We do play a role in the current state of the church and its future. . . . Jesus told his disciples of all times what that role is: "You will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8).

Luther wrote, "We are not the ones who can preserve the church, nor were our forefathers able to do so. . . . We are not the church's guardians. It is not preserved by us. . . . If it were up to us, the church would perish before our very eyes, and we together with it. . . ." The quotes came at the end of one of Luther's many attacks on false doctrine, "Against the Antinomians."

What struck me was how much the quote runs against the way some commonly think of our role in the church. When we see that the church is battered and beaten in the world, we begin to assume that it is because we have not done enough to support the church or that our church leaders have failed. The same happens when we see statistics and studies that show the church is losing its influence and becoming obsolete. So the questions come: What are we going to do? What have we been doing wrong? What can we do to change the outcome?

It's good to reexamine our efforts in the Lord's kingdom. But the questions like those above often create more guilt than encouragement. The reason is simple. They all focus on what we can do—how we must change in order to succeed—and imply that we are not only the guardians of the church but those responsible for its growth and even its existence in our world.

In the same place Luther also wrote, "A thousand years ago you and I were nothing, and yet the church was preserved at that time without us. He who is called 'who was' and 'yesterday' had to accomplish this." That puts us in our place, I think. It brings us to our knees, robs us of our pride, and directs us to Jesus—the Alpha and Omega, the church's head.

If you want another dose of humility, Luther went on, "Likewise we will contribute nothing toward the preservation of the church after our death. He who is called 'who is to come' and 'forever' will accomplish it" (all quotes from Luther's Works 47:118). In spite of the fact that we return to Luther's words for insight, the church did not depend on him during the Reformation and still does not depend on him or his words. The church owes everything to the Lord of the church, Jesus.

We do play a role in the current state of the church and its future, but not in the way we so frequently like to imagine. Jesus told his disciples of all times what that role is: "You will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). That directive is for all believers, not just professional church workers. We have been touched by the message of the gospel. We have forgiveness, life, and salvation. We all are witnesses.