Hey Guys,

What would you say if you saw a gigantic liver with a person’s head attached to it slithering and slurping it’s way down the street?  How about observing a huge thumb with a head fastened on the top hopping along it’s merry way?  Well, this happens over and over every day and we don’t even see it.

“What on earth are you talking about Steve?”  you might be asking.  “Have you been hallucinating?”  Please let me answer this by backing up a bit and explaining my entire thought.

As Believers in Christ, we are instructed to work together in our task of discipling the nations.  We are commanded to love one another.  We are exhorted to encourage, pray, learn, eat, give, serve, impact our communities . . . TOGETHER!   Paul says in I Cor 12:27 that each of us is “part of it.”

“All of you together are Christ’s body,

and each of you is a part of it.”

In the ESV, HCSB, and NASB versions, it says that each of us are “individual members” of Christ’s body so we can conclude that:

“We are not “it”

We are “part of it.”

We, as Believers, must have this understanding of community.  God wants us to work together!  He does not want us to labor alone in isolation.  Too often we hear comments like:

• “I love God, but I don’t need the church.”  
• Or, “It’s just me and Jesus.” 
• “I’ll just serve God by myself, I’m tired of dealing with people.”

That’s not God’s way.  His desire is that we work together in love and a spirit of unity to accomplish His mission here on planet earth.

This is a big deal folks!

God’s plan mandates that we work

hand-in-hand, side-by-side and heart-to-heart.

The Church (that’s us) is described in the New Testament as:

• a body
• a family
• a building
• a flock
• a household
• an army
• a people
• a nation

All of these pictures require more than one person!

Now, let’s get back to that ginormous liver . . .  The Bible says that Jesus is the head of the church . . . we are not.  We must come under His headship, His authority, His leadership.

We are not the boss.

The Church is “His” body, not ours.

That being said, a body is comprised of many parts . . . with a head.  (If we want to be the head, we have created a monster with two heads!)  With Jesus as our Head we use our strengths to serve Him and the rest of His body – each other.  We all work together in a spirit of love and unity.  We need each other!

Thought:  If we are going to work with each other and love each other . . . we need to get along.  We must understand Godly, covenantal partnerships and how to work effectively through personal hang-ups and relational issues.

Therefore, if we say: “It’s just me and Jesus.”  Then we as a part of Christ’s body are walking around like a liver, or a thumb, or an ear – with a big head on top.  What a sight!  Not only that, there is no way we will ever accomplish what God has called us to do.  There’s a great big world out there full of wandering and hurting folks who desperately need community and The Kingdom!

Stay the course friends . . . love you guys!

Steve 🙂

. . . that they may be one even as we are one. . . that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.  John 17:22-23 (ESV)