June 18, 2019 NO PLACE FOR LONE RANGERS
Romans 12:4-5 “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
1 Corinthians 12:20-21, 25-26 “But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” “that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
Body life as pictured in the New Testament is in sharp contrast with the culture in which we live. The term ‘body life’ refers to how believers interact with other members of the body of Christ-the church. We live in a time in which it seems that many are isolating themselves from involvement with others. Even within the church, we see the trend of less involvement; perhaps we go to the church meeting, we greet a few people, listen to the message-then we go home and back to our private lives. Of course, this view is not true of all believers-some are connected and involved. I’m not being critical, just trying to be honest; I recognize within myself the tendency to live to some degree an isolated life. If there is anything clear in scripture, it is that we need each other whether we believe it or not-that’s how God designed His church-the body of believers. Actually, we are not truly complete individually; we find completeness and the sense of fulfillment only when we are connected to and taking our place in the body. Here is an interesting truth; we even need those members who are not our ‘favorite ’people-you know what I mean. Where we lack in certain areas, others are strong in that area and we benefit from them. Another fact of body life is that it can be ‘messy’; when members with different personalities and backgrounds come together, there will be some bumps in the road and even conflict. But that is the beauty of it; God brings us together and He is transforming each of us and revealing to us that in Him we have unity. The miracle is that God is able to bring various members of the body together in unity, regardless of race, cultural differences, economic status, education, and personality differences. This beautiful dynamic is not found in the various secular organizations. If you are a believer, then you are a member of the body of Christ, and you have a place and a function within the body. We see this truth in 1 Corinthians 1:18: “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.” Let us not miss or overlook the fact that God calls each believer to be connected to His body that we might fulfill our function within the body. It is an undisputable fact that the body needs us, and we need the body. May we be counter-culture and discover that God has placed us in His body, and it is only there that we are enriched, encouraged, equipped, blessed, and able to supply where others may lack. 1 Corinthians 12:13, 27 “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
Blessings, Buddy
June 18, 2019 NO PLACE FOR LONE RANGERS
Romans 12:4-5 “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
1 Corinthians 12:20-21, 25-26 “But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” “that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
Body life as pictured in the New Testament is in sharp contrast with the culture in which we live. The term ‘body life’ refers to how believers interact with other members of the body of Christ-the church. We live in a time in which it seems that many are isolating themselves from involvement with others. Even within the church, we see the trend of less involvement; perhaps we go to the church meeting, we greet a few people, listen to the message-then we go home and back to our private lives. Of course, this view is not true of all believers-some are connected and involved. I’m not being critical, just trying to be honest; I recognize within myself the tendency to live to some degree an isolated life. If there is anything clear in scripture, it is that we need each other whether we believe it or not-that’s how God designed His church-the body of believers. Actually, we are not truly complete individually; we find completeness and the sense of fulfillment only when we are connected to and taking our place in the body. Here is an interesting truth; we even need those members who are not our ‘favorite ’people-you know what I mean. Where we lack in certain areas, others are strong in that area and we benefit from them. Another fact of body life is that it can be ‘messy’; when members with different personalities and backgrounds come together, there will be some bumps in the road and even conflict. But that is the beauty of it; God brings us together and He is transforming each of us and revealing to us that in Him we have unity. The miracle is that God is able to bring various members of the body together in unity, regardless of race, cultural differences, economic status, education, and personality differences. This beautiful dynamic is not found in the various secular organizations. If you are a believer, then you are a member of the body of Christ, and you have a place and a function within the body. We see this truth in 1 Corinthians 1:18: “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.” Let us not miss or overlook the fact that God calls each believer to be connected to His body that we might fulfill our function within the body. It is an undisputable fact that the body needs us, and we need the body. May we be counter-culture and discover that God has placed us in His body, and it is only there that we are enriched, encouraged, equipped, blessed, and able to supply where others may lack. 1 Corinthians 12:13, 27 “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
Blessings, Buddy
RSS Feed