Imagine how different the world would be if everyone was just like me:
There would be no doctors, because everyone in the world would get squeamish at the sight of blood. There would be no houses, because nobody would know how to build one. Sports would be boring, because everybody would cheer for the Dallas Cowboys. Imagine a world with all preachers, and no parishioners. (You get the idea.)
I would not want to live in a world of Kent Babbey clones, and I would not want to pastor a church like that, either. Our church could not function without the ministry of people who are gifted in ways that I am not.
Jesus loves to build teams out of people who are very different from each other. On His team of twelve apostles, there were two men with opposite political views. Simon the Zealot wanted to rid the land of the Roman empire, while Matthew made a living collecting taxes for the Roman empire. I wonder how many times Jesus had to break up an argument while those two men were learning to get along.
The Bible says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)
As followers of Jesus, we are Christians, not clones. The apostle Paul likened the church to a body, where each part has a unique function and all the parts need each other (1 Corinthians 12). We have one Lord, one Bible, and one Great Commission–introduce a lost world to Jesus. If Jesus has saved you, His Spirit has also gifted you to serve in His Church. He has something special for you to do.
Pastor Kent Babbey
Blenheim Baptist Church