Works of service? For what?
Works of service are for bodybuilding. Paul says that equipped people carrying the ways of Christ from their outlook into the lives of those around them make a difference. Works of service lead to improvements in the body of Christ. You may serve Christians, and you may serve non-Christians. In each case, the body of Christ is built up: new members, new maturity.
Long ago my son found a used Bowflex machine on Craigslist. He and I drove over to the local army base. Arriving at a soldier’s house on Fort Gordon, we paid for the exercise equipment, loaded it up on my Toyota Tundra and brought it home. Colin did not long use it, and when he stopped, I started. In a way, we could say he equipped me for working out
If that machine remains idle, though, what good is it? I still have to use the weight machine, but when I do my body is built up. My muscles and tendons, ligaments and bones, cardiovascular stamina, mitochondria, etc., etc. are taken to a different level. “Use the muscles or lose the muscles” is a phrase that makes sense on many levels.
For another example, think back to your years of foreign language study in high school and college. How much of that do you remember? Your teacher may have equipped you in Spanish, French, or German, but if you do not speak the language you lose the language. If you do speak it, however, you improve beyond what your teacher gave. Your teacher equips you, and then by using it with others, you develop in entirely new ways. Your language use is what? Built up.
My cousin grew up in a Middle Eastern country. His first foray into foreign languages came with Arabic. While he was getting his M.D. at Augusta’s Medical College of Georgia he would come over to our house on Tuesday nights for supper. We found out that his language learning did not stop with Arabic, in addition to his medical studies he was teaching himself Spanish. What frustrated him, though, was conjugating verbs. Learning languages does come more easily to him that some people, but it still requires hard work. He knew that proper language use required proper subject-verb agreement. Knowledge does not equate to practice. Equipping is not living. So off he went to Costa Rica and for about a month and lived with a family who could only speak Spanish. That helped. (At least he indicated that it helped. My Spanish is rather non-existent so I could not check in on that!)
What is the point in our lesson here? He had been equipped with basic
Let us circle back to our faith. Faith in Christ lived out in works of service to others is accessible to every one of us. We live and drive down people-street. Needs are all around us and God has equipped us to meet them. My shape, my gifting, my skills are God-tailored to those he slides in and out of my life. The same thing goes for every one of us in Christ’s school. When you take your Christ-lessons into life’s situations you will be built up, and others will be built up. The Apostle Paul brought this lesson from God to the scriptures. God took this lesson from the scriptures to me and I, as the teacher, bring this lesson to you.
Guess what? It’s your turn. Take your equipment and get out there! Serve others, serve God. Believe beforehand that works done this way will build up the church, build up your spiritual body. Later on, when you look back, you will be able to smile and recognize that what God said, God did.