One Body

One Body

“3. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 

4. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,

 5. so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 

6. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;

 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 

8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” Romans 12: 3-8

      A thought occurred to me while reading through someone else’s blog this past week and it has to do with the division of the church. It is not a bad thing, but I do believe it is a hindrance to the growth of the church.

There are many denominations in the body of Christ, Evangelical, Charismatic, Catholic, Reformed, Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Anglican, to name a few, and all of them have things in common and all them have major differences. None is wrong in what they believe or what in creeds and doctrines they follow all of them draw them from the scriptures and that is God breathed. Now, why do I call this difference a division and a hindrance to the growth and spreading of the church? It is because in the midst of all of this that we are no longer unified.

      I know where all of you can go with this, “But it says in the scriptures that we are all one body made up of many parts, that is the denominations of the church. They are the different body parts that make up the body of Christ.” And I agree completely, that is exactly what it is, but the truth lies behind it all. This is not something seen on the surface, it is spiritual wound, and it is Satan’s greatest victory over us as the church.

We and I mean all of us have drifted apart from God’s grand design to be unified under Him, we are all so caught up in our creeds, doctrines, and how we choose to run our services. Whether we choose to raise our hands, shout hallelujah or bow our heads and say a Hail Mary, that we have become separated. The body has split apart. The eye has said “I do not need you foot,” and the ear has said “I do not need you hands.” We have become blinded by our own humanity and forgotten that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

Creeds, doctrines, and songs mean nothing to our Heavenly Father, at least when it comes to churches and how we do things. What matters to Him is that we worship Him and Him alone, that we do it with our whole heart mind body and soul, and that we do it as one! The Bible does not say that wherever 2 or 3 Evangelicals are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them, it says ” 19. “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”” Matthew 18: 19-20. It is only when we come together as one that we will achieve what God wants to achieve, it is only as one body that we can step on the head of the Serpent.

      

      There is nothing wrong with denominations, in fact I encourage you to find your place, the one denomination that best suits you and the style that you worship and praise our God in. But do not discriminate against the other denominations out there, encourage them in their growth, pray for them on Sunday mornings that they too may see the glory of God that morning. Meet with them grow with them, share in their sorrows and in their laughter’s. As one body, unified under God we are unstoppable and we can change the world.

Be blessed, and remember to keep the faith!