What Can I Add to the Kingdom of God?

Rev Cathy Kaminski, lead pastor of Trinity Community Church in Cincinnati, OH. She loves coffee, healthy living and people. Each day she strives to be faithful in the small details of life.

I’ve witnessed an epidemic spread throughout the Church and it breaks my heart. The symptoms are easily overlooked. The sickness seems far from terminal, but the effects are so catastrophic it can change the trajectory of an entire ministry and will eventually lead to death. What is this infectious disease? What is so threatening it chokes off life and kills the spirit?

The illness: failing to see why one person’s contribution matters.

Without meaning to we elevate certain roles and functions in the Church. We esteem governmental leadership and vocational ministry. We celebrate the big and overlook the small. In doing so ministry erodes at its core and little by little the impact of the Church lessens. This effects both men and women, of all ages and seasons of life, but sadly, I have seen this cut the hope from my sisters in Christ and I desperately yearn for this lie to be exposed!

“Who am I that God would use me?” We are not the first ones in existence to have doubts about ourselves and feel inadequate. We are definitely not the last. Throughout scripture we see men and women of faith ask this question. Sarah asked. Moses asked. Jeremiah asked. Mary asked. So many people voice this self-doubt. But here is the difference: they brought it to God. Their questions did not stifle their willingness to follow. Even when they did not understand how they could be used or failed to see how they could contribute to God’s work, they went to God. They were willing to trust that the Lord’s perspective was greater than theirs and they followed.

But it’s not just the prophets, matriarchs & patriarchs, the evangelists and pastors this principal applies to…it’s all of us. The crux of the epidemic is not necessarily with those called to leadership or ministry, it’s with the priesthood of believers. The men and women who are vital to the local church. The people who have been called to be a part of the family of God. They are the literal hands and feet of Christ in the world. These are the ones who count themselves out! These are the ones whose faith, service and willingness to follow changes the future of the Church.

We think about the big acts of faith: moving to another country to do mission work, starting a church plant, quitting our jobs to do ministry, etc. But we overlook the small acts. Cleaning up after Sunday’s coffee hour, teaching Sunday school, preparing a meal for new parents, bringing a parishioner to a doctor’s appointment, praying for the church, etc. The collective weight of these Kingdom acts transforms the world!

I think of the maidservant of Naaman’s wife, (2 Kings 5:1-19). She was an Israelite slave girl in captivity. We don’t even know her name. She was not some great leader. She did not do some monumental act. She did not lead armies, heal the sick, or preach to the nations. What did this young Hebrew girl do? She had faith in God and His mighty power. Although she found herself in a foreign land among foreign gods, when her master’s husband fell ill she shared her faith in the Living God. When no one could heal Naaman of his leprosy, this slave girl spoke up and pointed to the prophet Elisha and the God of the Hebrews. Such a small act, with profound consequences. When all the physicians, sorcerers, and false prophets could do nothing for Naaman, this young woman told him about the one true God. Her faith, her boldness, her willingness to share about God ultimately brought about Naaman’s healing and gave glory to the God she loved. How many other unnamed women out there have the potential to be used by God? How many of us are being called to live out our faith, be transparent with our hope and point others towards the God who heals? How many small acts are before us that have greater impact than we could ever fathom?

The sickness that threatens the Church is as simply as overlooking the small acts of faith that God places before us each day! “Who am I that God would use me?” God created you to be loved and to love others! You were knit together in a unique way, called precious and ordained for this time and this place! Apathy could kill the church. But faithfulness in the day to day will be Her hope! Please don’t count yourself out. Please don’t belittle your contribution. Cast light on the lie that you don’t matter! Be faithful in the small things. And allow God to amaze you with the impact.