The Body of Christ

As Christians, we are called The Body of Christ. Romans 12:5, tells us that “we are all parts of His one body, and each of us has different work to do”. As different parts of the same body, we belong to, and need each other. We are a family, the family of God. Romans 12, goes on to say in verses 6-8, “God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is encouraging others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly”.

When we ask Christ into our lives, our spirit connects with God’s Spirit. This is the beginning of our spiritual journey. The first birth is physical. The second, or new birth, is spiritual. Our conviction and choice to believe can occur at any physical age. We are physical beings on a spiritual journey. The third being of the trinity now lives within us. In Romans 12:2, God tells us that now He wants us to stop “copying the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is”. The renewing of our mind is a continuous and ongoing process. Ones mind chooses to believe and with this decision, a spiritual journey is begun. The Holy Spirit now lives within us and we begin to experience the gifts of the spirit in our life. These desired gifts of the Spirit are recorded in Galatians 5:22. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

As these gifts become who we are and direct how we act, they light up how we serve. “They will know we are Christians by our Love” is a song title identifying who we are by how we act. We are accountable to God for our actions. No one is perfect but we are also held to a greater accountability by others because of our faith. More love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control should exemplify our lives as being a member of the body of Christ.