Shared Responsibility –
“Participation is expected.”
Believers in a simple church
need to recognize that they, together,
are a localized expression of Christ’s body, and
that all
of them are living
members of it (Rom. 12:4-5). As such, each
of them has an
indispensable role to play in contributing to the body’s
needs and carrying out its mission. Effective simple
churches repeatedly stress these points:
1. Every Christian brings God
(the Holy Spirit) with him when he arrives at the meeting.
So everyone needs to assume some responsibility, in Jesus’
name, for the content, flow, quality and outcomes of their
time together.
2. The Spirit of God expresses his love through those in
whom he dwells by offering “spiritual gifts” to others who
need them.
3. When the church/Body gathers, time usually needs to be
set aside for everyone to disclose their needs and offer
their gifts (1 Cor. 14:26), some of which they have
prepared in advance. This practice of open sharing (“Body
Life”) gives the Spirit freedom to powerfully reveal
Himself through many, so it works especially well as the
centerpiece activity of a simple church.
TEACHING
IDEAS - To
help you present this "essential" to your group(s) so they
will adopt and apply it, click on these two links:
Shared Responsibility
and
One
Another's.