We are one. One body.
The church around the world is one body. Each person belongs to the whole. Everyone who believes is a part of everyone who believes. There can be no separation or there is no life. It’s organic. It’s a living, breathing whole. This is not a club, or a membership, or an association, or a coalition, or an affiliation, or an organization, or a partnership, or an administration, or a gang, or a demographic. It’s a body. And it’s alive.
It’s a body — skeleton, sinew, muscle tissue, nerves, joints, eyes, ears, nose and throat. Organs, glands, skin, hair, blood. Seemly parts; unseemly parts. This body has a mind, and the mind is Christ. At His direction, it moves in unison all over the world.
When one part hurts, the body hurts. When one part is disgraced, the body is disgraced. When one part is honored, the body is honored.
You cannot be a part of this body and ignore the mind of Christ. You cannot be a part of this body and not pay attention to what Jesus says because Jesus is the head. You can’t be a part of this body and go your own way. You are a part of this body because you have willfully submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and what He says and teaches is what directs you. That’s how we can be on different sides and yet the same.
As part of the body of Christ, you will find your body everywhere. You will find it in places where you don’t usually go like the other side of the fence, or the other side of the tracks. You will find your body among people who are different than you. You will find it among those who are commonly thought of as enemies.
Put it above all labels and denominations and factions and political parties and all groupings — socially, economically, ethnically, and racially. This is the body of Christ and we are one.
One body of Christ. Look for it. Find it. Maintain it. While everything is coming apart, we are coming together.
Leave a Reply