What Part Are You?
Romans 12:4-8
Today’s topic should be familiar territory. We are discussing the unity of the body of Christ. If you look at most churches today, you will see a group of people that seem to work together and make services happen without too many hitches. If you look deeper, you see that is about it. There is no real unity and problems and strife just lay in wait.
The picture that Paul gives us here is one that is more than just being unified to make it through a Sunday service or some other big event. This unity is a way of life.
This way of life is built upon a foundation. As any great building, the foundation is the most pivotal point to the structure. What is missing in most churches is this foundation. Paul mentions it repeatedly. There is no other foundation than that of God himself, I Peter 4:11, Phil. 4:13. No other foundation will stand the test of time and anything that Satan can throw at it, Matt. 16. However, to achieve God as the foundation on a corporate level, He must be achieved on the personal level for we are the church.
The opposite of God is self and pride, I Samuel 15, Prov. 16:18. Churches are made up of people that have a sin problem, including pastors, deacons, teachers, etc. When pride gets in the way, we begin to cease to be the building that God wants us to be. We become a weak building without a foundation.
Once we step into the arena and begin to fight this selfish pride personally, we can start to build on the foundation of God corporately. We can then become the body that functions in harmony bringing honor and glory to God. God wants us to be unified, Ps. 133:1, John 17. The choice is ours.
Napoleon had a great strategy to defeat his foes. He would divide his enemy and then conquer. It worked great for him and many others who have tried it. A divided foe will fall. It is after all biblical.
The church is the foe of Satan. He wants to divide and conquer as many churches as he can. Especially since his days are running out.
The title of the message is, “What Part Are You?” Next week we will get into the talents and gifts that God gives to a church but this week I want to leave you with a form of that question. Are you going to be a part of the church that strives for and ushers in unity? Or, are you going to be a part of the church that is influenced by Satan to bring discord and strife? The choice is yours and mine and is one that must continually be fought. Remember, we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord!