Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Ephesians 4:11-13 ... Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
CALLED TO BE ... A FAMILY, A BUILDING, A BODY
A friend of mine started not going to church on Sundays anymore. He didn't change churches or anything. He didn't stop believing. But he stopped meeting with his church. When asked about it, he replied that he never really learned anything new, and since he stopped going his faith was just as strong as it ever was before.
The problem with that type of attitude is that it doesn't match up with the way Jesus describes His family of believers.
Yeah, I've got a family. A wife and ten kids. Oh, you never seen them? That's because I don't live with them or ever have any communication with them. They live across town. Is that the type of family Jesus describes?
Or how about this, I've got a foundation and a bunch of building materials. If I just plop the bricks and timber and drywall around the worksite that's a house, right? Of course not. A building has to be fitted together on top of the foundation. All the parts need to be in their proper places so that they work together.
Or how about a body that's all in pieces? Is that the unity Jesus is talking about? No! A body that's all in pieces is what you find at the butcher shop when you go to get some steak.
Through faith in Christ, we're in. We're God's forgiven people. But that's not the end of the matter. A family works together. A building works together. A body works together. We are called in Christ to be engaged.
