We are ONE Body in Christ Jesus!

"the body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts;
and though all its parts are many, they form one body."
I Corinthians 12:12

Have you ever thought about how many parts make up your physical body. If you consider
all the cells that make up our body, counting all the parts would be in the trillions times trillions. In other words, more than my little finite mind can comprehend.

The word "body" is used in many different ways in the Greek in the New Testament. Paul in I Corinthians uses it to stress "community". He states that the body of Jesus Christ is a Christian community made up of many different parts YET all one unit. Many different parts however, all part of ONE body, the community of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul stresses that there is no "this church, or that church, or home church, or ecumenical church". All those who are in "the body" make up the ONE body, called the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are all ONE regardless of our ethnicity or our socioeconomic status or if we like organ music, guitar and drums, Statler Brothers or Big Daddy Weave. Our differences are what makes "the body" unique. We are different parts with different likes and dislikes, but ALL FAMILY, brothers and sisters in the body, the community of believers identified as "the church" of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Surely we can all see the wisdom of this in the physical body. Wouldn't it be a little scary if each one of us what just ONE BIG EAR? Oh yea, we could hear someone whispering a mile away. But, we would never be able to SEE a baby smile. We'd never be able to TASTE ________________(for me...shrimp gumbo, yum, yum...you fill in the blank with your favorite). We'd never be able to smell fresh coffee, or fresh baked cinnamon rolls, etc. We'd never be able to WALK down the hall or in the grocery store. We'd never be able to HOLD any one's hand.

So you see. As our physical body is made up of many different parts that enable us to do many things, so it is in the spiritual body, the church. We are many different parts with varying roles. BUT, all NEEDED. We are one body and each of us needs every other
part of the body of Jesus Christ to be complete. Without any one part...we are incomplete.

Paul says, "if the foot should say, 'because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body',
it would not for that reason cease to be a part of the body...if they were all one part
where would the body be?"
I Corinthians 12:15,19

Very good question...WHERE WOULD THE BODY BE?

Not divided but UNITED. Or as Jesus pleaded with His disciples and US:

"my prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message. that all of them may be one, Father,
just as you are in me and I am in you."
John 17:20-21

One body, many parts, but ONE UNIT and COMMUNITY!

I am praying for you and your family,