Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Unity of the churches - God’s will
1 Corinthians 12:12-31“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of It.” vs.27
Have you ever felt invisible or irrelevant or not important in the Church? Have you felt burdened by Church politics and cliques? Perhaps it is time for us to recapture the vision of what the Church is meant to be.
The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has given us a beautiful revelation of the Church as being like the human body. The body is one but made up of many parts. So, all of us together make up the body of Christ. The body is only complete when all parts are present and work together. Every part of the body has a unique role to play. We should not compare ourselves with others and think that we are not important (v15-18). It is God who sovereignly decides what role we are to fulfill (v18) and equips up with unique gifts for the edification of the Church. This also means that if we are not fulfilling our role, then the Church - the body of Christ is missing out. Similarly, when looking at other members, we should view them with the recognition that we need what they have to offer (v21) and that the Church is not complete without them.
God's desire is that there be no division and that we deeply care for each other - suffering and rejoicing together. (v25-26). God has given each of us various roles and gifts (v28-30). We need to identify, understand, and nurture our God given gifts so that we can serve others with them. The body of Christ includes believers all over the world (v13). Christ is the head of the Church (Eph 5:23), and as we submit to Him, and serve each other, we are fulfilling His will.
Let us examine ourselves and work together towards achieving the model of the Church described here.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for establishing the Church as per Your divine purpose and will. Help us to understand the role You have for each one of us in the Church and to fulfill it. Help us to love the members of Your church selflessly and serve them. Through this may the vision You have for the Church be fulfilled. In Jesus name we pray. Amen
Thought for the day
The Church is God’s precious gift to mankind, giving us a glimpse of heaven on earth; Let us play our role and build up the Church.
Tinku Alex
Carmel MTC, Boston