He appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters. (1 Cor. 15:5–6)
I committed to my home church because of one eighty-year-old man who remembered my name. As a college student in a town of many church options, I visited a few nearby churches before committing to College Wesleyan Church (CWC) for a semester. As the semester drew to a close, I reevaluated my commitment and started a short list of other churches I might visit in the spring, until on my last Sunday, John Heavilin—an eighty-year-old with whom I had been ushering a few weeks—came up and said, “I’ll be praying for you over break, and I’m looking forward to having you back on my ushering crew in the spring!” That morning, I committed to stay at CWC for the remainder of my college career. All it took was one person who remembered my name.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul reminded his hearers of two categories of people: the “Twelve” who are notable leaders in the public ministry of the church and the “more than five hundred” others, whose ministry is nameless. If you look closely, you will likely identify the same categories of people in your community: a few disciples who serve the church in public ministry and many more who quietly, namelessly serve the people in front of them. God needs both. Who might God be calling you to see and to serve right where you are?
Identify one thing you can do to “see” someone near you.
Ethan Linder is the pastor of collegians and young adults at College Wesleyan Church (IN) and contributing editor for Education & Clergy Development of The Wesleyan Church.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
