All Together

David grew stronger and stronger, because the Lord Almighty was with him. This is the list of David's famous soldiers. Together with the rest of the people of Israel, they helped him become king, as the Lord had promised, and they kept his kingdom strong. 1 Chronicles 11:9-10 (GNT)

We planted a church on April 1 in the middle of the COVID pandemic. I have always known God has a sense of humor but seriously? It doesn’t look like I thought it would. Everything is virtual. We’re figuring it out as we go. Some of the stuff I thought we’d figure out early on has been tabled and other things have moved to the forefront.

One thing I know for sure. We are all in this together. Each member of our team brings something unique to the church. And we need each and every one of us to be about His Kingdom. Each of us is designed with our own ministry style (APEST) and each of us brings talents to the group that allow us to serve individually yet for the collective good.

For example, my top scoring ministry styles are Apostle then Teacher. This is great except if we went forward with only these, there wouldn’t be the level of love and nurturing that is needed. The ‘heart’ of the church would be lacking. And God knew this. I found it interesting in 1 Chronicles there are a lot of chapters that talk about the band of men around David, their talents, what they brought to the Group. And in those verses was today’s verse.

David was a great leader. He loved God but without God being with him and without his famous soldiers and the “rest of the people of Israel”, he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did.

In the New Testament God spends a lot of time talking about the body. We need each other to accomplish the mission he has given us. We are to work together, complement each other and be one with him. We cannot do what he has called us to do alone. And when we serve this way, the miracle of God’s unity is seen by all. It is truly mind-blowing.

We might be in the middle of a pandemic but God is still working. He is still bringing together a body of people to be about his mission. He is still, even virtually, using the talents and gifts of everyone to knit us together with the Holy Spirit to move His Kingdom forward.

The lesson has been demonstrated all throughout the ages…Pandemic or not, we need each other.

Your Place In The Body

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV)

Recently, I’ve been thinking more about the Church. Not my physical church or any church I pass as I drive through town but, “the Church”. You know, US. The Bible says that the body of believers is the Church. It’s not about a building or a service, it’s about people.

Also in Scripture it says that we are God’s holy temple. (1 Cor 3:16) And here is what I find amazing. God designated each one of us individually as his holy temple. A place he comes to stay when we choose Jesus. What a mind blowing thought to know that the God of the Universe is that close; that intricately involved in our lives.

To top it all off, in today’s verses it says that he then takes each one of those holy temples and builds this massive Church! It started with the apostles and the prophets as the foundation. Then, Jesus was the cornerstone (that on which everything depends). Then, each one of us is added; one by one, cherished piece upon cherished piece being joined together through Jesus making a Holy Temple.

Imagine it! Every single person joining together to make a Church that functions as Jesus would. Every single person praising God, loving each other, caring for those in need and sharing the Good News. We were all intended to be part of this plan. This is the true function of the Church.

What I am awestruck over is that God took the very thing he cared about most (us) and he used it to build something that would reach more of us. His plans always has and always will be about loving us.

If you ever have a moment where you think the church is not relevant, maybe the reason is you have the wrong definition of church. It’s not the building, the service or even the Pastor. It’s about you. How are you going to redefine that?