Know Your Role

There is little need for talking about it; there is just doing it. One of the things we learned in our backpacking adventures is the need to set up camp quickly. Not only do we want to enjoy the camp as soon as possible, we are often racing against the dark storm clouds slowly creeping over us.

To be efficient in this necessary chore, we assign roles and responsibilities. There is a crew for the tents, gathering the water, securing the food supply, and setting up the rain tarps. There is little explanation; everyone knows their role, they do it, and we get the job done.

During our backpacking trips, we’ve been studying the book of Ephesians for our family Bible time. Ephesians 4 describes roles in the Church, which Paul calls the Body of Christ. "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-12). He goes on to say “when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:16). Just like each part of the body has a role, each believer has a role in building up the body of Christ (cf. I Corinthians 12:12-31). No role is any more important than the other. Each part of you is important for a healthy, fully functional body, each member of our family is important for efficiently setting up camp, and each member of the church is important for building the body of Christ.

But Paul doesn’t stop at the church. He identifies roles within the family. In Ephesians 5:22-6:4, He lays out clear roles and responsibilities. Husbands are to love their wives as much as Christ loved the church. Wow! what an incredible statement! Christ sacrificed everything by leaving heaven, taking on the role of a servant, and becoming obedient to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:5-8). God says husbands should have that same kind of sacrificial love for their wives.

When a husband loves like this, it is a lot easier for a wife to fulfill her role of submitting to her husband like the church submits to Christ. This does not mean that the wife is inferior to her husband. But she willing places herself under the authority of her husband, which should be a place of safety and protection. It also does not say that all women are to submit to all men but that wives should submit to their husbands.

Finally, children are to obey and honor their parents in everything . There is no age limit set. As long as they are in the role of a child, meaning they are being provided for by their parents, then children should obey their parents. However, fathers must not provoke their children to wrath by being unreasonable, harsh, or hypocritical. Rather, fathers should loving train their children to grow in the Lord.

When setting up our camp for the night, everyone knows their role and does it. Do you know your role? Are you building up the church by evangelizing the lost and encouraging fellow believers? Are you a loving husband, submissive wife, or obedient child?

Photo by Jenny Venturo

Scripture quotations are from the ESV^® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

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