KEY PRINCIPLES FROM THIS MESSAGE:
When the Lord convicts you of your spiritual gift (aka, your role in the Body of Christ, the Church), it’s your duty to comply. Instead of being “disappointed” with God’s choice, you ought to be truly excited about the fact that you are valuable enough to Him to have been given a unique role to fulfill!
Paul was so successful because he was dwelling upon his God-given duty, not upon his value or lack of value.
Paul knew anything good about him was from the grace of God, and that to be weak in the flesh was actually an ADVANTAGE for him. We should each take hold of this for ourselves!
Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
– 1 Corinthians 15:8-11
YOU have YOUR own ministry that is unique. And that ministry of yours is TRULY GOOD because GOD designed it especially for YOU to HIS glory!
We are to hold ourselves accountable so that others won’t have to. However, if we fail, others have the God-given right to do so, especially in the local church.
Accountability to the local church implies a reckoning. Based on Holy Scripture, as understood by a well-taught congregation, each member has the God-given duty to hold each other accountable to God’s divine standards.
By holding one another accountable in the church, we tighten up the reins of righteousness, and as a community become stronger together.