What's your role?

I heard a sermon at the weekend that I thought was good. As well as a good point to the talk- about our calling as a church- the preacher (Dave Magill, a youth worker at my church) said some interesting things about how we interpret the Bible.

The Bible, he pointed out, was written to us as a people. In the Old Testament, that would have been the People of Israel, while today it's the Church, God's 'people,' in the world. Not everything is applicable to us as an individual, but perhaps if we look at whether it applies to us as a people, as a church, we will understand better what it is saying to us. It can make more sense.

Within the people of God, we all have individual roles. The apostle Paul has a lot to say about being a people where everyone has different skills and gifts- some to be teachers, some to be prophets, some to do the administration. And some, he says, to be evangelists.

Apparently about 10% of the church* are gifted as evangelists, and are called to exercise this gift. That in itself is a reassuring figure- it can explain why, no matter how hard we try, nothing seems to happen. But it doesn't let the rest of us off the hook. We are not all evangelists, but we are all witnesses.

Dave used the analogy of a courtroom to explain how this works. In a court case, it's the barrister who does most of the talking and questioning. An evangelist, like a barrister, is perhaps someone skilled at explaining the gospel in a way that makes it clear to the hearers. But behind the barrister is a solicitor (or more than one) who is responsible for gathering the evidence and working out what's important, doing all the paperwork and background work. And there are clerks and legal secretaries and others in the background who all contribute to the barrister being able to stand up and speak, and hopefully win the case.

And then there are the witnesses in the case, ordinary people without perhaps any special training or big role in the church, but people who, by the way they live their lives, give evidence to what is true. People like you and me. It might seem that what we do in our lives- office or shop work, chatting to friends, getting on with the business of life- doesn't have much to do with evangelism, but perhaps it does. Just the way you respond to an event may be a witness to someone- perhaps you don't kick off and swear at someone pushing in front of you in a queue; perhaps you're willing to help clearing up after a meeting when everyone else rushes off; perhaps in a conversation about a news item you have a different perspective from other people. And last but very far from least, there are the people who pray.

Small things, and so often it can seem like they don't make a difference. I'm certainly no shining example when it comes to all of this. It's so easy to get discouraged, to become envious of those who are 'evangelists' and who see many people coming to faith- perhaps because of the groundwork done by someone else. Especially when some of those evangelists don't seem to understand that it's not as easy for everyone else as it is for them. Of course I'm glad when people come to faith- but there's always that bit of sadness too.

So how do we find out what our role is? I guess, to an extent, by experimenting, by considering what you'd like to do and seeing if you can do it. It can be hard when sometimes churches want to fit us into whatever they need extra help with, like running cafes, or helping with kids' work- both of which are excellent things- when perhaps that's not where you feel you're gifted. I'm still not sure where my role is, although I'm probably more of a solicitor than a barrister. But when we find that role where we can use all the gifts and talents which God has given us, that's when we and the work we are called to can really flourish.

*I'm afraid I have no idea where this figure comes from, although I've heard it quoted several times. It doesn't seem unreasonable to me.