Church Building Exercise
One of the things that God has taught me as I have studied the scriptures is that there aren’t enough good works to be done to get me or anyone else into heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast“. It’s only by faith in the work of Christ on the cross to pay the debt for our sin that we’re actually saved.
BUT, Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” So, clearly, God has work for us to do once we belong to Him.
In my church this was the week of Vacation Bible School. Our church has been doing this for many years and it attracts a lot of unchurched kids from the neighborhood surrounding the church. We try to clearly present the gospel and have prayer warriors praying throughout the week so that many children might be saved from an eternity in hell. The man-power required to pull this week off could be overwhelming. Praise the Lord that in this church God’s people step up to the plate to serve the children that He brings each year!
Long before I joined it this church has decorated for the theme, started each night with singing and a skit to draw the kids into the work of the night, encouraged and helped the kids to memorize a verse a day for the five days, and provided craft time, snack time, and game time for a group that can’t get enough of any of it. Then, there’s the closing program. We invite the parents and every age group sings and shows off for their parents. By Friday night we have a staff that’s exhausted. It’s worth it because every year a few kids make a profession of faith in Christ. All the preparation and sacrifice are worth the paycheck of a child coming to know the Lord.
But there’s more – an added little benefit for those who answer God’s call to serve for this hectic week. The reward is the building up of the body of Christ – His church. For this week we get to come to some understanding of what it means to be unified. Paul prayed for the Roman church in Romans 15:5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.This week I worked side by side with children and adults that I would not normally come into close contact with. Others, some new to the church, helped out and came away with new relationships and some have greater respect for others they barely knew before this week. Adults who have been in the church for years but weren’t actively involved outside of showing up on Sunday morning are anxious to serve again next year. We had the privilege of watching as racially mixed groups of kids got along, sang, and seemed oblivious to their differences. Younger served older with physical labor and the older mentored the younger in serving the kids. It was a beautiful thing to watch. Even potential problems became avenues for helping a brother or sister in Christ.
So, it still continues to amaze me how Paul some 2000 years ago can pray a prayer (Romans 15:5) that would so fit my circumstances today. From His prayer to the Romans I can say that God did provide the endurance for the adults to get through a Sunday to Friday event without collapsing by Wednesday night! He provided encouragement in the professions of faith (at least some of the kids were hearing the teaching!) and the spiritual growth of the kids who were already believers. And then, with one voice we are the body of Christ today praising God the Father through his Son, Jesus Christ for a great week that was an evangelistic ministry of the church that also doubles as a body building ministry for the people of God.
So, there’s work to do. Do you have a job in your church? If you don’t, I suggest that you go to your Pastor and find out where you can help so that you, too, can be blessed by the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for your service to HIM. You may be surprised what form that blessing takes as you build relationships with others in your part of the body and bless them by your service. It may even come in the look on your Pastor’s face when you step up to volunteer rather than waiting to be asked.