We're All Important

Every citizen in the kingdom of God has a valuable function. Unfortunately, Christians sometimes lose sight of this fact and develop a mindset that underemphasizes their importance to the gospel. Perhaps they don’t have the spiritual abilities that some of their brethren have and thus begin to question, “What worth am I to the church?”

Fellow disciples, we all have an important role to play. While we do not all have the same abilities, we all are necessary. Listen to what the apostle Paul said as he compared the citizens of the kingdom to the members of a physical body. “For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased” (1 Corinthians 12:14-18).

The point Paul makes is that if every Christian had the same ability, the fulfillment of many duties in the kingdom would go wanting. Every job (including the ‘unimportant’ ones) needs to get done. Feeling inferior and of no use is not the approach Christians should take with their abilities. Rather, we need to find what we can do and do it with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Paul wrote of a slave named Onesimus, whom he wished he could keep with him that “he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel” (Philemon 13). What did Onesimus do for Paul as the apostle sat in prison at Rome? Did he bring him food or clothing? Did he fetch medicinal aid? Did he merely encourage Paul? We aren’t told, but Paul says that Onesimus’ ministering to him was “for the gospel.” Yes, “little things” can seem unimportant, but they become important when they are “for the gospel.”

I am reminded here of a man I once knew named Walter Stocker. When younger in life he was able to do many things that others do in the kingdom. I am told that he was a very good children’s Bible class teacher. But when I first met bro. Stocker some 27 years ago, he was in his early 60’s, I suppose, and unable to do many of the things he had formerly done. He was almost completely deaf. Yet he didn’t allow his inability to deter him from doing what he could to help the local church. Even though he could hardly hear a word of the prayers or the sermon; even though the singing to him sounded muffled; even though he had to try to lip-read when someone spoke -- yet he still attended every worship assembly he possibly could. He recognized the ability to be present to be just that -- an ability -- and he used it. If there was anything else he could do in order to help or free up time for others (that they might be able to do the “more important things“), he would do it. He kept church attendance records. He helped with the upkeep of the building. He was a great example of one, like Onesimus, whose deeds were “for the gospel.”

We can’t all be elders, preachers, song leaders, and class teachers. But we all are equally valuable to the work in the kingdom. I am reminded of the seven men in Acts 6 who were chosen to “serve tables.” And why were they chosen? So that the apostles could give themselves “continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (v.4). Those seven couldn’t do the work the apostles did, but their own work aided the apostles in theirs. Yes, we are all important, and the kingdom needs us to get to the work, no matter how small or trivial our task might seem.


--Mike Noble