A Gas Station Parable

Our little town of 1,500 people currently has a little problem - at least until December 15, 2017. You see, we've always had, for as long as I can remember, at least two gas stations. Growing up there were three, but one ended up closing simply because of the rising gas prices. The other two have managed to stay in business, and depending on the time of day either one can be somewhat crowded. When I was a teenager I had a job in each of these places, and for the most part, neither one has changed all that much.

That is until March of this year. You see, one of them sold to Casey's General Store, thus leaving our community with only one gas station. I don't have a for sure date on when Casey's will open up but word on the street is it won't be until December 15 of this year. In my opinion, it can't get here fast enough!

Now, this is not because there is anything wrong with the other gas station. It's a great place to get gas, a Milky Way, Icee, or some fried chicken. But here's the problem that we face: this poor little station can't support the whole community. First of all, it doesn't have diesel, so those needing that now have to go out of town. And secondly, this gas station was never set up to bear the weight of all the petroleum needs that 1500 people, not to mention the people in surrounding areas, have.

I just got back from filling up the church van and boy, was this place packed. I thought I was going at an off time, avoiding both the lunch and before/after school traffic, but it was still packed! You have to wait in line to get gas, you have to maneuver around people, cars, and sometimes animals (after all, we are in Perry County, and that's how we roll!), and if you want to avoid someone honking at you, you have to fill up and get out of the way as quickly as possible. It's sort of put an added bit of stress on us all every time we need to fill up the tank. Bottom line: We need more than one gas station here because this one is getting overworked. I can't imagine what it must be like for the employees and the management to stay at full capacity, every open hour during the week!

As I drove back to the church building, I couldn't help but think how this too often serves as an analogy of the reality in many churches. 

How so? 

Consider one verse from the text I'm preaching this Sunday:

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace (1 Peter 4:10)

You've heard of the 80/20 rule, haven't you? That is, that typically in a standard church, 20% of the people are doing 80% of the work. I have no official data to back that up, but from my experience, this does prove to be the situation in too many places. 

Many gifted people are coming on Sunday mornings but leaving the work of the ministry in the life of the church to only a select few. And honestly, the select few can't support the whole community. There's nothing wrong with the few, and this is no indictment upon them whatsoever. It's just that the reality is that the entire Body is mean to use the gifts God has given them in order to serve one another. When the task of ministry is left to only a few, often burnout ensues. Maybe not immediately, but eventually, the sheep feel overburdened by the load that they are carrying. And for good reason! They were never meant to shoulder it by themselves. 

What can you do?

First of all, realize that we live in a 'me-first' culture. The idea of using your gifts to serve someone else is quite contrary to the way the world thinks. But they are not actually your gifts, are they? They are God's gifts to you. In a way, this is a beautiful picture of the gospel. You see, the greatest gift God has ever given us is His Son. This is Paul's argument for encouraging Corinth to give financially. "Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!" (2 Cor. 9:15). So, when we serve one another, not only are we doing what God has instructed us to do, but we are also mimicking our Heavenly Father who gave us the greatest gift. When we fail to serve, we make a mockery out of the gospel because no only do we show that it has no power to effect real change but we also give the false allusion that God is not generous. 

Secondly, if you feel overburdened, don't carry that by yourself. Talk with your pastor(s) before it gets to a point where you feel like you have to give up everything. Don't be afraid to share the load. What if someone else gets the credit? So what? This is for the glory of God (1 Peter 4:11).

If you are just a 'pew sitter' you must consider what God has given you and what he has told you! He has gifted you particularly with His varied grace, and He has told you to use those gifts to serve one another. Who are we to use God's gifts in a way not intended? I often think about those talented in the world using their talents for the kingdom of darkness, when they could be using them for the glory of Christ. But, Christians are just as guilty (if not more so!) when we refuse to use the good gifts God has given us to serve the local church. Perhaps you've been blessed financially, or can teach, or can be an encourager, or a prayer warrior, or can sing, or are creative, or are technologically savvy, or the list goes on and on. There are literally thousands of ways that you can be serving in the local church from helping at VBS to calling someone who missed in order to check on them. The point is, don't overburden your brothers and sisters by neglecting 1 Peter 4:10. Use your gifts to serve the body!

When we fail to serve one another, it makes the ones serious about serving essentially serve at full capacity with no real breaks during the year. That might can be sustained for a period of time, but overall it's not healthy. It's not healthy to the church because those serving are shouldering more than they need to. It's not healthy to the ministry because inevitably those serving are doing things less efficient than they could be done (i.e. if they are an 'eye' trying to do the work of an 'ear'). And finally, it's not healthy to those not serving since they are sinning by not obeying the clear instruction of God to use His gifts to serve one another in love.  

Perryville, AR wasn't meant to have only one gas station, and your church wasn't meant to only have a few people serving. That ministry mindset is unsustainable. Serve one another as that is part of loving one another earnestly (1 Peter 4:8). 

If you are already are serving, pray that the Lord would continue to give you the strength He supplies to serve well for His glory (1 Peter 4:11). If you are a pastor, encourage and teach your people to use their gifts to serve one another. And, if you aren't serving, repent and ask the Lord to show you in what ways you can use His gracious gifts to serve your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in your local church for the glory of God.