What a blessing to be part of the work of God in a universal, local and spiritual sense. The God of heaven gave Jesus, His Son, the necessary powers for the administrative office of Messiah (Heb. 1.9). It is through those powers (authority) the Christ performed the will of His Father and is still working by the power of His word (Jn. 12.48). Within this authority, He gave the church (notice the singularity of the word) the gifts (offices) necessary to furnish her with leadership and roles for each member (Eph. 4.7-11). It is through the great love and grace of God we have the beauty of knowing what is necessary to get involved with the work and stay in fellowship with the Father and His Son’s church.

We all must find ways to get involved with the work of the church in every area. This is always a challenge because of the complexity of the work and the cooperation of the people. Paul stated by inspiration, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;” (Eph. 4.11-13). Such a powerful section of scripture to grasp as we seek to make an application on how to get involved in the local work.

Why should we get involved in the work at 9th & Main? We should get involved because it is commanded for everyone to work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2.12). God wants all to do their share in building up the local work (Eph. 4.16). Everyone is important for the work of ministry, for it will build up the brethren to do great things as a whole (Jude 20). Never let it be said that you are not important to the church of Christ. Even when Paul was writing to the church at Corinth, he demonstrated the different roles of the human body in chapter 12. This is the same for the body of Christ and our different roles and gifts in the church of our Lord (Rom. 12.4-8). The Lord’s church at 9th & Main is in need of all of the members, and we should make sure we do all we can to make the congregation the best she can be.

So how can we get more involved in the local work? We can have more brethren get involved in staying in contact with those wayward brethren who have not been to worship in a while (Gen. 4.7-9). Friends, we have a few erring members. We need to contact them and let them know they are missed and, unfortunately, their souls are endangered. We are our brother’s keeper and we really need to seek those who are forsaking the love and provoking of one another and the assembly of the saints (Heb. 10.24-25).

We have a few brethren who need to be educated with extra bible study and more fellowship in the Lord (Matt. 28.19; Acts 16.15). The fellowship we have in the Lord is precious and we should do our part to spend more time with one another in the church, if we count them faithful to the Lord. Brethren, we need more to step up and help with the younger (and perhaps even the older) in the congregation like Paul was to Timothy, etc. (1 Tim. 1.2). Will we accept the challenge and seek to spend more time with those who may need to be encouraged and built up by the word of God (Acts 20.32)? Will we get more involved now? Will we?

The church of Christ must make sure to esteem others better than self (Phil. 2.1-4). This is no small matter, for the world around us is becoming more and more selfish. This can influence the brethren and thus pluck the seed of truth and compassion from their hearts. Perhaps we should seek to be more prayerful to God for one another to abound in our love for knowledge and discernment (Phil. 1.9-11). This great endeavor requires reading, studying and applying the word of God to the best of our ability (2 Tim. 2.15). Friends, the more we study and apply, the better the congregation will be and the God of heaven will be glorified, honored and praised. We must get more involved in our fellowship and seek to see each other outside of the walls of the church building. God is good and wants us to be that true influence upon one another for good.

Finally, let us please the Lord in all we do and say. God has made Christ the head of the church, who is the power and wisdom of the Father (1 Cor. 1.23-24). We can trust His direction and it will never disappoint when followed correctly or sincerely. Remember to keep the word of God in your heart and practice it to the best of your ability and watch the Lord work in your life. Get involved if you are not. Stay involved if you are. Encourage others to start today and exhort your brethren to keep their hands on the plow. Just a little wisdom to get involved.