You are Part of a Body
This whole week is devoted to the concept of community with the body of Christ. In Ephesians 4:11-13 we read,
“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
Today we live in a brand new age of Christianity and Christian community. Seventy years ago, everyone that identified as a Christian went to church weekly, and joined their denominational programs for development and education. Today, this is not so.
Twenty-six years ago in 1998, I was directed by the Holy Spirit to start a weekly television program. In two months, we had put together a program for television for the first time. Our TV programs now span a number of northern states, and our viewership is enormous, to God be the glory! Our half-hour television programs are viewed by those supplementing their home church attendance, by the infirm, by the incarcerated, by the home-bound, and by those who have no Christian affiliation at all. Our ministry still reaches those same groups today.
In 1997, those early days of the internet was still very new, and few used it, except for business websites and email. Now, 27 years later, that usage has dramatically changed, as we all get much of our information and teaching from the internet. As a result of that trend, our ministry now streams on multiple platforms all at once, and we have thousands of LIVE viewers, and in addition, possibly a hundred times as many viewers of our free online content.
This new era in technology has changed the way most younger people perceive how they are to relate to others in the body of Christ. In Acts 2:42-43 we read,
“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.”
There is something about training up the new saints that requires person to person contact. In fact, it is very difficult to see if you are growing at all, without weekly contact with other like-minded believers.
Notice this explanation in Proverbs 27:17,
“Just as iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character of his friend.”
Iron is used to sharpen iron, notice a chef and how he handles his blades. So too, as metal on metal, man in the face of man, in the presence of another man, sharpens his friend.
In Christianity, this manner of sharpening helps us, by developing proper habits and godly character. You develop culture and a polished manner, through contact with others; you begin to change because you have been challenged. We get to smooth our ruggedness, by being around other Christians for the greater good of the kingdom of God.
So, we need that closeness with others, that the internet does not provide, particularly in the initial stages of our new walk with God.
Our prayer for today:
Father in heaven, I ask today that You show me and direct me to have better relationships with others in the body of Christ, and show me how to develop those good habits, in Jesus’ name, amen!
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