You are walking into church on beautiful Sunday morning. Off to one side you see a man in shabby clothes get out of his equally shabby car. He drops his cigarette to the ground and steps on it. You think to yourself something like “can't that guy dress a little better and show some respect when he goes inside the house of God. He gets to the door a little before you and smiles as he holds it open for you and your family to go inside..
Once inside you overhear a couple of guys talking about the rough week they had. As they speak one of them lets a word slip out that is not used in polite company, especially at church. He looks a little embarrassed and his friends tell him it's OK. You think to yourself, “I haven't used that word in years, that guy has a ways to go.”
As you settle into your seat the choir begins to sing – and you know that you sound better than that tinny voiced soprano who has been there for ages.
Does this mean you are a terrible person? It means you aren't as far along the path to Christian maturity as you think you are. It means you are judging these people and you really don't know much about them. You don't know what struggles they have gone through and obstacles they have overcome just to be there with you in your nice clothes that beautiful Sunday morning. If you have been a believer for very long you know it is not your job to look down on such people. if you have been a believer for very long – YOU ALREADY KNOW BETTER!
What we want to look at today is another kind of comparison that limits our growth and effectiveness. You look at the pastor who dresses nicely, speaks nicely and everyone loves the caring way he treats them. You see your connection group / life group / Sunday School (whatever your church calls them) teacher and admire his knowledge of the Word. He is only slightly less holy than the pastor. You see the nursery director who has a special way with small children, making even the most anxious ones feel comfortable and loved. Even the janitor keeps the church cleaner than your own home.
Every well functioning church has people who handle the various tasks so the purposes of the church body are accomplished. You look at them and think that it is good they are there because you could never do that good a job.
Here is just one more place you have the comparison wrong. As with the people at the beginning, you may not understand what these pillars of the body had to go through before they showed up as church leaders. They are humans just like you, with human imperfections. What they have done is allowed God to use their skills and talents for a larger purpose.
Because of this, many members of the congregation shy away when asked to do something within the body or assume a position of leadership. Granted, none of us can do everything well, but each of us has something to contribute to the growth of the kingdom. The saying: “God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called”, sums it up accurately and concisely.
Knowing our abilities and interests can guide us into areas we never anticipated. For myself, I do enough to humiliate myself that I do not take part in the music ministry. That is not the call on my life. Sometimes others see abilities in you that you don't really recognize. It may be the Spirit's gentle nudging you into your place in God's program.
Whatever your place, don't let false, or excessive real, humility, cause you back away when you have the opportunity to become part of the functioning body. You may guide someone away from a tragic eternity.
These leaders do not walk on water, and they don't wear capes. They are real people, like you and me, who have allowed God to use them. What could you do that would benefit the body of believers or your neighborhood. Just remember, if God puts you in a position of any kind, He is the one who will give you the abilities to do a proper job.