As someone who is interested in missions and has the privilege of teaching about missions, I’ve really enjoyed our guest speakers and their messages over the past few weeks. Mary Cho shared about her ministry in Sierra Leone, and thanked us for our support. Donnett and Daniel updated us about Compassion’s work around Rubongi, and we’re glad to be partnering with them in the new mother’s program they’re starting. Jenny spoke about ministry among refugees, and encouraged us in our own sponsorships. Lyndon and Patrice shared about the transformation happening in villages in Benin through the building of water wells. Pastor Alvin spoke about his time in Abbotsford and the global church standing with Canada.
When I think about all of these messages, I’m amazed at the different areas and things that God has called us to be a part of. I’m reminded of a verse that I spoke about one Sunday. In 1 Corinthians 3:5-7, Paul is addressing infighting in the church, saying,
Each one had a role given to them by the Lord: I planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow. Because of this, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but the only one who is anything is God who makes it grow.
I love the idea behind what Paul is saying here. In the kingdom of God, everyone has a role to play and does their small part. For Paul, it may just be planting. For Apollos, it may be watering. But then God takes these seemingly small actions, and uses them in amazing ways. We do our little part, someone else does their little part, and we see God move. There is no way that LifeSpring alone could reach deaf children in Sierra Leone, or mothers in Uganda, or refugees in Turkey, villages in Benin, or churches in Toronto. But the beauty is that God isn’t calling us to do this alone, but to simply play our small part in what He is doing. And when we’re willing to do our part, somehow we become a piece of a much bigger thing that God is doing in all the places above.
This week, I have the privilege of traveling to Greece with our team to take part in the ministry among refugees there. As we go, I’m reminded of what Paul said above. Perhaps our role is to play just a small part in what God is doing in the lives of those we meet. Maybe God has called us to be a piece of the church’s response to the refugee crisis in Europe. Huge issues like these are far too big for any one group to solve alone. What it will take is the whole body of Christ, each doing their small part, with God moving through it all.
So, what is your small part in what God is doing? Being a part of something bigger than ourselves has a way of expanding our vision, and can even impact how we live our lives. As we continue to pray about where God is calling us, let’s keep our ears to God about what role we should play.