Devotion #15

CENTRAL TRUTH: Christ works through each individual member of His body to accomplish His unique vision for New Covenant Bible Church.

BIBLE PASSAGE: Ephesians 4:11-16

I enjoy the game of baseball. I love watching nine players working together to reach a common goal. A winning team needs a balance of speed, hitting, pitching, defense and power. No single player can excel in all these skills. Great managers know how to utilize the talents of each individual player, molding all of them into a winning team.

In today’s passage, Paul give us the blueprint for a winning church. In a healthy church, the whole body “grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16 NIV). Every task is important, and every member is needed. Our mission is to help every person grow in Christlikeness. When the whole body works together, the mission is accomplished and God is glorified. In a healthy church, there are no benchwarmers. Everyone needs to get in the game. We need one another; we cannot do it alone!

If you have not done so yet, please open your Journey Guide to the corresponding devotion in the Reading Journal section. Journal your thoughts in response to the questions found there, spend some time in prayer, and take a couple of minutes to review this week's Memory Verse.

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Today's Author

Kim Pagel

My name is Kim Pagel, and I am the Executive Pastor at New Covenant. It is hard to believe that I have been at New Covenant for more than 16 years! That must mean I am getting old!

My wife, Sharon, and I have been married for 30 years. Sharon is a great partner and friend. We have four sons and an awesome daughter-in-law: Ryan (26) and Natalie, Jason (24), Joshua (19) and Jonathan (19). They keep us young and bring us great joy! Something you may not know about me is that I grew up in Toledo, Iowa, and knew eight of my grandparents into my adult life.

Comments

[Lyndee Crow]

I love the fact that the body works together -through Christ in love- to help us not be "tossed to and fro." In the passage it specifically refers to not being tossed about by changing doctrines. Yet, I have been praying for more discipline in my life and this is a comfort to me to know that I can find help from the Church body to aid me in my journey toward a more Christlike life.

[Tye Male]

I knew who wrote this one before I looked! A great team is needed and that is what we have at NCBC, and I'm not only talking about the equipping staff and staff. Everyone serves and build the body up. And those ligaments are what hold the body together. I would equate that to unity in vision and our love for one another. Without that the body, though one, is weak.

Great devo Kim! Thanks for sharing!

[Richard Kramer]

I am going to be a full-fledged member of NCBC soon. Why? I am just drawn to a team that has a no-nonsense approach to bringing glory to the Lord. You should come once an hour and a half earlier to the Wash campus on Sunday morning and quietly watch a dedicated team of volunteers transforms a school auditorium into hall of worship. Amazing! I see the engineers and technicians quietly scurrying back and forth to set up equipment on both campuses. Amazing! I see a vibrant team of pastors and equipping staff burning their candles on both ends. Amazing! (How can anyone preach four sermons a day and not crash from sheer exhaustion?). Many teach to feed others and are fed in return. Amazing! And then the music. Amazing! There are so many volunteers, each offering his or her special gift or talent as an offering to the Lord. Amazing! I have never seen such unity of purpose. Amazing!
Please read verse 12 and13 again.
I am just drawn in.

[Kim Pagel]

Thanks Lyndee, Tye and Richard for your great comments! One of our youth sponsors ruptured a ligament at the retreat this past weekend. Everything came to a screeching halt. She was in total pain. Her entire body was effected.

Our "relational connections" help us network with others for community, encouragement, worship, witness and ministry. The "connected" body is able to build itself up in love. I'm thankful for each memeber of the body and what you each add to my life!