Is the Church a puzzle?

One of the ways in which my wife has occupied herself during the Covid-19 restrictions, is by completing jigsaw puzzles! Actually, what she does is a lot more difficult than that. She is into "Wasgij"s! These are jigsaws - but the picture on the box is not the picture of the finished article. One has to work out what is happening in the 'box picture' and how it will work out. The result is the picture that is to be built up from the 1,000 pieces. 

Of course, as every jigsaw aficionado is aware, there is only one place in any puzzle for each piece. The piece that is designed for the top-right-hand corner simply won't fit in the bottom-left-hand corner! That, I would suggest, is a wee bit like the Church as the Body of the Lord Jesus, the Christ.

Writing to the disciples of Jesus in Corinth, Paul stated: "For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye , where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as He chose. If all were a single organ, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,' nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.'" ( I Cor 12:14-21). 

It's worth noting that every believer has a ministry! It's not just the pastor; the elders; the youth and children's ministry leaders; etc. It's you, and me. Someone has worked out that less than 10% of those who claim to be disciples of Jesus are involved in any form of Christian service! I'm all for tithing - but that is very sad. Most seem to go to a worship service for what they can get out of it (usually, as a result of that attitude, not very much!). Service in the Body of the Christ is not optional. As the son of William Booth - founder of the Salvation Army - stated to his father concerning a friend and himself:  "We are not volunteers. We are soldiers in the Lord's army". That comment gave the name to the S.A.

We should also note that every ministry is important. This is one of the difficulties that the Church seems to face. People want to be 'in the limelight'. So, I am happy to be the preacher; or the leading elder. I have no problem with being the director of the music for the worship service; or of being one of the music group instrumentalists. Ask me to chair an important committee, or to organise a specific, and high-profile, event, and I am in my element. But making the coffee; cleaning the building; greeting people at the door. Well, those activities don't sound particularly exciting, or important! Yet there are no 'insignificant' ministries. And note that Paul states that it is Father God, Himself, Who "arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as He chose."

A final point that should be emphasised is that we are dependant on one another! There is no individual ministry that is capable of accomplishing all that the Church has been called to do. Like a jigsaw puzzle, each and every piece is required to be in its correct place in order to complete the picture. If a piece is missing altogether, of course, that is a real tragedy - the picture will never be completed! 

Read, again, those words of Paul shared above. When one part of our body malfunctions, the whole body may suffer as the other parts are unable to work together as they were designed to do. We need one another, because we have been called to work with one another. "Bear one another's burdens," writes Paul to the Galatian believers, "and so fulfil the law of Christ." (Gal 6:2).

That is not to say that we should hanker after another's gifting. Our ministry is decided by the Father - and that is the ministry in which He will use us! In any other place, we are just 'square pegs in round holes'! That is a waste of time and effort, and produces poor results.

So, be the piece of the jigsaw that you are meant to be. That will bring blessing to you, and to the fellowship of which you are a part; and will gladden the Father-heart of God.