in my roaming i've encountered all sorts; my strict oldself was replaced with an openness to whatever was there, mostly
the upshot of that is this: i've been disappointed
apparently, so have many others
i know people who refuse to try any more; they've given up
and that's a sad thing, for the church is the manifestation of the Christ in the Earth, and inasmuch as it fails in that manifestation, it fails the Christ, and the God of the Christ
that's a serious thing right there, and no amount of rationalization and reasoning will serve to deflect the failure
..
so what is church
why do some of us refuse to accept what is there, just because it's 'church'
and how does that speak to the importance of being connected to other christians as we move through life in this foreign land
what on earth are we looking for
..
church, to me, is the human presence of God in the earth
apostle paul calls it ' the body ' of the Christ
Jesus the head, we the parts
and according to his description in his corinthian ( and roman ) letters, the main purpose is support and encouragement of each other
the point is for the various members to live-out their giftedness within the body, serving each other, so that the body as a whole is strengthened
as each part matures in its function, performing its role, the body becomes more and more coordinated, effective
that means that each member/part should conduct itself as that part, and not be envious of other parts, so that paul comments on the finger wanting to be an eye, etc., and the lack of understanding that produces that sort of mentality - really, it serves to deconstruct the body, reducing its utility
having said that, the apostle then addresses the unreasonable attitude of those parts who seek to be noticed, to gain accolade and recognition for their gift ..
not good
the eye isn't any more significant than the knee
in the same way it serves no good purpose for the knee wanting to be an eye, it is useless for the eye to laud it's eyeness over the knee's kneeness ..
each has its utility in the body, and the two should recognize that they did not choose their giftedness - the holy spirit of God did, distributing the gifts among the parts as it suited the Spirit .. ( a good example of God's sovereign rule over the church )
paul uses speaking in other languages as a typical example of the pride and arrogance of some within the Corinthian church - you can what he wrote in 1Corinthians 12-14
it's worthy noting that the ' love chapter ' lands smack in the middle of his discourse
it hasn't anything much to do with romance; its function is correction for those selfish Body parts whose focus was on themselves rather than on others in the Body, whose intention was self-exaltation rather than love for the family
..
in a discussion with a friend recently, the issue arose over the apparent emphasis of certain members of a church on particular gifts - it seems these issues were persistently emphasized by some
the issues become the centre-piece on the table of fellowship
..
that makes it very uncomfortable for those in the body who have other gifts
it makes them feel rather useless, like if they're missing something, like if they're deficient, unspiritual ..
and that's destructive to the Body
it does precisely the opposite of what Jesus intended and Paul corrected at Corinth
so .. what should be in the middle of the table of fellowship, what's the main issue among the Body
Jesus himself addressed that issue just days before he was killed
knowing his fate, he spoke to his disciples and to his heavenly father in John's relation of things, chapters 14-17
the core of that was this: unity
unity among the disciples
unity between the disciples and God, similar to the unity that exists between God and Jesus ( a phenomenal thought )
unity
" that they may be one as we are, father "
imagine ..
`|`
it's horribly to the devil's credit that it has been able to undo at precisely the point where Jesus sought to centre
unity
so that there are now thousands of denominations within the Body
and even several divisions within denominations
the Satan has inserted division, schism within the Body
..
one of the primary practices Jesus introduced in his final days is related in apostle John's story, at chapter 13
actually 2 practices
demonstrating 2 things
actually 1
in 2 parts
read it ..
before they sat down to eat what would be their final meal together, Jesus poignantly demonstrated what God-power looks like
he washed their feet
in those times, it was the role of a house-slave to wash the dirtied feet of those entering the house; they wore sandals then, and walked most places, their feet becoming dirty as they moved about ..
Jesus took the role of the house-slave
and he said this: you call me Rabbi, you call me Lord
do you see what i've done
if i, your Lord and Rabbi, have done this for you, you ought also to do this for each other
a servant is not greater than his master, yet i've done this for you; you do the same
ahmmm ..... wow !
is this a defining moment in the disciples' experience or what
is this a defining moment for the church or what
is this a defining moment for God or what
whenever we look to describe God, we ought to point to this act of
loving servanthood
of serving love
and then .. supper
and what we term ' Communion ' or ' the Lord's Supper ', the ' Eucharist ' ..
Jesus broke bread and shared it, and then poured wine and shared it
and in this, the worldwide recognized activity that breaks-down barriers, the meal, Jesus institutes a remembrance of him and his mission of Reconciliation
" So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
..
what should occupy the centre of the table of fellowship, the Body meal ?
unity
oneness
one bread, one cup
one spirit
one Spirit
one mind
..
the human penchant for recognition has no place whatsoever in the Body of the Christ
to be one in Christ, as Christ is one in God, is to be the driving motivation for us
and that is the overflow of love
love among the church is the defining characteristic of the church
it is through observing love among the church that others recognize the Christ
all else is just so much fluff
just so much wasted life and effort
at least according to apostle paul in 1 Corinthians 13
useless
be careful then what we place in the centre of the table of fellowship
because disunity, the factioning of the Body of the Christ, is a most serious assault on the Christ himself
hence apostle paul's regular warning against division in the church
it is unity that decorates the table of fellowship
make it so ..
peace and love
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