What Kind of Members Do We Need?

Congregations exist because people want to be together in their common faith.  They want to work together toward common goals.  They want to encourage each other in their spiritual walk.  They want to be an influence for good in their community pointing people to God.  They certainly want to teach the gospel and see people obey it.  Every congregation wants (or should want) to accomplish these things.  So, what kind of members do we need to do this?
 
Romans 12 answers two questions connected with this idea.  First, this chapter details what kind of members we need.  Second, this chapter details how to become that kind of member.  So what kind of member do you think you are as you read this?  You are already a member if you are a Christian assembling and working with this church.  How much are you (and I) growing to become even more like the members we need?
 
Romans 12:1-8 shows us the kind of members we need.  We need members who have a high energy level.  Verse 1 identifies the energy level by saying, “…present your bodies a living sacrifice…”  The energy level is a daily need.  These members don’t need constant prodding to serve.  They don’t have huge swings of involvement and non-involvement.  They can be counted on to live the life of involvement.
 
Verse 2 tells me of the concentration level that we need.  Notice the words, “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove…”  We need members who are engaged mentally with the work.  They think about the work of this church and what they need to do to help.  They think about what we need to be doing that we are not doing as well as things we can improve or even stop.
 
Verses 3-5 describe the attitude level that we need.  We need members who have a humble attitude.  We need everyone to know that members are equal and valuable.  No one is more important than anyone else.  Sure, each member has a different function given to them by God through their unique natures and talents, but we need all of them.  The church is less than it can be unless all have this same attitude.
 
Verses 6-8 detail the activity level that we need.  We need every member functioning in concert with their own talents and natures.  These people addressed in Romans 12 obviously had miraculous gifts given to them from God.  They were told that prophets should prophesy faithfully.  The other gifts may also have a miraculous component.  That only proves the point that God provided them, miraculously, with gifts that the church needed then and still needs now even though the miraculous has ceased.
 
The other gifts—ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, mercifulness—are all needed today.  However, they are non-miraculous gifts that are needed in the Richmond church.  We need members with these gifts to put them to use for this church.  So, I ask you.  Are you this kind of member?  You can read verses 9-21 and see how to become this kind of member.  You will hear about this second part on Sunday night.

— Mike Johnson