One Body, One Church, One Lord

There is one Creator.  I worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.  Our God is One.  He is the Beginning and the End; the Alpha and the Omega.  He IS, WAS, and IS to come.  He is ever-present in my life.  Our God, the I AM, comes to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  He is the Trinity; the three in One.  He is Omniscient (all-knowing), Omnipresent (everywhere), and Omnipotent (all-powerful).  He has convicted my heart.  He teaches me His Word.  I have received His gift of Faith.  It is His Grace alone that has brought me into greater understanding of who I am in Him.  I know that He is directing me and that He has a purpose for my life.

I see Him in the Scriptures, in Creation, and in the Love of others. I feel His presence in prayer, worship, and praise.  He is present in Church, on the bike path in the evening, and in a quiet spot in my own home or yard.

Today I was reading 1 Corinthians 12.  I am one member of the Body of Christ which is His Church on earth.  Verse 18 tells us that “God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased”.  He has different roles and jobs for us according to the talents which He has given us.  Some of the necessary parts of the Church listed in verse 28 are: apostles, prophets, teachers, administrators, and caring helpers of others.  Various members have the gift of miracles, the gift of healing, and the gift of speaking in unknown languages.  We should desire the most helpful gifts.  Our talents are a gift from God.  Using our talents for God’s Glory is our gift back to Him.  As we read on into 1 Corinthians 13 we are told that of all the gifts which we receive, and in turn give; the greatest one of all is Love. 

Just as God made our bodies with many parts, His Church, the Body of Christ has many parts.  We have eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc. but we still are only one body.  All believers together are Christ’s body. Each of us is a separate and necessary part of it.  In the Body of Christ are, Jew, Gentile, slave, free, rich, poor, weak, and strong.  We are to love and care for each other.  Each one of us is a separate and necessary part.  Verse 26 says that “If one suffers, all parts suffer, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad”.

Jesus, the Messiah, is from the Jewish lineage of David as was prophesied in the Old Testament.  The first Christ Followers, Christians, were Jews.  Today, many Jews have come to know Christ, the Messiah.  The first Christians became the Roman Catholic Church with Peter as the first head of the church.  In the 16^th Century Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation divided the Christian Church.  The Protestants, led by Martin Luther believed that we were saved by Grace only; justified by faith, not by works.  Lutherans became the first of the many Protestant Denominations.  We are many parts but only One Body and One Head which is Jesus Christ, our Lord.  The Bible is the Word of God.  When we choose a church we must know that the central teaching of the church is Christ crucified, Christ given to us by the Father to redeem our sins, and the Holy Spirit given to us by Christ to help us to do the Father’s will.  The Holy Bible is God breathed and inspired.  It is taught and believed.  I have been fortunate to have attended a number of Churches in different locations in my spiritual journey.  I have grown and continue to grow in relationship with Jesus, my Savior and my friend.   I have been taught by spirit-filled pastors in various denominations.  “The Church” is not a building.  It is not a specific Catholic or Protestant building or denomination.  The Church is made up of people, each, a member of the body of Christ.  He is our head.  As a believing Christian I have a role to play in Christ’s Church on earth.  I would hope that my words, as I reflect on my faith, will be a help to someone.  In my Blog, I find purpose in the small role which I might play in Christ’s Church.  May God be glorified in my life and in my words!