Living as His Body

⁴ For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. ⁵ There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

- Ephesians 4:4-6 (NLT)

The believers are the collective and universal body of Christ.  Each believer serves as part of the body.  We, as believers in Christ, make up the body of Christ.  We are one body, gathered together in His name in one faith.


Paul wrote that "there is one body... just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future." The collective body of believers have a common goal, that one glorious hope for the future.  In seeking that common goal, believers come together on common ground.  The prime example of this is not the believers having all things in common.  The prime example of this is the gathering of believers in Antioch.

¹⁹ Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. ²⁰ But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

- Acts 11:19-21 (NKJV)

The body of Christ lives together based on:

• Common Belief: The confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Anointed One
• Common Bond: The connection between each believers is the one Spirit that indwells each believer and inhabits each local body of believers gathered together in His name

We are to live as His body, the church open and operating in His name and by His Spirit.

Live as His body.

Intensify Inclusion

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.- Galatians 3:28 (NLT)

There are some who consider their congregations "open," but their reality is something entirely different.  However, some of the churches that come out of a background of putting the protest in Protestant find it difficult to include all others when those others support gay marriage, abortion or legalized marijuana.  These churches are open in the name of Jesus, but they must remain mindful to stick to the way of Jesus.

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. The people of The United Methodist Church.

I used to live near a Methodist church that prominently posted this slogan on its marquee and advertisements.   Open Hearts... Open Minds... Open Doors... Open what? I keep wondering just how "open" they are.  Are there doors more open than their hearts and minds? I should hope not, seeing as how I know some well-meaning Methodists and Wesleyans.

Our churches need to intensify their inclusion.  America has its first African-American president in Barak Obama.  Now, as we go forward in faith, let us open up and crank up our inclusion of others. 

Let us become:

• More Intense with Inclusion
• More Intentional with Inclusion
• More Inclusive with Inclusion

Does your church invest in supporting underserved community members with necessary programs? Is your church campus a safe haven for at-risk youth and abused women and their families? Can those in recovery walk into your church without the shadow of shame? Can those returning from prison and jail enter your congregation without being judged and condemned all over again?

I love the story of Rick Warren and Saddleback Church's origin as told in the Purpose Driven Church.  Warren shares that the ministries at Saddleback were developed based upon the needs of the people who came to the church.  He developed ministries that helped meeting the needs of people who came to them and who lived around them. 

As you help others get better and to live differently, they become the spokespeople for what is possible within your church.  Ex-addicts go back and share the Word with other addicts who struggle with addiction.  Former gang members and drug dealers spread the word on the streets of what your church has done for them since they met Jesus at your church's altar.  Your job? Keep intensifying your inclusion.  Touch lives like never before.  Make a difference in the lives of people who attend your worship services and who live around and near your church.  Remain open to innovative and inventive ways to invite and include people to be part of the family since we are all one in Christ Jesus.

Bridging the Denominational Divide

Thank God that the kingdom of God is not divided into areas for big, important
people and areas for little, unimportant people. - A.W. Tozer

We have come a long way since Jesus ascended into heaven, leaving His disciples to await the coming of the Helper, the Holy Spirit of God. Yet, we seem to have splintered away from the Way. The early church was rooted in its actions and interactions with each other and the outside world. In fact, it was a known fact among the people that many respected the believers of that time. Nowadays, we have many denominations that it can be hard to keep up with who is doing what and what is going on with whom. Nevertheless, we seize the opportunity to possibly bridge some of the divide that men have created and build bonds on what Christ has established as the head of the church.

We need see Christ as the focus. Our agreement should be on the main thing, and the main thing should be Christ. If we can't agree on baptism, the Lord's Supper or the gifts of the Spirit, let us at least agree by faith that Christ is the main thing that we should focus upon.

We can agree that there are works to be done. We may not agree on how they should be done. We may not agree on whether they add to our salvation or not, but we certainly can agree that there are works that need to be done.

There is an enemy. He may take many forms. He do many things within this world. Our particular theology may see him as one thing as opposed to what other brothers and sisters may think, but we can agree that we have a common enemy who seeks to kill and destroy us.

Our nature is sinful. We may not be able to recite the whole five-point Calvinism and various "ministries" of the church based on our particular doctrine with agreement. Yet, we can admit that we need the pure and righteous sacrifice of the Lamb of God to take care of our sinfulness. We should be able to agree upon that much.

In doing so, we will find plenty of work to do based upon our common ground. We should find much to pray about based upon what we have accepted as true and agreeable. We can at least agree that we need to pray, even if we don't agree on how to pray. Amen.

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Tear Down the Walls

We need to tear down the walls that hinder us from true unity. We have the same God and Holy Spirit, even the same Savior. What's the problem? We are the main problem. Well, it is not simply us. It's all the stuff that we have piled on top of what the Lord has said.

What do I mean? Survey the Bible. You won't find the various degrees of denominations in the Bible that we have come up with these days nor the widespread reasoning for them. Yes, he was called John the Baptist, but most of us Baptists tend to take that totally out of context. He was John the Baptizer because he baptized people with the baptism of repentance. Look out. Beware. Someone will spit hate and spite simply based upon what offends them about that and that is the Word of God.

I have to give it to some of my brothers and sisters who seek out the truth from the Word. They recognize that we may have been raised Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal or otherwise, but they know the truth of the Word. God wants our hearts, not simply our adherence to denominational ties and covenants because we've always- as long as we've known at least- been this or that, done it this way or that way. Bless those who hold fast to all of that, but also bless those who seek and find the truth in the Word.

I say simply tear down the walls. Rip apart the barriers. Eliminate what's in the way. Let's come together and worship the Lord as one body. Share in His Spirit together as one. Let's be a single Christian community.

Unity Worship Service
October 31st
10 AM
Golden Hill Park (San Diego)
Spreading Unity Throughout the Community

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