On Mission to the Church: One Unified Body, Many Gifted Members
Here at Cross Creek Church, our theme for 2024 is the word “mission”. We are called to be on mission for Christ, though sometimes it can be difficult to know what that looks like practically in our lives. We at More Than Sundays are here to help with that as best we can – this article is a part of a series about our God-given responsibility to live on mission in our communities, regardless of what those communities may be. We hope it is helpful and edifying for you. Please enjoy!
We are not meant to live life alone. Not even God Himself lives alone! We are called to serve our families, our local community, those less fortunate than ourselves, and others in the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV) says, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” In David Guzik’s commentary on this passage, he says, “we must endeavor to keep this unity – we do not create it…. He has created it by His Spirit; our duty is to recognize it and keep it” (Enduring Word, 2023). Being unified with other believers doesn’t mean looking the same or living the exact same. Being unified as the Body of Christ means working towards the same goal, which is to live under the light of Jesus’ love and to share that with others. It means acknowledging our differences as gifts given by God to serve God and to love others in purposeful ways.
One Body
Our God is a united God. As Christians, we believe in a God who is Three in One, otherwise known as the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. God knew it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18) because He Himself was not alone. Along with the angels that dwelt among Him, God lives in community with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. When He created humans, He said “let us make humankind in our image” (Genesis 1:27) which indicates a plural form of Himself. We live among other believers and are called to live in community with one another just as God does: in loving unity. That can be very difficult to do sometimes considering we are all very different people who grew up in different circumstances and have different beliefs, even when we’re worshiping under the same church roof. But unity is crucial because when the world that is very disunified looks upon a group of people that is unified under Jesus despite circumstantial and cultural differences, they see the reality of Jesus. That reality is an all loving God who desires people of all tribes, nations, and tongues to know who He is.
Jesus Himself prays for believers to be unified in John 17:20-21 (ESV): “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” When we work through conflicts with one another in a healthy way, love each other despite different political or life views, and live harmoniously and generously within the Body of Christ, the world will see something that it craves – a truly loving community. When a church community, whether national or local, has a political, financial, or power-driven motive, it can be dangerous grounds for our will and gain to outweigh the desire for sharing the Gospel. We are a community that is spiritually unified through the blood of Jesus. This doesn’t mean that the world looks at the church and sees a perfect group with no issues. There are going to be injustices, conflicts, judgment, and just straight up annoyance within the church even when the motives are true. In these hardships, we are called to fight for the oppressed and call out the injustices in a way that points to Jesus and doesn’t stir up more hate (Psalm 82:3, Isaiah 1:17). We are called to work through conflict in a healthy way with one another, which doesn’t include ranting on Facebook or gossiping with one another (Matthew 18:15, Ephesians 4:29, 2 Corinthians 12:20), and we’re called to lay down our petty annoyances as well (Proverbs 27:3, 12:16, 29:11 – Proverbs has a lot to say about this one). All of these things can be very hard to do – definitely speaking from personal experience – but when we walk closely with Jesus and see the joy and peace that come with living harmoniously with one another in the Body of Christ, it will lead us to a life of authentic love with everyone working towards one goal: unity under Christ through unity with Christ.
Spiritual Gifts
Our God is a creative God. He created an earth that in all of its color and wonder works as a living painting to tell of His glory. Our God is an orderly God. He created the solar system and our bodies to work as systematic, intricate structures that rely on sequences, cycles, and organization to work correctly. Our God is a kind and compassionate God. He sent Jesus to live a perfectly loving and compassionate life that He ultimately laid down for ours; Jesus washed the feet of those He loved, celebrated with them, mourned with them, encouraged them, and broke bread with them. Our God is hospitable, wise, and even prayerful (like we saw in John 17). Whether you are gifted creatively, organizationally, empathetically, or in any other way, you have a piece of God’s character within you that helps you specially serve Him and His people. The beginning of Romans 12 talks about the church being one body with many parts, and verse 14-15 (ESV) says, “For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.” God has uniquely gifted each of us. What are you naturally drawn to or good at? Do you enjoy spreadsheets or music or hospitality, leadership, or poetry? Are you good at knowing the needs of people before they say them or encouraging others? Looking at what you are naturally gifted in or drawn to tends to point you in the right direction to the specific place God has for you. We get to exemplify parts of our incredible God to those around us by using the gifts that He has intentionally given us. One of my favorite paraphrases of Galatians 6:4-5 is The Message which says, “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” Our gifts are a responsibility, and we don’t want to miss the opportunity to serve others in the Body of Christ by ignoring our gifts!
We are also called to serve and meet the needs of those around us, even if we don’t necessarily feel it’s our specific gifting. Jesus is our ultimate example of how to live. If you look at any of the Gospels, it’s obvious that His love was not only demonstrated in His death on the cross but also in the day-in and day-out love He showed those around Him – if we put it in our own modern terms, Jesus loved and served His community, and we are called to do the same. There is a general calling of generosity, compassion, and love that is placed on all of us. Within our local church there are endless people that need support, provision, encouragement, and prayer. We are called to give and serve where we can. Whether that be joining a meal train, praying for our leaders, being generous with your finances to a person or ministry, or opening your home for a meal or for someone in need of a space. This is where the church is a beautiful and purposeful gathering – we are able to be there for one another in times of need, and there is almost nothing more Christ-like than that. Anne Lamott in her book, Help, Thanks, Wow, says, “I have seen many people survive unsurvivable losses, and seen them experience happiness again. How is that possible? Love flowed to them from their closest people, and from their community, surrounded them, sat with them, held them, fed them, swept their floors. Time passed. In most cases, their pain evolved slowly into help for others…poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote, ‘I slept and dreamt that life was joy / I awoke and saw that life was service. / I acted and behold, service was joy’” (Lamott, 2012). Love, generosity, and compassion know no specific type of person; if Jesus dwells within us, we are to live these things to the people around us.
That first passage I shared from Ephesians 4 says to walk worthily of our calling, “with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love” (KJV). A forbearing person is a patient and forgiving person – “we need this so that the inevitable wrongs that occur between people in God’s family will not work against God’s purpose of bringing all things together in Jesus” (Enduring Word, 2023). It’s hard to walk patiently and forgivingly with one another in the church – but if you are a part of the Body of Christ, you know the patience and forgiveness that has been bestowed upon you by an ever-loving Creator and Savior. What a blessing it is to be a part of the Body of Christ. We are united not by doctrine, or organization, but by the Spirit. This cuts through flesh and physicality and is deeper than blood; we are bonded by something beyond our understanding. Through that bond, we are able to see our differences and gifts as spiritually ordained in order to love those around us with the same intentional love that has been given to us through Jesus.
Reflection Questions:
Do you believe that God has intentionally gifted you with dreams, interests, and gifts that you can use to serve Him and others?
What are some of your personal gifts and interests that you might not perceive as spiritual?
Is there a pull on your life to do something intentional with a gift that you have to serve God or others?
References:
Enduring Word. (2023, September 20). Enduring Word Bible Commentary Ephesians Chapter 4. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/ephesians-4/
Lamott, A. (2012). Help, thanks, wow. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL27625021M/Help_Thanks_Wow