The Ties That Bind

1 Corinthians 12:12-20

12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by^[a] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

As a Church Universal, there is no doubt that we are called to be a picture of Christ. With that calling, come many responsibilities and goals that we, as Christians, often misunderstand. Just as the Church Universal is called to be a picture of Christ, I believe that the local church is also called to be that picture.

In the local church today, I see many body parts: church staffers, lay people, a wide gamut of worship options, a wide gamut of worship times, I see Sunday school classes, life groups, Bible studies and special-interest groups, I see generational ministry, family ministry, leisure ministry, and gender-specific ministry. I see hands, feet, arms, legs, fingers, and toes; I see parts we show off and parts that we cover.

Truly, there are many functional parts of the Body. And just like you, I have some favorite parts of the body. There are parts that I consider to be more useful to me and there are parts that I rarely take advantage of. However, I must remember that just because I use my hands more than my feet does not mean that I would be better off with three hands and one foot.

Surely now is a better time than ever to realize that every part of the body is just that, a part of the body. More than anything, my goal today is to speak of the Church in the first-person and to truly remember that I am the Church, that you are the Church, and that we are the Church together.

Cause I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...

This week, Mac Hammond, high-profile pastor of Living Word Christian Center and peddler of prosperity gospel theology, announced that he would be selling his private business jet.

This sale along with the recent investigations into Hammond's theological brethren, brings a passage in Hebrews to mind. Specifically, in Hebrews 12, the writer urges the Hebrew Christians to 'strip off and throw aside every unnecessary weight' and consequently, 'that sin which so easily entangles us'.

As an experienced sinner, I know that 'casting off' can often be the difference between habitual sin and habitual victory. If your vice-of-choice is pornography, there is a lot to be said for throwing your porn away and moving your computer to a family area (casting off); if it's alcohol, casting off your drinking buddies tends to help; if you are a habitual speeder, allow me to suggest a boxy SUV. No matter what your favorite sin is (and we all have one: Rom. 3:23), removing your sin accessories from your life, and removing yourself from your circle of sin buddies will do wonders for your journey to holiness.

Friday Folly

Romans 2:2-7

4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.

If you consider yourself a Christian, then you believe in the Judeo-Christian God. Under this belief system, you believe in a god so powerful that he could crush a human like a bug. You also believe that sin is an abomination to God and that everyone sins. With that in mind, how can you possibly take God's grace for granted?

From the verses above, we should see that God's patience with us is not a 0% financing situation where you can do whatever you want with no worry of consequences, but instead "you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself".

Take today as an opportunity to "see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin" and begin to seek "after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers" by seeking after his will.

The Grand Weaver

Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.


This verse is among the verses that I hear quoted and discussed most frequently. And no matter where I hear this verse being discussed, I can almost guarantee that the subject of the conversation is the fact that things are going to 'work out'. More often than not, the focus of the discussion is on the center 'good of those who love God' portion. The context of this portion is typically a feel-good, everything-is-going-to-be-ok context. Occasionally, I hear someone who ventures into the 'called according to his purpose' portion. This context tends to revolve around a theological emphasis on those whom God has called. However, today, I have been comforted, taught, and awed by the fact that 'God causes everything to work'.

As hard as we try to box our God in, this verse shatters our every attempt. If you really digest this verse, you will have to think about your Christianity. This, if read with any desire for truth will make your Christian walk a little harder; more sincere, but harder. The fact that Scripture includes the word everything ruins our chance to explain events away with phrases like: "God had no part in this" or "God does not allow things like this to happen" (As if a sinful creature was qualified to determine God's will, in and of himself).

More than anything, today, I am in awe of how big our God is and how he is capable of using 'everything' to spread his message; defunct Super Bowl apparel included.

This week marks the fourteenth year of a partnership between the NFL and Christian humanitarian organization World Vision. Every year, following the Big Game, the championship gear for the losing team is shipped to World Vision's distribution center in Pittsburgh. From there it is sorted and sent to children in countries like Nicaragua and Romania, many of whom have never owned new clothing. Because of World Vision's long-term and reliable presence in impoverished countries, they are able to spread the apparel out, so that the donations can do the most good without adversely affecting local economies.

If the idea of God using T-shirts and ball caps to carry out his plan doesn't get you in the mood to worship, you must be a Patriots fan.

Naturalization

Philippians 1:27-30

27But whatever happens to me, you must live in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ, as a citizen of heaven. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing side by side, fighting together for the Good News. 28Don't be intimidated by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.


No matter what, live in a manner worthy of the Good News.

There have been a good number of 'side-effects' of being a church staff member. One such 'side-effect' has been the renewed realization that every public decision I make can and will be taken as a reflection on the church that I serve and, ultimately, the Lord I serve.

Standing side by side, fighting.

Christianity most certainly is not 'Every man for himself' and most certainly is 'All for One and One for All'. By that, I mean that Christ did not die to save the Wesleyans or the Baptists or the Catholics, he died for everybody. Standing side by side means that we spend a little less time worrying about Apollos and Paul and a little more time worrying about Jesus and Satan. Sometimes we just need to realize that our theological diversity is what makes the Church a three-stranded cord.

The privilege to suffer.

I cannot say that I have known anyone who truly enjoyed suffering. However, as Christians, we have been assured that there will be suffering. With that in mind, what is there better to suffer for than standing up for what you believe is right? Even when the consequences are great and you are on, what appears to be, the losing team.

As American Christians, we often have lost sight of true suffering for the Gospel. However, after news was released today about Rehima Beoa of Bangladesh, (Rehima suffered severe burns to 70% of her body after members of the Muslim majority learned that she was planning on being baptized into the Christian Church.) we should certainly look at suffering a little bit differently, baptism a little bit differently, and look a little bit differently at where our true citizenship lies.

Trickle Down

John 7:38 (New International Version)

38Whoever believes in me, as^[a] the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."


Over the summer, the Southeastern United States experienced one of the worst droughts in recent years. Lake levels were so low that recreational activities such as boating and water skiing became tough if not impossible. Not only were our waterfronts ugly, but news soon came that there would be restrictions on water use and that we might not even have enough drinking water. Months later, the trickle down effect of this drought is still being felt. As the drought persists, news has come that TVA may have to shutdown numerous nuclear power plants in the Southeast. Although this may be a surprising side-effect of low rainfall, the plants rely on large quantities of deep lake water to cool their components.

Similarly, for us Christians, a time without the Living Water is sure to have a trickle down effect. This spiritual drought often begins to show itself with a decreased amount of involvement in Bible studies, small groups, and worship. Soon, our lives start to get ugly and we begin to restrict the times and people that we share the Living Water with. Soon, you have reached a full-blown spiritual drought and a loss of Holy Spirit power is inevitable. The difference here is that we know when a spiritual drought will end: when we bow down, humble ourselves, and submit our wills to the God who knows us, Loves us, accepts us, and saves us.

Let's Get There In One Piece

1 Corinthians 12
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.


When the Apostle Paul wrote these verses, I don't think he would ever have imagined the dismemberment that the body of Christ would suffer over the next thousand years. Although a majority of those groups which refer to themselves as Christians agree on a majority of theology (especially that which I and many others would consider essential to the Christian faith), it is a minority of, often vocal, issues that have led to the current state of fragmentation of the Christian religion. However, after thirty years of discussion, we are now closer than ever to a more unified faith.

In the next year, we will see two important votes regarding the full communion of two significant Protestant denominations. The first will come on April 29, 2008 when the United Methodist Church's General Conference will vote to recognize the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as being in full communion. The second vote will happen when the ELCA reciprocates at their 11th Biennial Churchwide Assembly during the week of August 17-23, 2009.

This is truly a significant event in the life of the Christian Church.