I want us to turn to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Let me join my two brothers who've spoken ahead of me today in expressing my joy and gratitude for the opportunity to be here and be associated with what God is doing in this place. We do not take this for granted. So many thanks to Pastor Jeff and his family and the team over here. 1 Corinthians 12 I want to read, or I'll ask my brother to read for us in Swahili from verse 12 to verse 31, that is the end of that chapter. of the first Corinthians chapter 12, verse 12, verse 31. Let's read it together. It means that one body has many limbs, and all the limbs of that body are many, and one body is like a crystal. In other words, we were all divided into two groups, whether we were Jews or Greeks, whether we were Muslims or non-Muslims, we were all divided into two groups. Mwili si kiungo ki moja bali dingi. Mku uki sema kwa kuwa mimi ni mkono, mimi si wa mwili, jei si wa mwili kwa sababu hiyo. Na sikiyo liki sema kwa kuwa mimi si chicho, mimi si la mwili, jei si la mwili kwa sababu hiyo. Verse 17, verse 17, verse 17, But if all of them were one body, where would the other one be? But now, there are many bodies, and the other one is one. And you can't tell your hand that I don't need you. And you can't tell your head that I don't need you. verse 23 And the spirit of the body will not be a burden, the spirit that gives us a burden, and all the spirits that are not beautiful, are very beautiful. In other words, our spirit, which is beautiful, does not need God to strengthen the body and give it a burden. so that we can help each other. So, don't be afraid to share your knowledge, your knowledge, your knowledge, your knowledge, and your knowledge with others. If you share one knowledge, if you share one knowledge, if you share one knowledge, if you share one knowledge, if you share one knowledge, if you share one knowledge, We'll fry up a Moja nacho bus. Nina McCormack crystal. Now the Hugo, Hugo, Gila, Gila, Moja. I'm a waker when you make a ticket and it's a work one's a metamorphosis. I'm a be what I do. What do you do? What do you do? Lord we have been so encouraged and edified, knowing that those who belong to you are known by certain marks and that they grow by certain means. Now we ask that you'd show us as well that all those who belong to you must grow together, not only individually. So show us the corporate nature of our calling, and of the faith that we share in Christ, for your glory and for our good. For we ask this in Christ's name. Amen. So my task is to say something about the necessity of belonging to a local church. But not just the necessity of it, but also the need to meaningfully participate in the life of the local church. And that is very proper coming after the session we've just had. Because our brother has spoken to us about the fact that Christians must grow in grace and in sanctification. and that there are certain means of grace that God has supplied to aid and advance our sanctification and our growth. And by the help of God, he has mentioned a number of those means of grace. But you remember even before he mentioned those means of grace, he defined what a means of grace is. If I can paraphrase him, The means of grace are those channels that the Lord has ordained for the nourishment of the faith of his people so that they grow in sanctification and so that they can serve him profitably. Because the Christian life is like a plant. You see? It has to grow. And for a plant to grow, there are certain factors of growth. And that in a nutshell is what the means of grace are. That is what the means of grace basically are. The various factors that contribute to the spiritual well-being and the growth of a Christian. And there's a sense in which What we are going to speak about qualifies as such. That one of the things that the Lord has supplied in order to grow us as Christian. to help us advance in sanctification and to oversee our service for God is in fact the local churches. And so God has ordained that the environment in which a Christian is going to live, grow and function is in fact the local church and most if not all of the other means of grace that our brother has so ably elaborated The Lord supplies them largely within the context of the local church. Indeed, it is true that we can function and exercise them in a private manner. That is true. but the Lord also supplies them within the context of the local church. In fact, the Asamba can only function within that context and not individually. Like the Lord's Supper for instance. That is not something you do in your house as an individual. Even though some have attempted to do that, they are called the ordinances of the Christian church. So that makes the church an extremely important item in the life of a Christian. And so my intention in my brief is to show you from the scriptures that it is necessary that you as a Christian belongs to a local church. and also show you something of how or what it means to participate meaningfully and maximally in the life of a local church. And I think that the passage we've just read is quite helpful in that regard. And I'll glean a number of thoughts from it to help advance the agenda that has been committed to my church this morning. But before we look at the necessity of belonging to a church and meaningfully participating in a local church, But before we look at the importance of who the church is and the many meanings of who the church is I think it's important to first of all define what a local church is. And from that definition glimpse something of the nature of a local church. And I'll attempt to do that largely from the text that we've read. So let me read out to you something of what a local church is. Then we'll elaborate on it. What is a local church? I can loosely define a local church as follows. that it is all those who belong to the one universal body of Christ finding themselves in a particular locality, by the providence of God, covenant to walk together, to worship together, to serve Christ together, and under Christ, through the designated servants of Christ to carry out and exercise the duties, powers, and privileges required of and conferred on the Church by her Lord. I know it's a lengthy definition. And my intention in giving it to you is not so that you can cram it. I don't intend for you to seem to carve it. But I want to use it as a framework of unpacking for us what the nature of the law of the church is. But for your benefit, I'll read it again. Those belonging to the one universal body of Christ, which means those who are saved, find themselves in a particular locality providentially, covenant to walk, worship and serve Christ together. And under Christ's headship through his designated servants, carry out, exercise the duties, powers, and privileges required of and conferred on the Church by her Lord. Now you notice in that definition, Two things, a couple of things. There are those who belong to the one universal body of Christ. What I mean by that is all who are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because every true believer has been united to Christ. It has been made a partaker of the one body of Christ. And that reality has no respect of geography. A true believer in Kaya, Bumula, and Bungoma County. And another true believer in Kansas, in the United States of America. And another one in Mombasa, in Nairobi. All of these, if they be true believers, They are inevitably members of one body of Christ called the Church. Now, that is what you find, for example, in verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 12. And this is a description by Paul describing what Christians are. He says, for in one spirit, We were all baptized into one body, regardless of whether you're a Jew, Greek, slave or free, and all were made to drink of the same spirit. Now what Paul is saying here is this, all those who by the spirit of regeneration, That our brother talked about yesterday, have been made aware of their sins, in their need of Christ. Enable to repent and to trust entirely and fully on the Lord Jesus Christ. That activity of the spirit, spiritually, brings them into a spiritual, vital union with Christ. Now that happens to me as an individual. And that happens to Jeff as an individual. I am united to Christ by the Spirit. And he is united to Christ by the Spirit. But the Christ to whom we are both united is one. In our several union with Christ, he and I, inevitably establishes a bond between me and him. So that there is one spiritual union, spiritual body. And that has no regard to geography. Or to ethnicity. So all Christians, worldwide, are all members of the body of Christ. And Paul understands the church in that way. That is what I mean when I say those belonging to one universal body of us. Simply referring to those who are regenerated, saved by grace. But all these people who are one in Christ spiritually Do not all live in the same place at the same time. Providentially, they are scattered all over the world. But they're not just scattered all over the world. Providential, you will find a number, more than 1, 2, 3, 10 Christians who are found within a similar locality. And that is also the work of the providence of God. Now, the description that we find in verse 14 towards the end of that chapter. It's a description that fits more this second understanding of the church. The kind of relationships required here described here in verse 14 onward. presupposes not just a spiritual union one with another it presupposes some reasonable proximity to one another but enables us to be the other person's hand or foot or eye in a real tangible That enables me to actually be able to care for my friend, for my brother. So some kind of geographical proximity is presupposed. Now that is what I mean in the second phrase then, that those members of the universal body of Christ, who now find themselves in this close proximity to one another geographically, They now agree together. They now form deliberate bonds with one another. In order to worship God together, to serve Christ together, in order to carry out the duties Christ has placed on the shoulders of the universal church within the And enjoy the privileges that Christ affords to his church universally within that particular locality. So these geographically defined groups of believers are now what we call local church. And that's how the new testament actually speaks or conceives of the idea of church. There is a church universal comprising of all believers everywhere that is recognized in the New Testament. But there is also the local church. Those believers who are to be found within a particular locality So in the scriptures we hear Paul writing letters to the church at Corinth. In the church in Ephesus. In the church of Galatia. There is some geographical definition. If that understanding is borne out by the division of our text. In verse 12, 8, 13, Paul first of all speaks of the church as the universal, joined spiritually by this great activity of the Holy Spirit, and knows no joy. But then the details are now given in a way to suggest that there is such a thing as local churches. Colonies as it were of heaven scattered throughout the world. I'm bad Oh, the one you talk to a big one in a metal. You call him a goonie There is this little colonies of heaven in those various localities that we now call law culture. You know, Zilla What to a moment? Oh, I'm a doctor. I've been goody. Well, you're gonna kill him tonight. I can easily time So when I say that it is necessary that a Christian should belong and participate meaningfully in a local church, I am saying that the Bible is saying that it is not enough for a Christian or for somebody to simply say, I am a believer in Christ. I am a member of the body of Christ. I am part of the church of Christ. And therefore I can be anywhere, anytime, however I wish. I am telling you that the Bible actually requires you be covenantally committed to a local assembly of believers. Because that is a practice and command of the New Testament. Now, very quickly, let me give you some four things that I think point us to the nature of these local churches. The local church thus defined means a number of things. And I'm now speaking of the nature of what a local church is. In the text then we find that the local church is a fellowship, is a community of converted people. It is a community of converted people. What that simply means is this. That no one belongs properly in a local church. Who does not first belong to the universal church. In the language of our text, nobody can participate in the activities of verse 14 through to verse 31 who have had no experience of what we find in verse 13. If someone has not partaken of this regenerating activity, Activity of the Holy Spirit. Which brings him into union with Christ. So that he is a partaker of all that has been procured in his life, death and resurrection. It can therefore be termed as a child of God. If that experience of the new birth is alien to you, you are still alienated from Christ. You are none of his. You have no part in the universal body in that regard. Such a person has no right to claim a place in a local assembly of the people of God. Because one is first baptized by the spirit into the body of Christ. Before they can identify with a local assembly of Now there is evidence to the New Testament to this effect. But I'll just give a few examples from the book of Acts of the Apostles. Even from the text that our brother Michael was dealing with earlier. In Acts chapter 2. After Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost. In verse 37 we are told that those who heard him were cut to their heart. In his own words. They are pierced in their hearts. And her brother described that as a conviction wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit. And they ask, what then must we do to be saved? Peter's response is believe and be baptized. And so there is a walk of the spirit in their hearts, leading to faith and repentance, resulting in a baptism. which is what brings us to verse 41. It is those who were cut in their heart, verse 37, who believe repented, who are now describing verse 41 as solos. So those who received his word were baptized. and they were added that day about 3,000. Added to what? Added to the basic number that began in chapter 1 of the 120. Which is another way of saying that they were added to the church. So the way that people are added to the church, become partakers, members of this local assembly in Jerusalem, is through the preaching of the word. accompanied by the power of the Spirit, walking in the heart, bringing about the new birth, with the initial evidence of faith and repentance, with an act of obedience in baptism, then these people are now accepted as members of the Church. You find this again in verse 47. As the church continues to grow, by the means of grace our brother described, they are praising God and having favor with all people. In other words, they have a good name within the community but the lord was not adding the whole community to the church because we are told and the lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved They are gaining favor with the community. But it is not everybody who likes the church who joins the church. It is only those who are being saved. You find the same thing happen in chapter 5. After the incident of the punishing of Ananias and Sapphira. the Even though the people held them in high esteem, they knew there's a very clear distinction between us and them. And then verse 14, and more than ever, believers were added to the Lord. Multitude, both men and women. Who are being added here is believers. And so the local church therefore is a community of converted people. And I'm belaboring this point because as a person in Mombasa, I've seen this a few times. Whereby someone comes to a In our midst. And they worship there for a day, for a week, two months, three months. And now they want to claim to be members of the church. And when we put them down to ask them about their salvation testimony, they feel offended. They claim that we are now acting as if we are an assistant Holy Spirit. No, to maintain the purity of the church means that we can only admit as members of the local churches those who are true believers in Christ as far as we can tell. but secondly in terms of the nature of the local church it is not only a community of the converted it is also a community of committed people that is why we use the word they are covenanted they have come into some binding agreement one with another This is not merely an arrangement of convenience. I will show up for service whenever I can. I will be with you whenever I'm able to be. also be all over the place. No, it is a community of committed people. Not merely a loose amalgam of people who say, I'll come when I feel like it, and I'll stay away when I feel it's appropriate. Now, there's much that can be said about this. But again, let me just make that point from the text itself. If you look at the language again of verse 14 towards the very end, the relationships described there. Paul describes it using carefully chosen language. Deliberate imagery. He says in verse 14, for example, that this local church is a body. It is one body. But it is one body that comprises of many members. And he mentions some of the organs within the human body. To describe what Christians are to think of themselves as they participate in the local church. One may be an eye. One may be a leg. Another may be an ear. Another one a foot. But the point Paul is making is this. Neither of these various parts think that they can function independent of one another. Neither of them are imagining that I can do well by myself. Neither of them is thinking I can be part of Ndugu Mukenya's body today because I feel like it. When Ndugu Mukenya is healthy, he's eating well, so I'll be part of this body. And then when Mukenya grows sick, I no longer belong here. The language and the imagery used here is such as suggests, but we either rise together or we fall together. It is a language of commitment. It is not an association of convenience. Such is the nature of the local church. It is a committed community. And I say this because local churches have difficulties, don't they? And I'm here talking about even true local churches. They have difficulties and problems. And our brother talked to us about personal sanctification. There is such a thing as co-operative sanctification. If the church is made up of imperfect people, here on earth the church remains an imperfect community. And sometimes it is inconvenient, even uncomfortable to be part of a local church. And it requires commitment. The local church is a committed community. We have obligations and privileges. We have title to each other's giftings. And we have obligations to exercise our own giftings in the benefit of the others. It is a committed community. But thirdly, from the definition, we find that it is an accountable community. It's an accountable community. In our definition, we said, but in a local church, The people who have covenanted to walk together, worship together, serve Christ together, also commit under Christ's headship. And that headship is exercised through his designated servants. carry out the various duties belonging to the church. And my point here is simply this. The whole idea of accountability in the New Testament church is huge. The church is jointly accountable to Christ. But within the local church, there is accountability at two levels. First of all, Christ calls on all Christians. Christ calls on every Christian to identify himself with a group organized and spiritually led by And they submit to that congregation and its leadership. Let me give you a few examples here. If you look at Philippians chapter 1 and verse 1, and this is how Paul conceives of the church. Philippians 1 and verse 1, say Paul and Timothy, the servants of Christ Jesus, and then he's going to describe the church. to all the saints in Christ Jesus. So you notice they are saints, members of the universal church, but they are at Philippi, geographically defined, with the overseers and deacons. So he sees a church as being the saints who gather together under some biblically designated leadership. Did you remember when Christ spoke about the church for the first time? In Matthew 16 verse 18 He said I will build my church And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it And then later on we are told in Ephesians chapter 4 That when Christ ascended He took captivity captive But he also gave gifts to men And the gifts that he gave to men are mentioned from verse 11, that he gave some to the church to become apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Christ announces the building of his church. That church begins to take shape. He's putting in place some kind of a leadership there. So that now in Hebrews 13, in verse 7, the writer can actually command. He commands believers, Christians, To remember your leaders. Those who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their faith and imitate their faith. Verse 17. Obey your leaders and submit to them. Because they are You have been committed to their child. They keep watch over your souls. As those who will give an account for you. Do you see that Christ requires all who believe in him? to also make themselves accountable to him through these designated leaders who are found in the local churches. A local church is an accountable community. But the accountability is not just to the leadership. It's an accountability to one another, you see. And I don't have time to go through all the one another passages in the New Testament. How many times are we asked to submit ourselves to one another, for example? To take care of one another. to admonish one another. So when you become a partaker of a local church, a member of a local church, you are part of an accountable community. And that means two things. You are accountable to every other person there. They have a right to ask you things concerning your lives. They have a right to ask you about how you are living with your wife and how you are raising your children. Other members of the local church have a right and a responsibility to ask you if you have family devotions. And also you have a duty to do the same for them. So there is no such thing as in the life of someone who is a of a local church are saying my life is my life only. I am accountable to no one. I answer to no one. No. You are accountable to Christ. And that accountability means The leaders watch over you to guide, to correct, to rebuke, to sanction some time even through church discipline. And other believers also have a duty to watch over you. One of the things you sign up to when you become a member of a church in Mombasa, we have a membership covenant statement. And while the article says, but in becoming a member of this local church, you commit to watch over other members in life. And to not suffer sin in their lives. And to inspire them to grow in love and good works. And as our brother said, to share in their burdens and their pain and everything. It's not only a committed community, it's an accountable community. But fourthly, it's an authorized community. It is an authorized community. Now you see that all over in that definition again. There are certain things that God would have his church do. God has an agenda on earth to manifest His glory to principalities and powers. And in Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 10, we are told that the arena in which this glory of God, the manifest wisdom of God is unfolding. The idea there is the church universal. The mandate of bearing and carrying the glory of God in the world is on the shoulders of the church universal. But I'm also saying to you here now, that that mandate that falls on the shoulders of the church universal cannot find expression, cannot be manifested, except through the lives and the of these local colonies of heaven. So if for example we say that a church is called upon to worship God, to serve God, That worship is going to be expressed every Lord's Day and other days within the gatherings of the local churches. If it is on the shoulders of the church to carry out the Great Commission, going into the whole world, it is these local assemblies that are to be found in Cairo. and to be found in Momias, and to be found in Mombasa and Nairobi. And as these local assemblies are being faithful in those localities, the church universal is carrying out its mandate. If it is the mandate of raising and training disciples, providing the environment for growth and sanctification. That growth and sanctification will be seen and adding to activity in those local churches. Here's what I'm telling you. The local churches that we often despise, and sometimes we call them small because the members are few, They are the ones mandated by Christ. They are the ones authorized by Christ. To bear the glory of God in the world. Now what that means is this. Two things actually. All these things that are required of Christians to do in the church should be our joy. Participating in the activities in our local churches should not be an onerous burden something. So worship every Lord's day for example. Taking part in evangelism, which we'll talk about a little bit later. And discipleship activities. Those things might appear mundane, even tedious. But the glory of Christ is connected with them. And it is as we participate in those things, That we are discharging the mandate of the church to bear the glory of God. And so these things should be our joy. There shouldn't be a burden to us. But the second thing that that means is this. It means that we shouldn't just be content doing these things alone. Because the authority and the mandate that I'm talking about here is not merely committed to an individual or individual. They are committed to the church. Even though those who participate and partake of them are individual, they participate in those things within the context of local churches. What I'm warning about here is simply this. We must avoid this individualistic mentality. That is so rampant today. Particularly among those who feel themselves to be very gifted people. I am a gifted musician. I am a gifted teacher. I am a gifted worship leader. And my gift has grown beyond the four walls of the church. I can only be useful in some crusade here, some conference there. I am a gift to the universal body. Nobody should confine me to a local church. The mandate of the church universal is to be exercised by the church. However gifted you are, however talented you are, you must commit to a local church and you must submit and submit. Give your gifts and your talents to some local church. And it is your local church first and foremost that is entitled as a matter of rights to the gifts and the talents that you have. For such is the nature of the local church. And that brings us now, therefore, to the necessity of belonging and meaningfully participating. Now, nothing that I'm going to say from this point forward in the next 10 minutes or so is new. I've already alluded to them in those four points I've given. Now what that means is this. Now, first of all, it is a biblical imperative. That every true believer must belong to a local church. That arises from our description of the nature of the local church. And the importance of the local church in God's agenda. Belonging to a local assembly of believers is not a matter of choice for a Christian. It is a command of Christ. It is a biblical requirement. Now, from the earliest times, if I may say this, God's agenda in the world has always been corporate. You find this phrase repeated over and over again, particularly in the Old Testament. As God announces his redemptive agenda, and the phrase goes something like this. And they shall be my people. And I will be their God. God's covenant making through our history. God's redemptive dealings through our history have that consistent agenda that he will have a community, a people, not merely individuals. And so even starting from Abraham, for example, God begins with the calling of an individual. And then God calls Abraham to command his family after him. So from Abraham an individual to family now. And then from family to a community of many families. And by the time we come to the end of the Old Testament, we have a community, a nation that belongs to God. If you look at Christ himself, he says, I will build my church. And how does he build his church? By the preaching of the gospel. Saves individuals. But then we notice this. All these individuals who are saved, by starting spiritually a man into a body. And then verse 14 to the end, are required to gather into local communities. So you find in Hebrews 10 in verse 25. Believers are commanded not to neglect the assembling together. Some scholars have observed, and I think rightly so, that the command is not just the command to attend fellowship on Tuesday or Thursday or Friday, something bigger going on. because the context of Hebrews is this because of persecution and the community pressure believers are being pressured to leave the community of Christ and to go back and identify with Judaism He says you can't do that. In other words, you cannot break away from belonging to the church. It's more than just a regular attending of fellowship. Now we can multiply every day's evidence. But you notice that the purposes of God, in the way God has acted throughout history, Old Testament and New Testament, God is interested in community. God is glorified through that community. And for that reason then, belonging to a local church is not a matter of It's a matter of absolute obedience and fidelity to the purposes of God. And so to neglect to belong to a local church is not only to disobey the express command of God, it is an act of absolute sabotage. to sabotage, to undermine, to try to destroy the very program and agenda of God, which is to have a people. If you want to be just a loose individual Christian out there, that is not God's agenda. That is only God's starting point. The larger agenda is community. You cannot sabotage it. It's an imperative. it's an imperative, it's a must. Now in our text, now I'll show you very quickly in our text, that God has in fact orchestrated things such that this imperative will come to pass. Let me show you this quickly. Notice, go back to chapter 12 and verse 7. There's something interesting you read there. Now this is true of all believers. To each is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good. Now, the point of A7 is this. There is no believer who is without a gift. Alright. Each is given a manifestation. Each believer has a gift. But notice secondly, no believer is ever given a gift to serve themselves. It's always for the common good. Every believer has a gift. And the gift is never for themselves. So our way with these people is to prophesy to yourself. Our gifts are normally for the benefit of others. Notice secondly, In verse 21. No, let's begin from verse 18. I'm running out of time here, so I'm trying to see what to include, what not to include. So everyone has a gift. But none has all gifts. Actually, it's verse 28 to verse 30. Where we ask the question, are all prophets, are all apostles? And the answer is no. So every Christian has a gift. No Christian has all gifts. Notice that. Do you see what God is doing here? God is compelling believers to seek one another out and work together. Because what I have you don't have and you need it. And what you have I don't have and I need it. God put something in you for me, and something in me for you. So that now it doesn't matter whether we like each other or not. If we are going to function, the legs must carry the head, and the eyes must see the roads. God is orchestrating our coming together. God is making it impossible for any Christian to function alone. And in so doing, we are told in verse 18. In this way, God has arranged the members of the body. Verse 24 again. God has so composed the body. God knows we don't like sometimes to be community. And so he forces us to come together. The divine orchestration to enforce the imperative of belonging to a church. God has designed us in such a way that not Christian can function alone. belong to a local church. And when you belong to a local church, lastly, you must participate meaningfully in the life of a local church. Participate meaningfully. A number of things here. Participating meaningfully in a local church requires, first of all, sober thinking. It requires a mindset. Now Romans 12 verse 3 to 8 tells us that that mindset requires that you shed pride. But it also requires that you shed false humility. says, let each of you think soberly. Don't think of yourself too highly than you ought. But he also quickly adds, think according to the measure of faith. Pride is being warned against, but false humility is also being warned against. Proud people think I am self-sufficient. I can survive on my own. I don't need the other person. false humility does this. I am nothing. I am not needed. I have nothing. I am of no profit. Now both are not attitudes that help the proper functioning of a local church. Because pride breed strife. People can't get along within a local church if you think you are everything. False humility breeds paralysis. When everybody in the local church is saying, oh, me, I can't do anything. We want someone to participate. Oh, me, I can't. They mean well, perhaps. They don't want to appear to be proud. And so they are denying possession of real gifts, real talents that God has given them. And they end up Paralyzing the child. Because everybody is on the loose. So meaningful participation requires sober thinking. I don't have everything. But I have something. And however little it is, I will make it available. Now lastly, meaningful participation in local church requires accountable use of whatever gifts or talents you have. And that is what you see throughout this text. Parts of the body are mentioned. And the whole point that Paul is making is this. each part of the body owes the body something however small you owe it to the body so Paul is going to say again in Romans 12 and 1 Peter 4 Peter is going to say if anybody has a piece Let us use them. Let us use them. In other words, it is imperative, it is your duty to make yourself available to your local church. Whatever little gifts you have, whatever little talents you have, it's time to say, oh, I don't know what my giftings are. Here is the key. Just be there. In the local church. Be there in the life of the church. And whatever you are asked to do, simply do it. Whatever is being done there at any given time, just do it. And all the people around you, the leaders around you, will observe you in various environments. His brother is a gifted teacher. All the priesthood is gifted in this. So that I don't know what my gift is, is not an excuse. Just be there. Just be there. Meaningful participation also requires that we take personal interest in their faith. affairs and the well-being of every other person. Mike mentioned that. So please, if you're here and you claim to be a Christian, all of this is intended to urge you. Go find a local church. Be part of it. Once you become part of it, be available to participants with the gifts and talents that you have. In the life of your local church. Because that serves the purposes of God. And that glorifies Christ. Amen. Amen.