Unity in the Body of Christ: Embracing Our Shared Faith (271/365)

Two things we talked about at church… Two things that have more or less resonated with me within last week:

We are all part of the body of Christ.
We have the Word of God as a true resource.

1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:1-6

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one anotherRomans 12:3-5

I shared about how Dad and I were in what we eventually witnessed were the final months of his life here on earth. I shared on how we got into a quarrel which left us with getting all the old grievances out of the way, reconciling, and me telling Dad, ‘You’re the man’…

To which he responded, “You all make me the man”.

I eagerly reported on how a couple of Pastors and myself were able to finally finish what our church as a whole was in dire need of, for almost 5 decades now: A Manual of Procedures.

In the composition of said corporate documents, we were confident that things would be more streamlined, systematic, efficient and holding to higher standards, moving forward.

I shared about how this is not only our win, but a win for the entire Council of Elders, which translates to a complete win for our entire church. We are all of this church, together.

Shifted to what I’ve needed to write about – for our Afternoon service, in particular.

Yesterday, we’ve needed to meet in our own council, with the addition of two younger members of the team, two younger folks who we thought displayed maturity and initiative.

I wrote the following:

Remind them about who we are – we’re a ministry of volunteers and we’re blessed by their participation. Whether you were brought into this by others, and/or you’re eagerly wanting to join us, we are, again, blessed by your participation.

Remind them about what we do – Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.

Those are the days we’re switched on, more or less. And Ate Joy is involved in all that’s going on:

She’s actually the Aces. When Joe was around, they were the Aces. I was just preaching.

On Sunday, they were the ones who were taking care of the percolator, the communion elements, and then the food after service. They were the ones taking care of tithe collections, and determining what goes where.

They were the ones who took the time to go to Irisan every Tuesday, taking time and sacrificing their own sanity to listen to wayward kids and other folks who lost their way.

They were the ones who communicated with the canteen to make sure we had food every time we had our prayer meetings.

They were the ones who took care of everyone’s allowances after worship rehearsals… and they did all of that while participating in the worship, themselves…

…and it’s the same thing, again, come next Sunday.

I wrote all of this with the intention of reminding these folks that they were, in essence, volunteers we weren’t paying, which makes me all the more thankful that they not only stuck around, but stepped up.

With one of us exiting out of necessity, I thought it necessary to remind myself and each other, that though we are able to come together to make great impact on the community – as families, as the congregations of a specific service, or as members of an international ministry – we are all part of the body of Christ.

We are One, primarily, from, through, with, and because of Christ. We are part of His body, and this is true no matter where we are, where we’re headed, what we’re feeling physically and emotionally, what we have and don’t have in our bank accounts. I’ve reminded myself, and now others, that our being part of the body of Christ is just such a great thing, something we ought to be proud of, and something to take advantage of.

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.Colossians 2:6-7

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.Ephesians 2:19-22

Drawing out of one of the many conversations Dr. Andrew Farley has in his radio broadcast recordings: When Banks want to take a look at real currency and/or to crack down on counterfeits, they don’t call for 100 counterfeiters to make their best attempt in forgery – No, all they do is make observations on real currency, so they know that anything outside of its design and form is fake.

In mapping and routing apps, it’s not the wrong ways, but the best path that is highlighted.

I emphasized that while it is okay for us to be aware of the one and many ways we are cursed by the law, the truth of the matter is that Christ set us free from ALL of it, and we ought to be more fixated on what we have been set free INTO: That is, the blessings of Abraham.

We are blessed with the blessings of Abraham, more than we are set free from the curses.

The Word of God is Spirit and Life, and it is our premiere basis for knowing what is from the Lord, and what are counterfeits of this world.

In closing, I spoke blessings to the congregation for them to receive:

That they are blessed by no less than the One True God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Israel.

They are blessed by our forever faithful Father, and our always true Lord.

That nothing can ever separate us from the love of God, through Christ Jesus.

That God is our Father who is for us, and not against us.

That all things work for the good of those who love God, and are called according to His purpose.

I declared, that they are not under curse and condemnation, that they are under blessing, and under confirmation and commendation.

I then told them to declare for themselves:

In Christ Jesus…

I am a new creation in Jesus Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I am fashioned to be like Jesus; as Jesus is, so am I! (Romans 8:29, 1 John 4:17)

I am as God’s beloved child! (1 John 3:1, Ephesians 5:1)

I am an heir / co-heir with Christ! (Romans 8:17)

I am prosperous and successful, and whatever I touch shall prosper! (as Joseph, Genesis 39:2-3)

I am fully known and deeply loved, restored to favor! (Psalm 139:1-4, Jeremiah 31:3, 1 John 4:9, see Job 42:10, 1 Peter 5:10)

I then told them to declare to someone else:

You are surrounded by His grace and glory! (Psalm 3:3, Psalm 5:12)

You are accepted in the Beloved! (Ephesians 1:6)

You are a victor, not a victim! (Romans 8:37, 1 John 5:4)

You are shielded and protected, and no weapon formed against you shall prosper! (Psalm 91:4, Isaiah 54:17)

You are surrounded with open doors of opportunities and ministries! (Revelation 3:8, 2 Corinthians 2:12)

You are seated and strongly established and will not be shaken! (Ephesians 2:6, Psalm 16:8)

You are helped in times of trouble, I will not be moved! (Psalm 46:1-2, Psalm 121:2)

All this, right before the benediction, that is: The Lord bless you, the Lord keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you, the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

We ended the live broadcast here, and I called our outgoing staff to the front, along with all of her family present. We all spoke blessings to them, and we declared that God is the following for them:

(Jehovah Jireh) The Lord supplies all their needs according to His riches in Christ! (Philippians 4:19)

(Jehovah Shammah – The Lord who is Present) He gives them rest in Christ! (Matthew 11:28-30)

(Jehovah Shalom – The Lord is my Peace) They are not afraid nor anxious – They have perfect peace in Christ! (Philippians 4:6-7)

(Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord is my Righteousness) They are the Righteousness of God in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:21)

(Jehovah Nissi – The Lord is my Banner of Victory) In Christ, they always triumph! (2 Corinthians 2:14)

(Jehovah Ro-eh – The Lord is my Shepherd) They lack no good thing in Christ, and His goodness surely follows them all the days of their lives! (Psalm 23:1, Psalm 23:6)

(Jehovah Rapha – The Lord is my Healer) In Christ, all their sicknesses are healed; bless the Lord! (Psalm 103:2-3)

They have a bright hope and a future. God’s plan for them is to prosper in everything! (Jeremiah 29:11)

Transcribing all of this now and I’m thinking to myself that it’s a joy and privilege to remind myself and others that we have so much more in this world to enjoy, far above and beyond anything it offers and promises – All that is ‘much more’ is found in no less than our Savior and our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Through Jesus Christ we have been made part of a family, a part of His Body – where though we may find ourselves different in many, if not all things, we all find our common ground in Christ. And because Christ is our solid Rock, we resolve our differences in Him; and sure as we are able to find resolution and union in Him, so we are all able to come together to leave a greater impact on this world.

All this is to say that no matter where we may be, no matter what our bodies are experiencing, no matter what we have and don’t have, we are able to project God’s great goodness, as well as His perfect, everlasting love, that many more would come to the knowledge of His saving grace – His righteousness unto eternal life, freely available to one and all who would believe in Jesus Christ.

We have His Word, which is Spirit and Life; We have His Spirit, we are free from the curses, and have nothing but blessings coming our way from the Almighty.

Death and life may be in the power of the tongue, but as for us, we speak His Word. We speak the Spirit in our relationships, we speak Life to all our circumstances. We speak towards hearts and minds: freedom from curses, and nothing less than free flowing blessings, that those we love would be brought to repentance unto salvation.

All for His will to be done, for the unity of His body, for the expansion of His Kingdom, and for the utmost glory of His name. Halleluyah, and amen!

271340/365000