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Sunday, April 29, 2012

Christian Corner: "We Aren't Created To Be On Our Own"

Photo courtesy of Google --I just modified it
Since it's SUNDAY, I just want to share this article by Greg Monteclaro


Being in Community 

by GREG MONTECLARO 

“In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:5 


We are called to belong, not just to believe.


We are created for community, formed for a family, fashioned for fellowship, and none of us can fulfill God’s purposes by ourselves. The Bible says we are put together, joined together, built together, members and heirs together, and held together. 


We were never meant to be on our own, and must not strive to be separate from others. While our relationship to Christ is personal, it is not intended to be exclusive. In God’s family, we are connected to every other believer, and we will belong to each other for eternity.


Following Christ includes belonging, not just believing. We are members of his Body — the Church. C.S. Lewis noted that the word membership is of Christian origin, but the world has emptied it of its original meaning. Stores offer discounts to “members,” and advertisers use member names to create mailing lists. In churches, membership is often reduced to simply adding our name to a roll, with no requirements or expectations.



Paul was very explicit. Being a “member” of the church meant being a vital part of a living body, an indispensable, interconnected part of Christ’s Body ( Rom.12:4-5; 1 Cor.6:15, 12:12-27 ). Therefore, we need to recover and practice the biblical meaning of membership.


The Church is a body, not a building, an organism, not an organization. For the organs of our body to fulfill their purpose, they must all be connected to each other, all working together. We were created for a collective role just as we were for a specific role; and we can discover our role in life only through our relationships with others. If an organ is somehow severed from its body, it will shrivel and die. It cannot exist on its own, and neither can we. Disconnected and cut off from the lifeblood of a local body, our spiritual life will wither and eventually cease to exist (Eph.4:16). This is why the first symptom of spiritual decline is usually inconsistent attendance at worship services and other gatherings of believers. The Christian life is more than just a commitment to Christ; it includes a commitment to other Christians (2 Cor.8:5). We become a Christian by committing ourselves to Christ




MY REFLECTION: 


As the title speaks, we aren't created to be on our own, we are created to be of person to others. As the cliche goes "No man is an island" or No man can stand alone for himself".



Happy Sunday Everyone!

1 comments:

  1. Tama, we are born for others not for ourselves... because God wants us to be selfless like him :))

    ReplyDelete

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