Your Place in the Body

2 Corinthians 10:13–18 CSB

13 We, however, will not boast beyond measure but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned to us, which reaches even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We are not boasting beyond measure about other people’s labors. On the contrary, we have the hope that as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel to the regions beyond you without boasting about what has already been done in someone else’s area of ministry. 17 So let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. 18 For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends.

You have a Metron (place)

Measure=Metron in the greek. It means an area that has been given. The word gives an imagery of a measured out field in agriculture to be planted and harvested or an athletic image of a lane to run in. Paul is essentially saying “I know the lane I am called to run in, and the field God has given me to work for a harvest.”. Paul was confident and satisfied with his role as an apostle, which is essentially a church planter.

Your Metron is given to you as a gift from God. We see it in Ephesians 4

Ephesians 4:7 CSB

7 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Paul is talking about the gifts that he lists a few verses down in Ephesians 4:11

Ephesians 4:11–13 CSB

11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

Christ saved you on purpose and for a purpose. He comes and gives us gifts so that we can do the work of ministry to serve the body of christ and reach the lost. 1 Peter 4, 1 Corinthians 12, and Romans 12, all tell us that we have all been gifted. You cannot claim to not have a place in the Body of Christ.

Staying in your lane

You cannot be somebody else, you cannot run somebody else’s race. Paul even says we are not boasting in the labor of others, meaning that he can only boast about what he has in God. He was not interested in overextending himself beyond the limits of what other people are doing. He was focused on the field he had to work and the lane he had to run in. We get ourselves into trouble when we start desiring the positions of others. This is true outside of the church in everyday life as well. We have been specifically designed and created to run in our own lane. When we start desiring someone else’s ministry, life, status, family, marriage, career or anything else we start crossing over into dangerous ground. The person God created you to be cannot fit the lane designed for someone else.

When you start trying to merge over into someone else’s place you are not going to be able to carry they weight and fulfill the requirements that you would have to in order to sustain that race. Learn how to be satisfied with what God has given you and serve him where you are right now.

1 Corinthians 7:17 CSB

Let each one live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him. This is what I command in all the churches.

So many people want move on from where they are. we pray earnestly for God to take us somewhere else. But what if God has you exactly where he wants you? I’m not necessarily talking about your lifestyle, because God would never call you to live in a sinful way. But what I am talking about is your current giftings, your current job, your current circumstances. Serve God where you are with what you have.

Increasing your area

Paul’s prayer was that as the faith of the corinthians grew, that God would enlarge their territory so that they could reach out beyond where they were. It is interesting to understand that Paul goes from the greek “Metron” used in verse 13 for both “measure” and “area”, to “Kanõn” in verses 15 and 16 also used for the “area of ministry”. Kanõn means “assignment”. Paul was not praying for a new lane to run in, he was praying for a larger lane. His desire was not to get into someone else’s lane, It was to have a greater surface area to run in, a bigger field to plant in.

The trick to more comes back to being faithful with where you are. Jesus said “when you are faithful with little you will be made ruler over much.”. How you steward the little you have, reveals your heart, your work ethic, your faith and how much you can be trusted.

So how do we find our Metron?

First, The body, the church, is supposed to help you connect to your purpose. And what I have found is that the best way to connect to your purpose is to be as connected as you can be to the body of christ. Just start connecting everywhere. Come to bible study, invite someone to lunch on Sunday afternoon to connect with other people, volunteer for as much as you can. You won’t find your purpose sitting at home watching TV.

Second, your purpose may just be connected to what you already know how to do. Matthew was a tax collector and very detail oriented, he wrote the most detailed of the books of the gospel. Peter, Andrew ,James and John where fisherman and Jesus told them “you have been catching fish in a boat, come with me I will make you fishers of men.”.

Finally, what are you good at and passionate about? God most likely has gifted you and given you a passion for what he wants you to do. Sometimes that passion has to be discovered through the using of your gifts.