Where do you fit in?

Success is really all about knowing your part and being faithful to play your part.

18 But God has carefully designed each member and placed it in the body to function as he desires. 19 A diversity is required, for if the body consisted of one single part, there wouldn’t be a body at all! 20 So now we see that there are many differing parts and functions, but one body.

21 It would be wrong for the eye to say to the hand, “I don’t need you,” and equally wrong if the head said to the foot, “I don’t need you.” 22 In fact, the weaker our parts, the more vital and essential they are. 23 The body parts we think are lesshonorable we treat with greater respect. And the body parts that need to be covered in public we treat with propriety and clothe them. 24 But some of our body parts don’t require as much attention. Instead, God has mingled the body parts together, giving greater honor to the “lesser” members who lacked it. 25 He has done this intentionally so that every member would look after the others with mutual concern, and so that there will be no division in the body. 26 In that way, whatever happens to one member happens to all. If one suffers, everyone suffers. If one is honored, everyone rejoices.

27 You are the body of the Anointed One, and each of you is a unique and vital part of it.
1 Corinthians 12:18-27 The Passion Translation (TPT) 

Every believer has a special place in the body of Christ (the church) and we all should be content with our place within the body God has placed us.  Every part of the body is important and has a significant role to play in making up the whole body.
 
Paul goes on to list some of the body parts – apostles, prophets, teachers… which are all leadership roles within the body. He says:
 
29 Not everyone is an apostle or a prophet or a teacher. Not everyone performs miracles…
1 Corinthians 12:29 The Passion Translation (TPT)
 
The point here is that we can’t all do the same thing. We all have the same mission and purpose together as a whole, but within that mission, we all have different functions. We need to realize that since we are one body, these functions operate together. God hasn’t called anyone to accomplish something significant, alone. We need each other. No one can have all the gifts and abilities do everything necessary to accomplish something significant – God works through teams. We all have unique gifts which complement each other. Even in business – you cannot do it alone, successfully. If you think about any successful person, there are many people around them who have helped them get to where they are. As Dr Dean Radtke says, “There are benefits to working alone, but success isn’t one of them!”

11 And he has appointed some with grace to be apostles, and some with grace to be prophets, and some with grace to be evangelists, and some with grace to be pastors, and some with grace to be teachers.
12 And their calling is to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry, and as they do this they will enlarge and build up the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-12 The Passion Translation (TPT)

Jesus appointed and empowered with grace, some believers to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors, and some to be teachers. We are not all called to operate in what is commonly known as “the fivefold leadership gifting.” The calling of those gifted to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers is to (verse 12) equip and prepare all believers for their own ministry to help build the body of Christ.
 
You are called to be a part of God’s master plan by fulfilling the special call that He has placed on your life. Success is knowing your part and being faithful to do your part.