“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NLT)
Have you ever wondered why there are more than 45,000 Christian denominations worldwide? Admittedly, I’m quite sure there are a few valid reasons, but the glaring picture it paints for me is DIVISION! The Church of Jesus Christ, according to Scripture, is to be ONE BODY, and theologically we may well be, but God’s will for His Body is Oneness, Unity, and Harmony, not division.
To find a unified church is almost an oxymoron. There are people in my family and, I suspect, in yours who won’t have anything to do with a church in their area even though they love Jesus and are avid students of His Word. Where have we gone wrong? How have we missed God’s plan by such a huge margin?
I’m convinced Satan is the author of confusion and division, but how does he do such an effective job, especially among GOD’S people? Could it be our insatiable appetite to please ourselves; our insistence on having a church, among a thousand other things in our lives, that meets OUR needs?
My sense, based on my understanding of Scripture, is that it was never God’s intention to simply have 3.6 billion individuals love Him. His plan is to come back for ONE BRIDE. Robert Banks was on to something vital when he wrote: “God’s intention is not the fashioning of mere individuals, but of a mature community.”
It’s ironic that we have one overriding enemy whose one goal is, if he can’t keep us out of heaven, to at least keep us out of God’s will. And the overwhelming evidence is that he’s quite effective in doing that. How do I know? Because as the world population grows the percentage of Jesus followers can’t come near to keeping up. But why?
Statistically, in any given church, 10% of the people do 90% of the work of the ministry. My heart aches even as I write these words, not only because of how the Lord has worked so generously in my life, but because I remain so relatively ineffective in the things I do for Him. I pray and give and work and volunteer and love and serve, but it never seems enough.
And I’m not complaining, I’m hopefully helping us to see the enemy’s strategy. A.W. Tozer wrote: “Every man is as close to God as he wants to be.” We go to church and hear a powerful message from God or we read a book that stirs our soul, or we experience a life-altering healing or miracle and our initial response is: “I’ve got to do more for God!”
So, we sign up for every class, serve at every service, volunteer for every need – for three months! Until we’re burned out and mad at the church and everyone else for “making us do all that!” But that was never God’s plan or intention. His intention is to blend us into a family, enabling us to work with others in carrying out God’s will, right?
But that’s the rub! What is God’s will? On many levels being a Jesus follower is like marriage. The Lord doesn’t expect me, as my wife’s only husband, to care for anyone else’s house, car, wife, kids, than my own. What’s my point? By God’s grace, the Lord will direct you to a portion of the Body who loves Him deeply, desires to carry out His will completely, and longs to do that in harmony with other like-minded Jesus followers, as He has for me.
The Church is far from perfect, but like any husband or wife, He puts us together, not to be perfect, but to be obedient and submissive to His authority in and over us. Let’s look into this further in tomorrow’s post.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 