Yesterday, we looked at the call to personal holiness – at a life that reflects Jesus himself. But a careful reading of Paul shows that this is not something to be done in isolation, or even for its own sake. The imitation of Christ calls for a community in which we can use the gifts that the Spirit gives. Paul looks forward to the day when full maturity will be reached:
Then we will no longer be like children…Instead, we will hold the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Ephesians 4:14-16Ephesians 4:14-16
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
14 We must stop acting like children. We must not let deceitful people trick us by their false teachings, which are like winds that toss us around from place to place. 15 Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head 16 . of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love.
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As we pray, “Your will be done, as in heaven – so on earth,” we need to be reminded that we are to be like Jesus in holiness. But it is in our relationship to one another that this shaping occurs. We can’t will up love, joy or peace – nor any of the other “fruits” - through our own determination, nor can we develop them without the body. Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. You have been placed in the body of God for the good of the body. It is a priority to God, more of one than we are comfortable with, I think.
We live a disconnected life, and this isn’t the way God wants it to be. We trick ourselves into thinking that all our technology connects us more strongly than ever – but in reality many of these connections are only skin deep. We are getting the “status update” view of each other. God’s will is that we read each other a little more deeply than that.
How important is the body to you? Is it a matter of connection, of warmth and friendship? Is it a burden, “church,” something you’ve been raised to do but honestly wish you could just skip? Is church the place where you serve, or is it the place where you live? I know in my own life I often suffer from a very small view of the church. I know it’s more than “the building”. But I don’t necessarily live like that.
As we continually immerse ourselves in the word of God, we see the Father’s priorities. They aren’t always those of our culture (think understatement). Our world praises the priority of the individual, while we find Jesus repeatedly telling us to focus on God, and then others, first. The world praises the family, while undermining everything it means and stripping it of every social protection it has historically afforded. We find the true importance of the family in Scripture, but we do not find it idolized or given the priority that many in the “popular” Christian culture suggest. Instead, we see God call us to a new family, one that consists of more than just blood relatives. One that is perfectly fitted together so that all can grow in maturity and faith.
This means more than a once-a-week bible study or meal. It is more than church attendance, even if you are at the sanctuary multiple times a week. It means submitting to criticism from a brother without looking for a church that is more to “your taste”. It is offering forgiveness to a sister who has not yet sought it. It is more than a regularly scheduled “accountability” partner. It demands more than just acceptance for who we are, rather a willingness to be changed. It goes beyond capitulating to the constant struggle between church-time and family-time, instead replacing both with a new image of what it means to be a Christian family. It means sharing our meals and homes together as a way of life, and not just as an occasional means of entertainment.
We have our priorities out of sort. And if we truly seek God’s will “as in heaven, so on earth,” then I believe it will mean a change; a change in the way we organize community and family, and a change in the way we see the course of life. With me, will you commit to seek the Kingdom in the here and now? Will you commit your whole being to God, and then to the body of Christ, his bride? Will you commit to living life together?
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