Newkirk Church of Christ

Scott’s Thoughts

April 27, 2025

 

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same
Lord;” (1 Corinthians 12:4–5, ESV)

If I were to ask who is the most important individual in the congregation? It is possible that many would answer in different ways. Some might say the elders, the pastors, or the preacher. There are so many things that need to be done to keep a congregation afloat that it might just be the janitor. Just think about it, we walk into the building and all the trash that was left in the pews from the last service is gone, the trash cans are empty, and the rest rooms have been cleaned and re-supplied. For the most part, we don’t give it a thought unless we walk in the building and no one has done that work. Then everyone wants to know who is not doing their job.

In most organized groups the work roles are clearly defined. The church is a little different. Because most roles (jobs) are volunteer. Many congregations have only the preacher/minister as a paid employee and some don’t even have that. Does that mean because there are only enough funds to pay one person that, that person should fill every role in the congregation?

God actually designed the church with many roles and every church will function better when each role is filled just as God designed it. I know the church in many ways has changed from the first century. Today we meet in buildings that are climate-controlled and have chairs or pews for seating. Most church buildings have a baptistry so we no longer have to break the ice on the creek in the winter. More and more congregations are outgrowing the need for song books because we project the songs on the BIG screen in the front of the auditorium. Many have quit attending services because we now Live Stream. All of those things are neutral. What I mean by that is they do not add to or take away from the truth of the Gospel, but each one of them requires people to set the systems up and operate them which requires more people and takes more hours to get them ready, not less.

I can remember when I could walk into the building, grab my seat, then just sit back and relax. I never gave a thought about the effort that had to be expended just to keep everything rolling along. Somewhere along the way I got involved in a small way. I really knew so little but that in itself drove me to want to know more. Two things I learned, 1. The more I got involved the more I came to know all those other people who were just sitting in pews like I was. I realized many of them were waiting to be asked to help. Some thought they weren’t good enough because no one had asked. 2. I came to understand God a little better. He is a giver and to replicate Him I need to be a
giver. To answer the question I asked at the beginning of this article “The Most Important Person in The Church is JESUS.”

“But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?” (1 Corinthians
12:18–19, ESV)

Thanks for listening and keep on shining.

—Scott

2020 Mission Trip to Kramatorsk, Ukraine

Day 1 & 2 | 10/12/20 | 10/13/20 | 10/14/20 10/16/20 | 10/17/20 | 10/18/20 | 10/18/20 10/19/20 | 10/20/20| 10/21/20 | 10/23/20  | 10/25/20 | Summary Report

 

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Did You Know This

About Song of Solomon?

Solomon is mentioned 7 times in this book, which is
presented as a love song depicting Solomon’s romantic
pursuit of a Shulamite girl.

The book is arranged like scenes in a drama, and is filled with metaphors and near-eastern imagery. Perhaps one of the most striking features of the song is the richness of description the book contains. For instance, Song of Solomon refers to 21 species of plants, 15 species of animals, and 15 geographical locations from Lebanon in the north, to Egypt in the south.

Song of Solomon portrays the pure and powerful joy of romantic love in God’s design. But we can’t forget that by the time of the writing, Solomon had collected 700 wives and 300 concubines, which went against God’s design for marriage between one man and one woman.

—Matt Clifton
Fast Bible Facts Podcast
on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts