Grow! Pray! Study! Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection for Friday, 7 March 2014 "The whole body grows from him"

Grow! Pray! Study! Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection for Friday, 7 March 2014 "The whole body grows from him" 
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Daily Scripture:  Ephesians 4:11 He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds[a] and teachers; 12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; 15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ; 16 from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.
Footnotes:
a. Ephesians 4:11 or, pastors
Reflection Questions:
"God's goal," Ephesians said, "is for us to become mature adults…fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ." To that end, God gives different members of the church different gifts, so that we can strengthen and equip one another. But "the work of serving and building up the body of Christ" belongs to all of Christ's followers—to us!
•What are some of the steps you recall that moved you beyond being an "infant" in your faith, and helped you grow toward greater maturity? In what ways has that growth and maturity changed the ways you relate to God, and to the people around you in the light of God's love? What one or two items are most clearly on your growth horizon right now?
•Who is the head of The Church of the Resurrection? The answer is in Ephesians 4:16. In what ways do you see the visible, human leaders of your church following the lead of the church's true head, rather than simply substituting their own judgment for his? In what ways can you follow Christ's lead in your personal involvement in the church's ministry?
Today's Prayer:
God, I give myself to you today. Help me recognize your call in my life. Fill me with your spirit and help me to respond as you would to the people and circumstances that cross my path. Amen.
Insight from Glen Shoup
Rev. Glen Shoup is the Executive Pastor of Worship and Congregational Care pastor.
Read and Reflect:
(Head)
God has called you—to be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. No, I’m not confusing my calling with yours. As an ordained pastor, I am called to be a minister of Jesus, but as an un-ordained business person, attorney, teacher, physician, full-time parent or (insert your occupation)… God calls you, too, to be a minister of Christ. What I do as an ordained minister of Jesus may be more public than what you do as a minister, but that doesn’t make it more important than what you do as a minister of Christ.
God calls all of us into ministry. Ephesians 4:1 says: ”I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God.“  Paul wasn’t writing to ordained clergy in the church at Ephesus (there surely weren’t any); he was talking to the whole church. God has called all who follow Jesus, not just to “come follow,” but to get knee-deep in the ministry of sharing the good news of reconciliation to God and to one another (see 2 Corinthians 5:16-21).
How often do you think of yourself as called by God? How often do you look at your everyday interactions as a chance to live out God’s call? God hasn’t just called you to be a better person. God has called you to receive life and grace, and then to personally be a minister to share them. Actively seeking in every setting and interaction to model and share Christ’s love and hope in tangible, concrete ways—through a smile, through undeserved patience or forgiveness, through speaking up and providing for the overlooked and pushed down. How often do you view your occupation as a God-given chance to minister to those who will never give an ordained minister the time of day? How often do you see coincidences or unexpected meetings (you know—interruptions) as portals for ministering God’s presence? How often do you look at your participation in this expression of Christ’s church called Resurrection as God-called ministry changing lives and communities on a large scale, to go along with the ministry you’re called to on an individual scale in daily life? God calls you to ask these questions because God calls you to be a minister. Ephesians 4 makes that clear!
There is a lot we could say about what it means to grow into maturity as a Christ follower. But a key starting point if we are going to mature spiritually and grow in God’s grace is what God expects of us—what God has called us be.
God has called you to be a minister. Are you responding to God’s call?
Prayer and Meditation
(Heart)
God, help me recognize your call in my life. Help me lay aside all the reasons why I don’t think I’m up to your calling. Give me the willingness and faith to believe that you will always use me as I seek to share your love and hope with those who cross my path. Help me see the ordinary (and even frustrating) interactions in my day as a chance to re-present you to others. Give me confidence that as I trust you and seek to minister you, you will give me the wisdom and leading I need to be your strength and presence for others. I give myself to you today. Fill me with your spirit and help me to respond as you would to the people and circumstances that cross my path. Thank you for loving and believing in me enough to call me to be your minister. In Jesus name, Amen.
Be, Do & Go
(Hands)
Find some quiet time to yourself today, and list all of your talents, gifts or innate “knacks” that you can think of. Make the list as specific and personal as you can. Recognize that the things you have listed are one of the main ways God calls you to service for God’s Kingdom. Lay your list before God in prayer, asking for discernment as to new ways you might use your abilities to serve God and others, or as to ways you might deepen and expand the impact of ways you are already using your talents and skills for God.
For Discussion:
Use this section to help prompt discussion with your spouse, children, small group, etc.
1. Do you believe God calls people through quiet inner processes of discernment as well as in more intrusive “Road to Damascus” ways? Why or why not?
2. What are some of the steps you recall that moved you beyond being an “infant” in your faith, and helped you grow toward greater maturity? What’s on your growth horizon right now?
3. Who is the head of The Church of the Resurrection? The answer is in Ephesians 4:16.
Discuss how visible human leaders can follow the lead of the church’s true head, rather than simply substituting their own judgment for his.
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