Monday, February 20, 2017

With Jesus, One on Many

There is also a group component to following Jesus. One passage describes God’s people as living stones that are being built into a spiritual house. Each stone has its place in the structure. Jesus, as the master builder, chooses each stone, chooses its place, and shapes it to fit in that place.

If the stone’s place is next to the door, five feet from the ground, there has to be other stones in place to support it. Without the other stones, if the builder tries to put the stone in its proper place, it will fall to the ground. We need the support of others in God’s family. And we give support to others in God’s family.

The house derives its form and function as each stone is put into its proper place, with all the other stones.

In another passage, the human body is used as a picture of God’s people. The body is one thing, made up of many different parts. And the parts are all different. They have different functions. There are eyes, ears, hands, feet, and other parts. But like the stones of a house, each part has a part in supporting the whole. But each part does it differently. And the whole needs each different function. Without each particular part, the whole is handicapped.

And the parts that give the most life to the body are not always visible. In many churches, people assume that the professional Christians are the most important. (And it is possible that they are. It is also possible that the most important parts are the Tuesday morning prayer meeting, attended only by women in their 80’s.) The professional Christian may only be the face and mouth of the body. If the face and mouth do not function correctly, the body still lives. But if the heart does not function correctly, the body dies. And the heart functions invisibly … usually.

It is vital that each part fulfills its role. When each part does its part, the effect can be synergistic. The effect can be more than the effects of all the parts added together.

There is a passage in Scripture that describes the God’s family living through its daily routine. Each part living out its function, together with all the other parts. And Scripture testifies that the surrounding community observed God’s family, their manner of life, and two things happened.
  • Admiration and esteem for God’s family grew.
  • People were choosing to give their allegiance to Jesus … every day.

We, as God’s kingdom and family, have individual responsibilities. But if we carry out those responsibilities within the context of God’s family, it can have a huge impact on the world.


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