Each Christian has responsibility placed into their hands when they became Christians. There is the responsibility of living right. Letting our lights shine to others round about us. There is also the responsibility to worship God. This is proclaiming Christ death until He comes again. We also have the responsibility to bear fruit. This fruit has to be the right kind of fruit. So we have responsibilities.
Many are not willing to accept responsibilities at all. They have the idea that someone else can do the job. Look at that for a minute. If everyone had the idea that someone else could do it, then who would do anything? If it was always “someone” else’s job to open the building and adjust the thermostat, who would get it done? No one! If it was “someone” else responsibility to prepare the Lord’s Supper and that “someone” did not show up one Sunday morning, then what would happen? No Lord’s Supper that Sunday because “someone” did not show up and thus “no one” did it. We could not worship that Sunday because one person did not show up. Does this make sense to you? Yet it happens all the time and has happen all through time.
Look at Adam and Eve. Adam blamed Eve who was given to him by God. Eve blamed the serpent. Neither one accepted the responsibility of their sin. They were both guilty.
When Moses came down from the mountain where he had just received the 10 commandments, Joshua and Moses heard a noise. When they listen carefully it was not the sound of war (Joshua thought this at first) it was the sound of them that sing. Aaron bent to what the people wanted. He had made a golden calf. Now when approached about this matter notice what was said, “And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf” (Ex. 32:24). How innocent can one man be? I just threw that gold into the fire and out walked this calf! Can you believe that? That is not even close to what happen. Aaron did take the gold from the people, but he took a graving tool and fashioned the calf (Ex 32:4).
In the New Testament excuses have been given also for not accepting responsibility. In Luke 14 there are several people invited to a feast and they have accepted the invitation. When the time came for the feast they began to make excuses as to why they could not come. This sounds just like some in the church. Try to give someone a responsibility and see how many excuses they can give for not doing the job. Well, I am pretty busy! I have this job and I can’t do anything else. Well, I can’t do it because of the kids. They keep me so busy that I can’t do anything for the Lord. (We wonder why we are losing our young people; maybe we ought to start looking at home for the problem). On and on the excuses are being made. What is the remedy?
The remedy is: when the Bible gives a job to do we ought to do our part to get that job done. The Bible says to go into all the world (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16) then we ought to do our part. You offer the excuse that, “I can’t go into all the world.” OK then let’s all stop doing anything! If you can’t then I can’t, right? Wrong! And a thousand time more wrong. You can go next door or to your friends, that is your going. You also can give money to the Lord so that someone else can go into the mission field. This was done in the first century and can be done now! Let us go.
Another job the Bible gives us to do is to worship. Try to get men to do certain things during worship. Try to get some men to lead the prayer, or singing. Listen to the excuses why they cannot accept the responsibility of the job. What if you walked into the morning worship service and you were the only man? What would you do? Would you conduct the worship or would you turn around and walk out? We are going to have worship in singing tonight, how many men will help lead a song? Someone might say, “I have never done that before.” OK, our granddaughter does not eat certain foods because she has never eaten them before. Same excuse, same results. You don’t think you ought to do it because you have never done it. She thinks she should not have to eat it because she has never eaten it. Make sense to her but not to grandpa and nana or mother either, so why does it make sense in worship? Well I might make a mistake. Guess what if you get up there and try you will make a mistake! Ask anyone who has ever gotten up before a crowd if they have ever made a mistake and they will tell you yes; but that never stopped them from keeping on neither should it stop you.
For the church to progress in a way that God would have us to progress, we are in need of elders. Who will accept the job? There are qualifications given and must be meet, but who will accept the responsibility? Well, here come the excuses from those qualified. What do we want to happen to the church? Let those men who are qualified accept and let us grow into the church we have the potential to be.
Love, Keith
