One Body

 

Hello this is Brad Snowden with Multiply a word of encouragement for village church planters and in this episode I want to look at the importance of being part of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:16 "From Him the whole body the church, in all its various parts, joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in unselfish love."

In Christ Jesus we are the body as one and in I Corinthians 12 the Apostle Paul writes a clear explanation of the body or as we might say “The Church” 

I have learned valuable lessons over the years about how God planned out His Church to grow healthy and strong. I had my own construction business and I struggled with allowing others to help me. I really had a hard time asking for help even when things were too heavy for me to lift. I would say I will find a way to get it done. It was hard for me to admit that it would be better and faster if I simply asked for help. I now have physical challenges because I did not ask for help with carrying the weight. I thought it was weakness or simply would not get the work done like I thought it should.

This can happen even as Church Planters if we try to do many things on our own and that simply is not healthy for the body of Christ. Paul writes every joint supply and that has to be part of our hearts. God may open ways to partner with many different people and in that is what His body consists of. We must die to the fears of the flesh, maybe they will not do it like I would do, maybe they would get the credit and not me, and the list can go on and on. We must allow God to help us understand the big picture He wants to paint. We as believers in Jesus are all part of His body and God does use every part as He does yet we are not all the parts. Growing healthy bodies will take many different people, many different gifts, but that is good.

When I understood that I could not build houses by myself or lift heavy objects in my own strength that was a good day. I was able to do more, faster and better and that accomplished to goal more effectively. Church planters when we use all the tools God has given us we will see His body grow. God has an amazing plan and He desires to use each one of us. I would like to challenge you to pray about who can walk alongside you, so you aren’t working alone.  We are all part of the body of Christ and we will all accomplish great thing for the Lord working together. 

This is Multiply a word of encouragement for village church planters.