About Jesus     Steve Sweetman

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Part 1

Functional Relationships

 

The apostle Paul says that those of us who have given ourselves to Lord Jesus  Christ are parts of 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.  

 

First of all, we are Jesus’ new earthly Body.  His Spirit lives in us.  We represent Jesus on earth because He’s not here in bodily form to represent Himself.  We have a major responsibility.

 

The joints that are formed when body parts come together in the Body of Christ are both “relational and functional”.  

 

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.  We find support for one another in these relationships.

 

Beyond finding support in these relationship, 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 it's 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.

 

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.  This is what the Body of Christ is all about.  It's not organizational.  It's organic.  It's joints functioning together in the service of Jesus. 

 

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