I’ve been thinking of the "Body of Christ" of late. So what’s
new? Permit me to think out loud a bit, or should I say, "type out
loud".
Paul says that people who have given themselves to Jesus are the Body
of Christ. Sometimes I think we’re just a big pile of mismatched bones
thrown on top of each other in a meeting room, and those on the bottom of
the pile are beginning to suffocate for lack of spiritual oxygen.
So here’s my thoughts. First of all, we are Jesus’ Body,
representing Him on earth because He’s not here in bodily form to
represent Himself. That’s a major responsibility on our part.
As I sit here and type I’m thinking bones being joined together in
His body. The joints that are formed when bones come together are both
"relational and functional". Here’s what I mean.
Joints are "relational". By this I mean joints are natural
friendships that care for one another. Joints aren’t forced upon you by
someone in authority. They are natural friendships that Jesus has put
together. These relationships are built on our common bond with Jesus. We
thus share His life as well as our lives with one another.
Beyond being relational, I think Jesus wants our friendships to be
"functional". This means doing something together in His
service. Maybe we’re involved in leading a prayer or Bible study group.
Maybe we’re reaching out to those who aren’t Christians. Maybe its
helping the elderly. This activity can be any simple expression of Jesus
to others. Whatever the activity it is, no matter how big or how small, we
are "functioning together" in doing something in the service of
our Lord.
We might want to think for a moment. "Who am I joined with"?
"Who are my friends in Jesus"? "How strong is our
relationship"? "Can we be doing anything in the service of our
Lord together"? Maybe its time to think and pray for direction in
this matter.
I think we need to be more than a pile of disjointed bones thrown on
top of each other in a meeting room, irritating each other as we’re
squished together in the pile. Think about being joined together with
those Jesus has placed you with in friendship and service. To me this is
what the Body of Christ is all about. Its not organizational. Its organic.
Its natural joints functioning together in the service of Jesus. Is this
possible? I think so.
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