What do you think of when I say 'The Church' to you?
I bet it's a building right?
You'll be forgiven for thinking of a church as a building - a lot of Christians might say the same thing at first.
In truth, the church is nothing to do with buildings, it's about people.
We as Christians are the 'Body of Christ'. We are all one body, one family and we can draw a few parallels from that analogy of all being part of that one body.
During this little series I'll be looking mostly at the words from the following passage, written by St Paul to the early Christians in Corinth which is in Greece:
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.
Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honourable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honourable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honour and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honoured, all the parts are glad.
1 Corinthians 12:12-26
Just like body parts, we have functions
God has given us gifts, abilities, talents and skills to use for his glory and to show the amazing things that he has created.
He has given some incredible musical abilities to show off the wonder of music.
Some have incredible artistry and can create works that are beautiful or thought provoking - forcing us to admire or consider the amazing things He has created.
Some have amazing organisational skills and make their way high up in business to lead and motivate, these skills God gives people so that we can live in a world that is fair and where we can enter into transactions with people for goods and services in legitimate ways for businesses that sustain people through earning money.
The list goes on and it's all the same, gifts that God gives us so that we can live in, and enjoy the world that we live in, that He created for us.
Therefore knowing that you have your own individual gifts, we don't have to be jealous of others' gifts. God has given you exactly what he wanted to so that he can use you in ways that he can't use others. If you're feeling a bit like you don't know if you have gifts or don't know how to use what you have - just have a think about what makes you feel strong emotions.
Do people who are lonely make you feel especially sad? Maybe your gift is in community and helping other people.
Does war and violence make you angry or sad, maybe your gifts are in diplomacy and peaceful means of settling disputes.
Hopefully you're getting what I'm trying to say.
So I challenge you to have a think about what your gifts are. Are you using them? If not then you are wasting them! I would love for you to find some way to exercise those things that you have been given so that you can glorify the One who made you with them.
Church = Us
Us = the Body / Family
All of us.
