Body of Christ

The body of Christ. In this blog, I want to address the intention of the church, missions, and worship, revealed through the scriptures.

Missions. A word that has been alive and active in my life these past couple years. Missionary... What is a missionary? On this journey I have seen questions and concerns from those outside the church, and within it as well. I pray this brings awareness to God's heart for His people.

The great com"mission" Matthew 28:18-20 "All authority on Heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey the commands I have given you. And surely I will be with you till the very end of the age"

It is a command given to no certain Christians specifically in comparison to others. Not something some do and some don't. In our deep love for Christ, we are pushed in the Spirit to share! To lead others to the One that brings us from death to life. If you are a Christian, you are a missionary. You live life on mission, you live life as ministry. I love the way theologian John Piper addresses. "Worship is the goal. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is the fuel and goal of missions."

To fellow believers, what am I saying? If you haven't been on at least a week long mission trip, are you failing? No! It is not a location or a trip. It doesn't say leave where you are at and cross an ocean, stay at least for a while and give out some food or build something. Missions is both here and there. In your life Jesus does call us to "deny yourself and take up your cross daily" and to "offer yourselves as a living sacrifice." We must continue to have a holy conviction to grow deeper and deeper in our faith, and a heart of missions for those who are in this world. It is how we live in where God calls us. That can be in college, in our workplace, in our family.

The importance can be seen in how Jesus walked. He obeyed the Father's will. "We draw near to God and He draws near to us" (James 4:8-10) Our desires align with His. We are guided by His Spirit. He may tell me to go to Costa Rica. He may tell you to stay in your hometown. Am I wrong for going out or are you wrong for staying? Neither! As long as we are walking in obedience, not our own desires.

One of the biggest burdens that has been on my heart recently is the unity in the body of Christ. I have seen lots of division within the body. Whether it is a denomination. A belief. Life choices. Believing the earth is either flat or round. I won't tell you what I believe on that... :)

Jesus came for the unity of the Church. "I have given them the glory that you have gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me. so they may be brought to complete unity." John 17:22. In 1 Corinthians 3:4 One says "I follow Paul or I follow Apollos." Maybe a person says I am baptist or I am evangelist. The response is "What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth." All is for him and through Him.

Does it make any sense to divide into factions on this earth. In Heaven we will all be worshipping the same King. If we are suppose to bring Heaven on earth, why do we create denominations that aren't Heavenly. We need to focus on the spread of the Gospel, but also the unity of those who believe! When the church of Christ is divided into thousands of pieces, it weakens us. Satan wants us weakened! And why should we accept the answer that it is a fallen world so we must make do? Does this mean we ridicule people for having a denomination? Of course not! For in the hopes of making peace, it would in turn cause division.

Now where should this lead? Do we not address topics of belief, or importantly, issues of sin? Not at all. We should be able to humbly come together in discussion. And in one's sin, we must lead them in gentleness towards truth. Jesus makes it very clear that false teachers will come, and that people will dilute the Gospel to give people what their ears are itching to hear. Truth should be pursued, but in the hopes of holding unity rather than encouraging division. We need to pursue deep relationships. Where we understand the heart of those in the church. So that we know when to convict and we know when to encourage. To submit to Jesus as LORD over our lives, being devoted towards edifying the body of Christ. Boldly seeking truth and boldly loving each other. Scripture must hold authority over our lives, or we fall away from the Lordship of God. I have seen people in one part of the body ridicule another, not for their hearts, but rather their role in the church. We must be cautious in matters of where God has called other Christians, as one may be a hand while the other is the foot.

To wrap it up, we should seek unity with those who serve the King. We should humble ourselves to correction, seeking truth passionately and loving passionately. In issues of sin and false teaching, we must rebuke it, but we must deny our fleshly thoughts that seek division in things that don't hinder the Gospel. We must seek to keep unity with one another in love. A unified church is a powerful one. May scripture continue to break down our own experiences and ways we have been taught, and may we open our heart to greater pursuits of truth.

1 Corinthians 9:12 "we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ."

Samson & Chloe