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Some members of the church are far too modest in their assessment of what they can do to help the Lord’s cause. Many have convinced themselves that they cannot do anything, since they cannot lead singing or preach, and they become quite content to do little or nothing. However, there has never been a Christian who had so little ability or so few resources that he or she could make no contributions if one really wanted to. Consider some contributions almost every Christian can make:
- Faithful Attendance: Sitting in a church building regularly no more makes one a faithful Christian than sitting in a henhouse regularly makes one a hen. However, even an infidel knows that a faithful child of God attends worship and Bible classes regularly. The regular, public meetings of the church are its heart-throb and life-blood. Each member who forsakes these assemblies saps the church of some of its power (not to mention what he robs himself of). No wonder the inspired writer commands us not to forsake the assemblies of the church (Heb. 10:25). Every able-bodied member can make the minimum contribution of faithful attendance and will do so if he loves the Lord and the church.
- Service: We are not saved by God to live lives of celestial ease on this old earth, but to serve, to work for Christ, according to our opportunities and abilities. The Lord’s people are made for good works (Eph. 2:10). We are to be “stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding” in the Lord’s work (1 Cor. 15:58). God has never made anyone with so little ability that there is no place of service for him in the church. Unless we are daily making a positive impact for Christ and His church, for the Truth of the Gospel, for the pure life God wants us to live daily, we are failing Him who died for us. Our work for Jesus demonstrates the sincerity of our worship on Sunday.
- Money: Even in the early days of the church, when civilization depended so very little on money and cash flow compared to the present, it was necessary for Christians to give their money to do the Lord’s work. The regular Lord’s day contribution was commanded for this reason (1 Cor. 16:1–2). Not everyone can give a large amount because not everyone has a large amount from which to give. The Lord does not measure our giving by quantity, but by proportion of our income. Even when we cannot attend, we can still give so that the Lord’s work may go on uninterrupted.
- Attitude: Men cannot send you to jail for a sordid, snobbish, hateful, uncooperative, negative attitude, but the Lord can send you to Hell for it. Two attitudes that cause the church great harm are selfishness and indifference. Two attitudes that make great contributions to the Lord’s work are unselfishness and cooperation.
[Note: I wrote this article for and it was published in The Lighthouse, weekly bulletin of Northpoint Church of Christ, Denton, TX, December 10, 2006, of which I was editor.
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator
