How will they know if they DO NOT SEE?

 Jesus never said they will know you are my disciples by the number of people that show up in your buildings… Or by the number of books that you sell… Or by the amount of money in your bank account… Or by how fancy a car you drive… Or how big a house you live in… Or how many people adore you and think you’re wonderful and a great orator and a wise and impressive pastor!

No, none of these things were ever mentioned by Christ as being the mark of one of his disciples. His measuring stick was far far beyond the measuring stick of our fleshly and worldly viewpoint. He said the world would know we were his disciples but how we LOVE one another!

How do we love and show that love to one another? 

Perhaps we can all agree to all agree that love is measured by our actions and not our words, so let’s look at it from that point of view and I’m going to speak from my own personal perspective.

When we come in to fellowship with the body of believers and everyone waves and greet us and says hello and hugs us and tells us they love us- that feels good for the moment. But then when they don’t return phone calls, when they don’t want to get together and have lunch, when they don’t want to spend any actual time with you getting to know you it is clear there is no love. When a group forms and then excludes others, there is no love.When things get difficult and you really just need some support and encouragement and prayer, but outside of that one person designated as pastor for the group, no one else has time for you, there is no love!

Love is doing life together; love is including anyone and everyone who wants to be included; Love is following through when you say you were going to do something or be somewhere.

Love is not only encouraging continued growth in your own life and in the lives of others, but love is also making room for that growth, and accommodating that growth when it occurs rather than continue to relate to that person by how they used to be rather than how they are as a new creation in Christ!

1 Corinthians 13 has become so popular as pithy memes and wedding filler. Paul, speaking by the unction of the Holy Spirit, revealed some deep spiritual truth about love that we all need to examine in light of our own hearts and behaviors and ask God to work that incredible true work of love in us and through us, that we might truly example what it is to be a disciple of Christ. Not by how good we are or how much we do or how nice we behave; but by loving according to his standard and showing how good he is, and how much he has done, and how he behaves!

Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and begin to do your own serious word study of each of the words Paul declares love is… And see where you might incorporate that more fully into your walk with Christ, drawing blessing to your self and pouring blessing out on others!!

Consider this; to truly love your neighbor is truly loving yourself and the entire body of Christ!

The Body of Christ

God has it all set up from beginning to end and everything in between and it 

ALL WORKS TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD                                       AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE!

Every piece to make a whole...

A puzzle won't ever look or BE right until EVERY PIECE is in the place it belongs, adding what only IT can add to the whole picture, completing what all the pieces around it could only start on their own.

No one of us can ever possibly think of and DO everything that every one of us needs.
That's why God called us to a FAMILY and made us members in particular of a BODY, with each individual piece making ONE WHOLE.

That's why He gave us ability, because we have none in and of ourselves.
Then He put us all together, because we need what the other has.
And made it work BEST when we work together, because He made us to be relational.

Simple.  Straightforward.  Spiritual.

ONE HEAD:  Jesus

Each member: you and I

If you get this, you will be blessed!  Rugged individualism is valued in America, but UNITY is valued in the Kingdom of our Living God

12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: ² You know that^[a] you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. ³ Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴ There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶ And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. ⁷ But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profitof all: ⁸ for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same^[b] Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Unity and Diversity in One Body

¹² For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into^[c] one Spirit. ¹⁴ For in fact the body is not one member but many.

¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?¹⁸ But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. ¹⁹ And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

²⁰ But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. ²¹ And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. ²³ And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,²⁴ but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, ²⁵ that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. ²⁸ And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles?Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But earnestly desire the best^[d]gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

A place; a season; a job

In the Old Testament book of I Chronicles, chapters 25, 26 & 27 lay out a plan that includes a specific function for every family and each member of those families for the entire tribe of Israel.  Each one supplying what they are gifted and anointed to do best, means that the entire tribe of Israel has all of it's needs met by its own members.  They don't need anyone outside of themselves, when they function in the way God set them up to do.  He is the Head, they are the body.

The Apostle Paul sets up a similar idea in Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12.

Christ is the Head of the Body, and we each individually as followers of Christ have gifts and are anointed to function in a way that builds up and strengthens the Body of Christ.  No one gift or function is of any greater significance or importance than another, but all are necessary to the healthy working of the body as a whole.

Praise God, Who is Wisdom beyond our understanding, and always does what is BEST for His children!