For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Romans 12:4-5
Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
That question so often becomes the litmus test of what it means to be a Christian today. Everywhere you turn you hear Christians talk about things like “my personal faith” and “Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior.”
Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely believe that placing your faith in Jesus Christ is a personal decision that only you can make. But how often do you see Christians emphasize the personal nature of our faith only to forget the corporate nature?
The word corporate comes from the Latin word corpus, which means “body”—and that’s exactly what I’m talking about! You and I are part of the body of Christ and not one of us can live the Christian life alone.
Unfortunately, much of the Western world has adopted a “Lone Ranger” mentality when it comes to faith. But God never meant it to be this way!
Even before the fall of man, God knew that it was “not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). And from eternity past, God existed in three persons—Father, Son, and Spirit—because he knew that community was so important.
So get away from the “Lone Ranger” mentality and live in community. Only then will you begin to grasp what God can do when the many members of the body act as one!
LIVE IN COMMUNITY AND WATCH GOD DO SOMETHING AMAZING!
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.”
Luke 22:35–36
In faith and obedience, Abraham took his promised son Isaac to Mount Moriah to offer him as a sacrifice as God commanded. He had waited and hoped and prayed for decades for the birth of a son that had been promised to him, but even with all that Isaac meant to him, Abraham did not hesitate to obey God. After Abraham built the altar and placed Isaac on it, God stopped Abraham, providing a ram for a sacrifice in a beautiful picture of Jesus serving as the substitute for our sins.
When the sacrifice of the animal was complete, Abraham rejoiced in what God had done: “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen” (Genesis 22:13). The name Jehovah-Jireh has a dual meaning, both “God sees” and “God provides.” Our good God not only sees our needs, but He stands willing and able to meet them as we cry out for His help.
Someone once described an atheist as, “A man with no invisible means of support.” When we trust in God we are not foolish, but faithful. He has all of the resources available to go above and beyond any need we will ever face. The great burdens and struggles that challenge us do not tax His abilities. He never has to call for backup or dip into a reserve fund. He is abundantly able to provide all that we need. Our responsibility is to act in faith, believing He will provide.
Today’s Growth Principle:
God has never failed to keep His promises and provide for those who seek His face.
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