Declaration: I am part of a BODY!
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
Key Bible Verses: Ephesians 4:11-13; Colossians 4:14-15
Ephesians 4:11-13
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Colossians 4:14-15
14 Luke, the beloved doctor, sends his greetings, and so does Demas. 15 Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.
John 17:15-18 (NLT)
15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.
Devotion
LeBron or Jordan? Let’s not be silly, we all know LeBron is Jordan’s older brother! King James, baby! No matter where you land on the debate of who the GOAT is one thing is clear: both have the unique ability to elevate those around them to higher levels. LeBron James’s latest quest in solidifying his greatness has been to join the LA Lakers, taking a cast of rookies, sophomores, and older veterans under his wing and teaching them the ways of his greatness. During the course of the season, one of the younger players had scrambled for a ball and wound up on his back on the court. As he went to stand up, LeBron began waving him down and yelling in his direction, “Stay down. Stay down.” As he approached the youngster, he dropped some serious team wisdom: “Stay down. Never get up on your own. Let your brothers pick you up. We’ll come pick each other up.”
Powerful.
This is church. Church is about us, not me. When we gather together as the body of Christ, it’s about us being equipped, united, and growing together to be sent out into our week for God’s glory.
John 15:17-18 makes it clear for us: Church isn’t a place we sit in. It’s the place we’re sent from! We’re missionaries, on mission, sent from mission control (the church).
In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul tells the church at Ephesus, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”
Equip. Build up. Unite. Mature.
In church, we’re…
Equipped to live for and serve God.
Built up and strengthened by worship and God’s word.
United by God’s vision for the church we’re part of.
Matured by consistently and actively engaging in the life and work of the church.
Discipline: Make church a priority. I tried to call in sick to work one day and my boss said, “Around here, we don’t call in, we crawl in.” Develop the same mentality for yourself. Rid every excuse from your mind and make church the priority of your week.