Weekly Message
THE CHURCH IS NOT A ONE PERSON SHOW!
"Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me. And he offered the burnt offering....And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God..... (1 Samuel 13:8,9, 13)
Over the years there have been many Super Stars who have played on teams that have never won a championship. It is apparent that to win a championship in a team sport requires cooperation among the members of the team. Each player has to to his or her part to make the team the best it can be. Regardless of how great the one superstar may be as a player, without the other players doing their part, the team will probably never achieve its ultimate goal.
Perhaps the same concept of teamwork should be applied to the church. Often times, a person who has a special gift will become frustrated with the way things are going and decide to do everything him or herself. This will eventually cause that person to burn-out and will also rob other members the opportunity to use their gifts. God has gifted each born-again believer to use their Spiritual Gift to edify the church. Without participation from all, the church will almost surely miss the mark that it ultimately strives to achieve.
In the passage above, Saul grew tired of waiting for Samuel to come and offer sacrifices to God. Ordinarily that would seem like the good and logical thing to do. But Samuel was the priest, and was assigned to carry out that ordinance. Even though his intentions were probably good (under pressure from the Philistine Army's impending attack), Saul's actions to do it by himself turned out wrong.
As members of the church, realize that you have an important role to play in serving the Kingdom of God in a local church fellowship. You should definitely be active and do your part. But also remember, that the church is not a "one man/woman show!" In order for our church to accomplish God's goal for us, we must work together as a team. If we do a good job, we will achieve the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
