9). Had it not been for the rope we might never have heard the gospel, and we would have only one half of the New Testament, for Paul wrote thirteen or fourteen of the 27 New Testament books. How grateful we are for Paul’s nephew at Jerusalem who overheard the plot against his uncle’s life, reported it to the police and thus saved the Apostle’s life (Acts 23). You never know what some little act or word is going to mean for the kingdom of God, so keep plug ging away at your little bit of service. The Lord needs you! T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
17). No true believer can enter into the sins of the world’s people. The Chris tian is called to live for God (1 Peter 2:9-12; Titus 2:11-15). This does not mean, however, that the believer is not to love the people of the world. He must love the sinner while keeping himself free from the sins of the world. In loving the sinner he is imitating God (John 3:16). Every Christian is to make every effort to win the lost to Jesus Christ and this means loving them to Christ (Matt. 28:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:18-21). The Relation of God’s People To Their Brethren In this connection read First Corin thians 8:1-13 and Romans 14:1-23. These passages show the believer how he is to conduct himself with regard to his fellow believers. The Christian’s chief concern should be the spiritual well-being of his brethren. In order to help other be lievers he is to guard his own life from hindering any other Christian. He does this, not because he feels he has to, but because he loves the brethren (Rom. 14). Although the Christian is free with regard to matters of the conscience, that is, matters about which there is no explicit commandment in the Word of God, yet he is not to abuse this freedom. He must not use his liberty if in so doing he offends a weaker Christian, but he will impose upon him self whatever restriction is necessary (1 Cor. ch 8). The Sanctifying Power of Christian Love 1 Thess. 3:12,13 In this passage the Apostle tells us that when love abounds in the hearts of God’s people the inevitable result is a growth in holiness. The more a be liever learns to love his brethren the more he is fashioned in the image of Christ. Paul is arguing in these verses that God cannot establish the believer’s heart in holiness if he is not allowing the Holy Spirit to produce Christian love in his relationship to his believing brethren. Let us ask God to teach us how to love that we may grow thereby in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
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This is a most important topic. Many Christians feel very helpless when it comes to doing something for Christ and His Church. There are many believers who cannot sing, they cannot play musical instruments, they cannot teach or preach the Word of God. Because of these inabilities they suppose they are of no account in the kingdom of God and consequent inertia settles over them. The Word of God does not give any believer the right to feel unimportant:
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