(NOTE: This is the 2nd in a series I am teaching in our Women's Bible Study on Wednesday nights - Come and join us if it is possible!)
Mark 12:30-31 “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
While ‘loving God’ shows our UPWARD devotion; ‘loving others’ shows our OUTWARD devotion.
Everything that God does involves relationship. First should be our relationship to Him and then the next part of being an ACTIVE BELIEVER is our relationship with others.
The Bible says in Ephesians 4:16 “from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:15 “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”
Christ is the head of our body and the body is made up of believers in community; which is the church. Are we a ‘part’ of the body or are we just merely a ‘body part’?
This is the difference in someone who is part of the body and someone who doesn’t believe enough and instead just chooses to be a body part. The Bible describes us as part of the body of Christ and the opposite of that would be disconnected body parts.
If our heart, mind, soul and strength are poured into Jesus Christ; then we ARE desiring to be part of the body.
Since we are desiring to be ‘part of the body’ then we are automatically part of the community of God! That is the way that God works with His own.
Sometimes ‘Community’ is hard work. It takes time to invest in community and in our day and age; time is the last thing we have a lot of and yet God continually calls us to it! Do we ignore it and become just a ‘body part’ – or do we proceed to get involved with the local church and become ‘part of the body’?
Here are some ways that we can evaluate our level of commitment to ‘Community’ and learn if indeed we are ‘part of the body’ or a ‘body part’.
† Connected – Are we a participator or a spectator? We are ‘connected’ if we are helping to grow the local body of believers. Ephesians 4:16
† Compassionate – Are we moved to compassion for other believers or are we cold and distant when others are struggling? Is our heart broken for those who need encouragement in their trials? Every time Jesus felt compassion for others He did miracles! Our body needs miracles and those are found in answered prayer, helping hands, giving monetarily, sharing our testimony of what God has done and many other ways! Ephesians 4:2, 32
† Changed – Are we changed since coming to Christ and growing within the body? Are we living a different way at home and from our hearts? Our relationships with others should tell the story. Are we living out that ‘changed life’ and it is evident to others? Ephesians 4:17
† Character – Have we changed out of our worldly clothes and put on the clothing of Christ? Has our character changed? Are we seeking to be more like Christ every day? This should never get old for the believer. We should be seeking Jesus constantly and asking Him to mold our character to be more like Him. When we do this; others see Him in us and His light shines in the darkness of the world. Ephesians 4:22-26
† Choices – Do our words and actions build unity or divisions within the body of Christ? Do we choose our words to build others up or do we share in the ‘4-1-1’ and get the scoop instead of letting the Love of Christ wash over us? It is so easy to want to be in the ‘know’ in this world; but God calls us to build up the body by our words and actions instead of tearing down. Ephesians 4: 1,3
† Complete – Are we allowing others to also be ‘part of the body’? Are we encouraging others to get involved and be a part with us or are we exclusively trying to keep others out because we don’t know them or want them involved with us? God calls us to community to GROW others right along with the body and include them all to be a part with us! This is so very important for the future generations of the body! Others ALWAYS need to be included in the growing Community we live in! Ephesians 4:11-13
† Committed – Are we committed when it is difficult to be committed? Are we dedicated to the body of Christ in such a way that we might have to sacrifice something to do the work of the Lord? This is hard in our world because we have so many different things to do! God assures us in His Word however that when we put Him first; He makes a way for all things in our lives! It is a beautiful promise to those who are found faithful! Ephesians 5
To activate Jesus in our lives in a powerful way we must first love God and then love others! With the Love of God filling us; God gives us the POWER to love those in our community; which is the body of Christ!
It is my prayer that this week we evaluate our lives and discover if we are ‘part of the body’ or just a ‘body part’ and make the changes that we need to make to come closer to the Lord! Our relationship is what does this for us. Invest in your relationship with Christ today and make it a priority! It will enhance your life in such a way that you would NEVER want to turn away from the Lord.
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