The Body of Christ

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are no longer individuals floundering around in a sea of disconnected entities searching for selfish desires.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we are children of God and a carefully designed part of the body of Christ.  Our selfish desire has been put aside and our lives now center on loving God and loving our neighbor.  We are not instructed to walk this path alone – we are taught to seek out our specific mission as an integral part of the body of Christ.  “For just as we have many parts in one body and all the body’s parts do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another.”  (Romans 12:4-5)  In order to be a fully functioning body, believers need to interact with each other on a regular basis.  Fellowship with other believers is essential for a fully functioning body of Christ.

Connected to Other Believers

Christians need other Christians.  We are nothing if we are not connected together.  Don’t let this world trick you into believing isolation is good for some people – isolation is not good for any follower of Jesus Christ.  Your contribution is needed and you are in need of the contribution of others.  “But now there are many parts, 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.”  (1 Corinthians 12:20-21)  We each have our specific talents and resources that provide the bodily functions that others are unable to supply.  When we stay connected to other believers, our lives are expanded in ways we would be unable to achieve on our own.  When we stay connected to other believers, we have the opportunity to help others with our unique gifts.

Sharing God’s Love

The body of Christ is a tool used by God to share his love throughout the world.  When any member of the body disconnects, the flow of love is disrupted until that connection is reestablished.  The more that believers are connected together, the more opportunity we have to spread God’s love in all directions.   “The whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”  (Ephesians 4:16)  When we are disconnected, not only are we unable to share love with others, but we also limit the amount of love that is able to flow in our direction as well.  Maintaining a fully functional body of Christ is essential to the well-being of all believers.

Serving God

Of course, there is more to maintaining your connection to the body of Christ than simply attending church on Sunday.  In fact, some who attend church are still not connected.  Our body of Christ connection is totally dependent on our willingness to serve God by serving others.  When we reach out to fellow believers with love, we are energizing our body of Christ connection.  This kind of connection often starts at home where we have a greater opportunity for intimate interaction.  Our close friends and acquaintances at work or school are likely next on our list for special consideration.  Just as we all are uniquely gifted, we all have individualized body of Christ connections.  Precisely when and where we connect is unimportant.  Our central focus has to be on becoming one with Christ by participating fully and completely in the body of Christ.

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Relying on God