The story is told of a congregation that built a beautiful new church building. In fact, folks came from far and wide to see it and admire its beauty! Up on the roof, a little nail heard the people praising everything about the lovely structure — except the nail! No one even knew he was there, so he became angry and jealous. “If I am that insignificant, nobody will miss me if I quit!” So the nail then released its hold, slid down the roof, and fell in the mud. That night it rained and rained. Soon, the shingle that had no nail blew away, and the roof began to leak. The water streaked the walls and the beautiful murals. The plaster began to fall, the carpet was stained, and the pulpit Bible was ruined by water. All this because a little nail decided to quit! But what of the nail? While holding the shingle, it was obscure — but it was also useful. Buried in the mud it was just as obscure, but now it was useless and would soon be eaten up by rust!
The moral of the story is this: Every member is important to the church! Like the nail, we may feel obscure at times, but just like the nail, our absence is felt. Let’s make certain that we’re a help and not a hindrance to the future spiritual and numerical growth in the body of Christ. Unlike the little nail, let’s never quit, remembering that:
1) We Are Members of the Same Body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) — As members of the body of Christ, we belong to each other and we need each other. Each member of the body has a function to perform so that the body as a whole will grow and remain healthy. Each part is needed, and no one part should think it’s more important than any other part. Remember, a spiritually healthy church is one in which the various members know their God-given gifts, and use them to serve and edify others in that local body (Ephesians 4:11-16; cf. Romans 12:3-16).
2) We Are Soldiers in the Same Army (Ephesians 6:10-18) — The church is an army designed to fight against Satan and the hosts of darkness — not to fight each other (Ephesians 6:12; Gal. 5:13-15). We also need to understand that in the Lord’s army, each individual soldier (Christian) is expected to wage war and fight (1 Timothy 1:18-19; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:3-4). Our weapons must never be carnal, or our struggle will be useless and eventually deadly (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). And just as there are leaders in the physical army, there are to be leaders (shepherds, overseers) in God’s spiritual army (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-3). Only when soldiers are in their proper place and obeying divinely appointed orders, can an army expect to withstand the attacks of the enemy. Good military strategy is based on teamwork. “Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).
—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets
The moral of the story is this: Every member is important to the church! Like the nail, we may feel obscure at times, but just like the nail, our absence is felt. Let’s make certain that we’re a help and not a hindrance to the future spiritual and numerical growth in the body of Christ. Unlike the little nail, let’s never quit, remembering that:1) We Are Members of the Same Body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) — As members of the body of Christ, we belong to each other and we need each other. Each member of the body has a function to perform so that the body as a whole will grow and remain healthy. Each part is needed, and no one part should think it’s more important than any other part. Remember, a spiritually healthy church is one in which the various members know their God-given gifts, and use them to serve and edify others in that local body (Ephesians 4:11-16; cf. Romans 12:3-16).
2) We Are Soldiers in the Same Army (Ephesians 6:10-18) — The church is an army designed to fight against Satan and the hosts of darkness — not to fight each other (Ephesians 6:12; Gal. 5:13-15). We also need to understand that in the Lord’s army, each individual soldier (Christian) is expected to wage war and fight (1 Timothy 1:18-19; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:3-4). Our weapons must never be carnal, or our struggle will be useless and eventually deadly (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). And just as there are leaders in the physical army, there are to be leaders (shepherds, overseers) in God’s spiritual army (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-3). Only when soldiers are in their proper place and obeying divinely appointed orders, can an army expect to withstand the attacks of the enemy. Good military strategy is based on teamwork. “Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).
—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets
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