Mutual Edification with Minimal Distraction

I've been meditating on Romans 12:3-13 in preparation for a meeting I have after church this Sunday. Our church is making the transition from one to two services in three weeks, so I've been busy preparing what we've come to call Worship Support. Basically that's all the volunteer areas of service that are necessary to support the worship services, such as greeters, ushers, nursery, hospitality, set-up & security, etc. Romans 12:3-13 has become the Biblical basis for not only how we serve, but why. Flowing out of a deep appreciation and rest in the Gospel (i.e. chapters 1-11) we present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. Thinking with a proper and sober view of ourselves (v.3), we recognize that God has given us each a measure of faith and made us members of one another in the body of Christ. We then use our gifts according to the grace given us. What's interesting about v.9-13 is that it's pretty generic. "Let love be genuine", "Outdo one another is showing honor", etc. Perhaps without specifics we can truly go further in our loving one another rather than holding each other to a relative minimum. These verses are the basis of what I want to share with all of our volunteers on Sunday. It's not only important how we serve, but why. We aren't trying to earn favor with God. We're not trying to do what is minimally necessary. We're not a bunch of "event staff" like at a football game. No, we are the body of Christ, the church of the living God, called to put others interest above our own and serve each other, and especially in this context, so that we can all partake of the means of grace. While folks are serving in the nursery, others get to hear the Word preached. While men are working security, others can worship without reluctance. Overall, the goal of our Worship Support Team is to enable worship and mutual edification in Christ (i.e. the means of grace) with minimal distraction by serving one another with excellence.

Well, those are some of my thoughts in prep for this Sunday, but I can't help but look at the verses that follow (14-21). God in His wisdom knew that when we start truly attempting to love one another and serve one another as we should that we'd be in such close proximity and would most likely, as fallen humans that fall short all the time, have some conflict. It is here that we are exhorted to "bless those who persecute you" and "live peaceably with all". I must admit that these words fall heavy on me today as I think on a specific unresolved conflict in my life.

Four years ago this week, I handled a disagreement in the wrong way. I did not show honor to someone I was in conflict with. When I should have talked to him in person, I chose to handle things by email. That was a drastic mistake. Email cannot convey body language and inflection. There are still misunderstandings that continue to this day and there are other people who are hurting as well. I continue to pray that one day there will be restoration of the relationship.

I have valued greatly from the much needed ministry of Peacemakers. They are phenomenal in helping and equipping people to handle conflict in a Christlike manner. In fact, I'm planning to go to their national conference in late September in Orlando.