Body of Christ

September 26, 2019

“Christ Lives In You”

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27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. — Colossians 1:27 

Colossians 1:24-29 NLT

Just as Jesus suffered, we, His followers must also suffer. All the disciples and early followers of Jesus were persecuted. Christ is still suffering through His body, the church. Just as Paul was given a special work to do in revealing the message of God to the Gentiles, God has given each of us a work to do in revealing His plan to those that are placed in our paths each day. The secret is not that Jesus would come as the Messiah; it wasn’t that Jesus would die on the cross, be buried and be resurrected after 3 days. Then He would ascend into heaven to remain in God’s presence interceding for us. All these things were prophesied and well-known. The secret was that He would abide in those who believed on Him. His Holy Spirit would dwell in us all the time. He ascended, yet He is here living in each of us, giving all believers that hope of eternal glory. This is what we are to teach in order to bring each Christian into maturity in Christ Jesus. Just as the Creator suffered, so will we suffer as we are faithful to spread the Good News. We will struggle, but we have access to the strength and power that resurrected Jesus from the dead. We are never alone.

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

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April 26, 2019

Where Is My Thumb?

12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.— 1 Cor. 12:12 NLT

1 Cor. 12:12-21 NLT


According to the latest polls and surveys, the percentage of people attending church on a regular basis is still declining year after year.  “So, what has that got to do with me?”, you ask.  Well, let’s continue Paul’s comparison of the body of Christ to the human body.  Let’s say that in the church you attend, the thumbs don’t show up when they should.  Let’s further say that we have a lot of things that need to be picked up and moved to a different spot in the building.  Not having thumbs makes this job a lot more difficult, if not impossible.  Let’s say that we plan a Wednesday night visitation program, but the feet don’t show up, going door to door is still possible but much more difficult.   The head of the church wants to do an outreach program but the arms don’t show up.  How can we reach out without our arms?  The head of the church wants to start an elderly care program but the heart is missing.  Because the heart is missing, no one cares enough to help each other or anyone else.  A human body can’t survive without a heart beat and neither can the body of Christ.  Are we willing to take the chance that we are not each a part of the heart?

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

Post 04-26-2019

March 30, 2018

Thank God for Thumbs!

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21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.—1 Cor. 12:21-2​2 NIV

There is a reason for every part of the human body.  In today’s world, we know that there are parts of the body which we can live without. We can live without an appendix, but our excretory system will not function as well as it was designed to function with a healthy appendix. Scientists have now determined that the appendix holds good bacteria.  After a bout of diarrhea that destroys the good bacteria in the gut, the appendix repopulates the good bacteria. Tonsils and adenoids help prevent infections from entering the body. We have two eyes and two ears which suggest that we should watch and listen more than we talk. We can live with one eye and/or one ear, but we will be hampered in some areas.  The body of Christ is the same. It can function without everyone using the gift that God gave them to edify the body, but it will not be as effective as it should be. Each of us should seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit in determining and using the gift that God has given us. Then our part of Christ’s body (the congregation where we worship) will be helping and not hindering the work of the Kingdom.

8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.—1 Cor. 3:8,9 NIV

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

Post 03-30-2018

December 10, 2016

One in the Son

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Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 
Romans 12:4-5 NLT
Romans 12:4-8 NLT

It takes every Christian doing the job God has called us to do for the body to function as it should. God designed the church to be a showcase of His love for the lost. What does the world see when it looks at us? Does it see a functioning, joy-filled body or a dysfunctional organism? Let us pray that each of us would be building up the rest of the body instead of fault-finding. Peace and joy draw others to Christ, Let others see the joy you have found in serving a risen Savior. We should practice using our gifts year round, not just a few weeks of each year. Could you imagine what the world would be like if God limited His peace and security to one month each year?

1 Cor 12:12-20 NLT


“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

Post 12-10-2016

August 31, 2016

There’s A Hole In My Chest!

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12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.
— 1 Cor. 12:12 NLT
According to the latest polls and surveys, the percentage of people attending church on a regular basis is still declining year after year.  “So, what has that got to do with me?”, you ask.  Well, let’s continue Paul’s comparison of the body of Christ to the human body.  Let’s say that in the church you attend, the thumbs don’t show up when they should.  Let’s further say that we have a lot of things that need to be picked up and moved to a different spot in the building.  Not having thumbs makes this job a lot more difficult, if not impossible.  Let’s say that we plan a Wednesday night visitation program, but the feet don’t show up, going door to door is still possible but much more difficult.   The head of the church wants to do an outreach program but the arms don’t show up.  How can we reach out without our arms?  The head of the church wants to start an elderly care program but the heart is missing.  Because the heart is missing, no one cares enough to help each other or anyone else.  A human body can’t survive without a heart beat and neither can the body of Christ.  Are we willing to take the chance that we are not each a part of the heart?
May 28, 2016

Living Temples

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18 “But will God really live on earth among people? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built! — 2 Chronicles 6:18 NLT
2 Chronicles 6:18-21 NLT
David had arranged for all the building materials to complete the Temple that Solomon built to honor God and to serve as God’s dwelling place on earth. This was the place that all of Israel would come to worship God with their offerings.  Other than for special purposes, the Holy Spirit had not come to earth.  It would be after the Resurrection that He would come and abide in each believer.  Did God really live in the Temple?  No, but His presence filled the Temple.  On some occasions, His presence was so real and powerful that the priests were unable to enter the Temple.  As Solomon implied, there is no physical building that could contain God.  The only Temple that God desires to inhabit here on earth is our bodies.  He does that by abiding in our hearts.  Because of that, we can worship Him anywhere, anytime because we are the Temple that He inhabits.  He is with us and will never leave us.  We abide in HIm and He in us when His words fill our hearts and we show that He abides in us when we show His love to others by the way we live our daily lives.
Post 05-28-2016
May 24, 2016

Living The Truth

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16 Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good. — Titus 1:16 NLT
Titus1:10-16 NLT
Paul considered both Timothy and Titus to be his sons in the faith and as such, it was his joy and job to mentor them.  Even though he left them at different churches to carry on the work that he had started, he contiuned to do this by writing them letters.   In his 2nd letter to Timothy and here in this letter to Titus, Paul warns them about wasting their time in foolish talk and conversations.  This type of behavior usually leads to divisions in the body of Christ.  Crete was obviously well known for this type of activity since Paul quotes one of their own Cretan prophets as describing them as “liars, cruel animals and lazy gluttons”.  That’s harsh condemnation of one’s fellow countrymen.  However, it would not be hard to make that description fit a portion of our society today.  The point Paul wants to make to Titus is that he has a tough job ahead of him.  He is living among people who will make all sorts of claims and statements of their faith, but they don’t really know God and their lifestyles prove that they don’t.  When we hear the Gospel of Jesus, we accept it as truth because the Holy Spirit has purified and prepared our minds to accept it.  Those whose minds and consciences are corrupt will perceive all truth as being corrupt.  The task for Titus was to convince them of the truth of the Gospel by his lifestyle.   That is our task in our society today.
Post 05-24-2016
May 15, 2015

Disciplining the Members of the Body

God is waiting to show you the Way.

God is waiting to show you the Way.

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.—1 Cor. 5:1-5 NIV
​When there a member of the body of Christ​ who deliberately chooses a lifestyle of disobedience, it is up to the body to discipline that person. We can assume here that the question of guilt has already been dealt with and the person is guilty. (See Matthew 18:15-18 for the correct procedure for finding a member guilty) The word “judgment” here is used much as we would use the word “sentence” when the judge announces the judgment of someone the jury has found guilty. So, what Paul is saying is that the leaders in the church should have already pronounced and carried out the sentence. The guilty party is a Christian and will make it to heaven but his physical body is handed over to satan for destruction. The longer the guilty party is allowed to remain in the church, the more damage it does to the reputation of the church and to the Kingdom of God.
Post 05-15-2015