Paul is talking about the roles of people in the body of Christ being similar to the roles of your arm, eyes & ears to your body. Each organ has a separate and unique job. Yet each one is needed to make up your body.
Nobody walks around and just decides, I don't like my right ear, so I'm not going to use it. The same with an arm or any other part. As a matter of fact as we grow & develop we strive to become more agile, coordinated and stronger. We want to be the best we can be. Why would think any different concerning the body of Christ?
According to God's plan for us, the believer, we become the body of Christ as we become believers. And being a part of the body, we too have unique jobs to make the body become effective in this world. The problem is, for one reason or another, many people "in the body" are like an arm that's never been used and is just hanging there. There's not much strength in it and is therefore deemed not useful.
There's 2 people that could be at fault here and odds are both have a degree of fault.
1)As WE become a follower of Christ, part of the discipleship process is to help us develop our giftings & talents. We are to use those God-given abilities to make the body better, stronger & more effective. God gave you that talent for a reason and needs you.
However, there is a attitude that has kept the body from being all that it can by claiming "it's the paid staff member of the churches job." While the paid staff is vital to a growing church, they can't do it all themselves. And many churches only have a pastor that is paid and he certainly can't do it alone.
2)Ephesians says that the role of the pastor is to equip you "the Saints" for the work of the ministry. Now if a pastor or paid church staffer isn't equipping you, then they too share a fault in this responsibility. Pastors we need to be more effective in equipping the body. Just as an athlete works hard and trains hard we too need to train the body. The Body will never be strong or coordinated if we fail to do so.
So I close with this, are you an effective part of the body? Are you doing all YOU can do FOR the body. Are you allowing yourself to trained and equipped? Is your pastor equipping you? If not go to him or her and get started! Because just has Paul said, "He PLACED you into the body..." You are where you are for a reason. God takes it seriously what church you are in. So be very careful when you think you need to start going to another church or you don't like something going on at your church. You just might jeopardize your effectiveness in the Body of Christ.
Be the body and become effective!