If you are born-again, you are automatically a member of the body of Christ. It is important that every member of the Body of Christ has some understanding of the significance, benefits, privileges and responsibilities of this most important membership. Our lack of discernment leads to certain patterns of behavior. This in turn may lead to weakness, sickness and death. 1 Corinthians 11:30 (Amplified Bible).
Advantages of discerning the body
The book of the Acts of Apostles provides insights into the unique benefits of discerning the body. This was the time when “all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met” Acts 2: 44-45. In other words, no one lacked. If we practice this in our local churches, no one will go to bed hungry while another church member has food at home. No one will be homeless while another member has a spare room.
“The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, "That's mine; you can't have it." Acts 4:32, 34-35. Not surprisingly, when such believers pray, venues shake. Oneness of the pew impacts the power of the pulpit. “They even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on stretchers and bedrolls, hoping they would be touched by Peter's shadow when he walked by. They came from the villages surrounding Jerusalem, throngs of them, bringing the sick and bedeviled. And they all were healed” Acts 5:15-16. When members of a local church are in unity, signs and wonders will be commonplace. When they are not, weakness, sickness and death prevail. This principle is so important the devil used it in getting enraged people to stone Steven.
The modern day church is weak because it does not practice love as described in the Bible. We barely tolerate each other. This attitude is hurting us more than any other. Compare your life with the following counsel: “Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Romans 12:13, 17-18.
The Biblical standard of oneness among brethren is so high we are not encouraged to take another member to court for any reason! 1 Corinthians 6:1. A believer is admonished to love his enemies; how much more fellow believers. My beloved Christian, I am not advocating some mysterious doctrine. “If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Philippians 2:1-2.
The Strategy of Satan
When there is division, plans cannot succeed. Dreams do not come through. Visions are lost. Power dissipates. The enemy gains a foothold. Our fellowship is powerless and routine. There is no evidence of divine presence. This is the reason Satan does everything he can to cause division among Christians. Luke 11:17, 18. When Christians are united, nothing can prevail against them. You can build anything with unity; you can destroy anything without it. When mankind came together to build the Tower of Babel, listen to what God said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language…now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them” (Gen 11:6). This is God’s assessment of mankind in unity. May it become His assessment of our gatherings in Jesus' name. Amen.
Caveats
You are not called to be clones of each other. That is uniformity which means to look alike, talk alike, and behave alike. You lose your identity and personality. This is not what the Bible advocates. The Apostles were all different personalities which impacted on the way they carried out their ministries. You are called to be unified with other believers. Unification means you share a common purpose and a set of objectives while maintaining your unique personality and identity.
The Greatest Sign of a Disciple
Disciples behave like their master. A disciple of Prophet Mohammed will exhibit violence just as his master did. How are the disciples of Christ identified? Is it by their wealth? Boldness? Speaking in tongues? Great miracles and healings? No. The Lord Jesus said, “This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other” John 13:35. The more we act in love, the more like Jesus we become. The closest disciple to Jesus was John the Apostle. He wrote extensively about love in 1st John. If you do not love the brethren, you are either not born again or you are a very poor reflection of your Master.
“The way we know we've been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn't love is as good as dead. This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. 1 John 3:14, 16-17.
“The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. 1 John 4:8
Love as Jesus loved
Jesus said: "This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.”(John 15:9-12). This is not natural love. You can’t will it. It is unconditional. It is supernatural. God has deposited this agape love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. We yield to the Holy Spirit in order to release this love into the world around us. In other words, you love by faith. Many of us are unlovable in the natural. Loving the lovable is easy. Loving the unlovable is challenging. Our imperfections, faults and weaknesses rub off on others negatively. Without God’s help, it is impossible to love others as you should.
Note that faith and love are intertwined. You cannot love as Jesus loves without faith. However, without love, you cannot practice faith because faith works by love. Galatians 5:6. When you come across difficult believers, ask the Holy Spirit to love them through you by faith. As you do this your faith will grow in leaps and bounds.
Practical Issues
No believer should have an unmet need when there’s another believer who can meet that need. No believer should starve when you have food. No believer should be homeless when you have a house. No believer should have difficulty getting around when other brethren have cars. No believer should be lonely in the presence church members.
In 1765 John Fawsett was called to pastor a very small congregation in England. He labored there diligently for 7 years, but his salary was so meager that he and his wife could scarcely obtain the necessities of life. Though the people were poor, they compensated for this lack by their faithfulness and warm fellowship. Then Dr. Fawcett received an offer from a much larger church in London. As his few possessions were being placed in a wagon for moving, many of his parishioners came to say good-bye and pleaded with him to reconsider. Touched by this great outpouring of love, he and his wife began to weep. Finally Mrs. Fawcett exclaimed, "O John, I just can’t bear this. They need us so badly here." "God has spoken to my heart, too!" he said. "Tell them to unload the wagon! We cannot break these wonderful ties of fellowship." This experience inspired Fawsett to write the hymn, “Blessed be the tie that binds”.
The Great Mystery
God presented Eve to the first Adam. When Adam saw her, he exclaimed:
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:23-24.
Sometime in the future, God will present a bride to the last Adam, Jesus Christ. “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a man (Christ) shall leave his father (God the Father) and mother (God the Spirit) and be joined to his wife (Church), and the two (Christ+Church) shall become one flesh (Bride). This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:30-31.
The Godhead is made up of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three are one. They created man in Genesis 1:26 “in our image, after our likeness”. This means that from the beginning, the Godhead had plans to bring man into oneness with the Trinity. On the last day, the body of Christ (Church) shall become one with the Head thereby fulfilling the original goal set forth in Genesis 1:26.
God spoke in the Old Testament mainly through the prophets. He is speaking in the last days through the Son. However, in the last chapter of the Bible, God shall speak through the Spirit and the Church. Why? Because the Bride has become one with her husband, the Lord Jesus. “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:17. This is man in God’s image, after His likeness.
This is an answer to the prayer of Jesus in John 17:21, “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me”.
This is what the Bible means when it says that “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7. God is Love. He is Grace personified. He wants to show the limitless boundary of His grace by lifting man from the depths of depravity to oneness with Him.
Prayer:
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 5:14-19.
Showing posts with label body. Show all posts
Showing posts with label body. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Wanted: Christ Copiers.
Whose copy are you?
Recent polls show that professing Christians are just as likely as non-Christians to have been divorced, bought a lottery ticket, watch MTV or have subscribed to cable television like HBO and watch R, and even X rated movies as non-Christians. Whose copy are you?
A Christ Copier is a disciple of Christ. He is a “decent example” of Jesus. A disciple is a Christian. The disciples were called Christians (Christ-copy) for the first in Antioch. (Acts 11:26) There are 3 hallmarks of a disciple of Christ: born again, learner, a member of a small group of disciples.
Born again
Discipleship is a journey that starts when an individual surrenders to the Lord, receiving forgiveness of sin in the process. It is a defining moment that starts a relationship between man and God. It cannot be substituted with regular church attendance, church membership, ministry work, charitable works etc. have you invited Jesus who died for you into your heart? If not, it is not too late.
Learner
When anyone becomes born-again, he is a baby in Christ and needs to grow into a mature Christian. There are many who claim to be born again but are not growing. They have lost or never got a Learner’s Permit. This permit is for a lifetime. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby”. 1 Peter 2:2. It is tragedy to start as a babe, and remain so after many years in the faith. Someone with a lower opinion of babies once described them this way: “A baby is a digestive apparatus with a loud noise at one end and no responsibility on the other.” Is your life marked by a desire to know God and become like Him?
Certain characteristics are essential for growth: Food, shelter, clothing, love/affection, ability to hear, speak, think, ability to sit, stand and walk and, ability to read and write. Which of these essentials is most important for growth? Food. Without food, the baby will die and will never have the opportunity to acquire other abilities. Babies need milk, natural or artificial, to survive. They also need to gradually grow to tolerate adult meals in order for their development not to be stunted.
Man is made up or body, soul and spirit. As physical food is to your body, so is the Word of God to your spirit. On average, we eat 3 times daily. How often do we feed our spirits with the Word in a 24-hour period? Stop starving your spirit. Feed your spirit by: Meditating on the Word daily and talking to God for at least 15 minutes daily. God came to Adam in the cool of the evening to chat with him daily. It is one of the reasons we exist. Face-book and twitter God on a daily basis and you will never be the same again.
Member of a small group
There are many lonely people in this world. These loners are in 2 categories: The Ignorant and the Arrogant. The ignorant loner does not know he needs others. The arrogant thinks he is self-sufficient. There is a reason none of us dropped from the sky or shot out of the ground like a plant. Regardless of whether your parents are together or not, everyone was born to a small group called family. It is not good for man to be alone as he goes through life’s journey.
The Almighty God exists as a small group of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Before the God-family made man, man was referred to in the plural. God said, “Let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Genesis 1:26.
Soon after Adam was made, God formed a family for him by creating Eve. Genesis 2:24. Noah was found righteous in God’s sight but he did not go into the Ark alone; he went with his household. Genesis 7:1. What do all these have to do with being a disciple of Christ? Jesus had 12 of them; none walked alone. There is no such thing as lonely disciple.
When a child is born, he becomes part of a family of parents and siblings. In the same was, as soon as a man gets born again, he becomes a member of the family of Christ, the Body of Christ, the Church. The local church is a microcosm of the Church Universal. Christ is the Head. Church leaders are the neck. Other parts are made up of all other believers and may play roles that are visible or invisible.
The Body of Christ has all it takes to take care of its own.
Healthcare Department
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. James 5:14-15, Mark 16:18.
Education Department
“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children” Titus 2:3-4 (NIV), Hebrews 5:12, Ephesians 4:11-13. Older believers (assuming they have grown in the Lord as they should) have a responsibility to teach the babies in the faith.
Bank of Heaven
"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or worse, stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being”. Matthew 6:19-20 (The Message), Matthew 19:21, Philippians 4:19. Giving lays up treasure in heaven. A disciple must be a giver.
Social Security Department
And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met. Acts 2:44-45 (The Message)
Electricity
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. John 1:9.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7.
Water Department
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27 (NIV)
Waste Management System
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)
Social Services
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. Galatians 6:1-3 (The Message)
Housing Department
……God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home. Ephesians 2:20-22 (The Message).
Diversity of the Body of Christ
Aren’t we happy that our human body is not made up of one huge hand or even a collection of hands? When it comes to our local church, our appreciation of the differences that exist between members is not automatic. It takes work, persistence, commitment, patience, perseverance. Concerning marriage, a man and a woman become one on their wedding day. However, that unity must be nurtured, strengthened and defended throughout their life together. Everyone comes to marriage with a baggage which if not attended to, becomes a source of conflict and eventual separation.
If marriage is challenging, imagine the potential for division in a church with many more members than an average family! We all have issues and baggage that we have brought into our relationship as members. But we must win one another’s trust with unconditional love.
Don’t be a leech. The human body does not exist to meet the needs of the hand. The hand exists to meet the needs of the body and in doing so gets its own needs met. The Church does not exist to meet our needs. We exist to carry out the work of the Body and in doing so our own needs are met.
Every member is a minister.
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV)
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 1 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV)
But that doesn't mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. Ephesians 4:7 (Message)
Nobody is a nobody in the body of Christ. We all have a distinct role to play.
From him (Christ) the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:16.
The church will not grow if each part doesn’t do its work. Everyone is essential. No one is useless. This is illustrated in the fictional story below:
A man broke his left arm.
One night when he couldn’t sleep, he imagined a dialogue between his right and left hands.
Right Hand said, “Left Hand, you are not missed. Everybody’s glad it was you that was broken and not me. You are not very important.”
Left Hand asked, “How are you superior?”
Right Hand replied, “Why, my owner cannot write a letter without me.”
Left Hand: “But who holds the paper on which he writes?”
Right Hand: “Who swings the hammer?”
Left Hand: “Who holds the nail?”
Right Hand: “Who guides the plane when the carpenter smoothens a board?”
Left Hand: “Who steadies the board?”
Right Hand: “When our owner walks down the street and lifts his hat to greet someone, which of us does it?”
Left Hand: “Who holds the briefcase while he does it?”
Then he continued, “Let me ask you a question. When our owner shaved yesterday, you held the razor, but his face is cut because I wasn’t there to help. Also, our owner’s watch has stopped. Why? You may do the winding, but if I’m not there to hold it, the watch won’t get wound. You can’t take money out of his wallet to pay for something because I’m not there to hold it. The master can do very few things without me.”
In summary, a Christ-copier must be born again, eager to learn by meditating on the Word and praying daily, and be an active part of a local church where he or she is located.
Recent polls show that professing Christians are just as likely as non-Christians to have been divorced, bought a lottery ticket, watch MTV or have subscribed to cable television like HBO and watch R, and even X rated movies as non-Christians. Whose copy are you?
A Christ Copier is a disciple of Christ. He is a “decent example” of Jesus. A disciple is a Christian. The disciples were called Christians (Christ-copy) for the first in Antioch. (Acts 11:26) There are 3 hallmarks of a disciple of Christ: born again, learner, a member of a small group of disciples.
Born again
Discipleship is a journey that starts when an individual surrenders to the Lord, receiving forgiveness of sin in the process. It is a defining moment that starts a relationship between man and God. It cannot be substituted with regular church attendance, church membership, ministry work, charitable works etc. have you invited Jesus who died for you into your heart? If not, it is not too late.
Learner
When anyone becomes born-again, he is a baby in Christ and needs to grow into a mature Christian. There are many who claim to be born again but are not growing. They have lost or never got a Learner’s Permit. This permit is for a lifetime. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby”. 1 Peter 2:2. It is tragedy to start as a babe, and remain so after many years in the faith. Someone with a lower opinion of babies once described them this way: “A baby is a digestive apparatus with a loud noise at one end and no responsibility on the other.” Is your life marked by a desire to know God and become like Him?
Certain characteristics are essential for growth: Food, shelter, clothing, love/affection, ability to hear, speak, think, ability to sit, stand and walk and, ability to read and write. Which of these essentials is most important for growth? Food. Without food, the baby will die and will never have the opportunity to acquire other abilities. Babies need milk, natural or artificial, to survive. They also need to gradually grow to tolerate adult meals in order for their development not to be stunted.
Man is made up or body, soul and spirit. As physical food is to your body, so is the Word of God to your spirit. On average, we eat 3 times daily. How often do we feed our spirits with the Word in a 24-hour period? Stop starving your spirit. Feed your spirit by: Meditating on the Word daily and talking to God for at least 15 minutes daily. God came to Adam in the cool of the evening to chat with him daily. It is one of the reasons we exist. Face-book and twitter God on a daily basis and you will never be the same again.
Member of a small group
There are many lonely people in this world. These loners are in 2 categories: The Ignorant and the Arrogant. The ignorant loner does not know he needs others. The arrogant thinks he is self-sufficient. There is a reason none of us dropped from the sky or shot out of the ground like a plant. Regardless of whether your parents are together or not, everyone was born to a small group called family. It is not good for man to be alone as he goes through life’s journey.
The Almighty God exists as a small group of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Before the God-family made man, man was referred to in the plural. God said, “Let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Genesis 1:26.
Soon after Adam was made, God formed a family for him by creating Eve. Genesis 2:24. Noah was found righteous in God’s sight but he did not go into the Ark alone; he went with his household. Genesis 7:1. What do all these have to do with being a disciple of Christ? Jesus had 12 of them; none walked alone. There is no such thing as lonely disciple.
When a child is born, he becomes part of a family of parents and siblings. In the same was, as soon as a man gets born again, he becomes a member of the family of Christ, the Body of Christ, the Church. The local church is a microcosm of the Church Universal. Christ is the Head. Church leaders are the neck. Other parts are made up of all other believers and may play roles that are visible or invisible.
The Body of Christ has all it takes to take care of its own.
Healthcare Department
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. James 5:14-15, Mark 16:18.
Education Department
“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children” Titus 2:3-4 (NIV), Hebrews 5:12, Ephesians 4:11-13. Older believers (assuming they have grown in the Lord as they should) have a responsibility to teach the babies in the faith.
Bank of Heaven
"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or worse, stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being”. Matthew 6:19-20 (The Message), Matthew 19:21, Philippians 4:19. Giving lays up treasure in heaven. A disciple must be a giver.
Social Security Department
And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met. Acts 2:44-45 (The Message)
Electricity
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. John 1:9.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7.
Water Department
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27 (NIV)
Waste Management System
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)
Social Services
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. Galatians 6:1-3 (The Message)
Housing Department
……God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home. Ephesians 2:20-22 (The Message).
Diversity of the Body of Christ
Aren’t we happy that our human body is not made up of one huge hand or even a collection of hands? When it comes to our local church, our appreciation of the differences that exist between members is not automatic. It takes work, persistence, commitment, patience, perseverance. Concerning marriage, a man and a woman become one on their wedding day. However, that unity must be nurtured, strengthened and defended throughout their life together. Everyone comes to marriage with a baggage which if not attended to, becomes a source of conflict and eventual separation.
If marriage is challenging, imagine the potential for division in a church with many more members than an average family! We all have issues and baggage that we have brought into our relationship as members. But we must win one another’s trust with unconditional love.
Don’t be a leech. The human body does not exist to meet the needs of the hand. The hand exists to meet the needs of the body and in doing so gets its own needs met. The Church does not exist to meet our needs. We exist to carry out the work of the Body and in doing so our own needs are met.
Every member is a minister.
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV)
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 1 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV)
But that doesn't mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. Ephesians 4:7 (Message)
Nobody is a nobody in the body of Christ. We all have a distinct role to play.
From him (Christ) the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:16.
The church will not grow if each part doesn’t do its work. Everyone is essential. No one is useless. This is illustrated in the fictional story below:
A man broke his left arm.
One night when he couldn’t sleep, he imagined a dialogue between his right and left hands.
Right Hand said, “Left Hand, you are not missed. Everybody’s glad it was you that was broken and not me. You are not very important.”
Left Hand asked, “How are you superior?”
Right Hand replied, “Why, my owner cannot write a letter without me.”
Left Hand: “But who holds the paper on which he writes?”
Right Hand: “Who swings the hammer?”
Left Hand: “Who holds the nail?”
Right Hand: “Who guides the plane when the carpenter smoothens a board?”
Left Hand: “Who steadies the board?”
Right Hand: “When our owner walks down the street and lifts his hat to greet someone, which of us does it?”
Left Hand: “Who holds the briefcase while he does it?”
Then he continued, “Let me ask you a question. When our owner shaved yesterday, you held the razor, but his face is cut because I wasn’t there to help. Also, our owner’s watch has stopped. Why? You may do the winding, but if I’m not there to hold it, the watch won’t get wound. You can’t take money out of his wallet to pay for something because I’m not there to hold it. The master can do very few things without me.”
In summary, a Christ-copier must be born again, eager to learn by meditating on the Word and praying daily, and be an active part of a local church where he or she is located.
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