Affirmation of Togetherness
Author: Pastor Claude Thomas
Paul makes a very important observation in 1 Corinthians 12 about our relationship in the human family and especially the family of faith.
He affirms we are interdependent on each other and not independent of each other… “And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’”(v,21).
Cooperative with each other and not competitive with each other… “there should be no division(schism) in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.”(v.25).
Individual parts make the whole but no part is the whole… “For in fact the body in not one member but many.”(v.14). And again, “If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?”(v. 17).
“Now you are the members of the body of Christ, and members individually.” (v.27).
We are individuals but we are together… supporting each other. God made us this way. Why?
1) Supporting each other fulfills an emotional need.
We have heard of the “phantom feeling.” When a person loses an arm or finger or toe, the feeling continues. It is just like the arm or finger or toe is still there.
When a person is missing from our circle of family or friends, we feel the loss of that person. It is like the table has been set, their place at the table is prepared and they are not there.
We need each other because God made us to be together!
2) Supporting each other fulfills a spiritual need.
Paul said it best. We are like the body.
Families get together and put a puzzle together. The pieces will be all over the table. They make no sense separated but when they begin to go together, it makes sense. It makes a beautiful picture.
So it is with us! The family is beautiful when all of us are together and supporting each other. And others will see it.
That is what Jesus prayed in John 17:21 when He said, “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 they world may believe that You sent Me.”
There is a spiritual impact to make on others when we are together!
Supporting each other fulfills a practical need.
We can do more together than alone. Consider the “team concept.” One or two stars on a team can contribute greatly to the team but they are not the team. It takes all working together to reach the full potential.
Let us affirm each other!
Personal Growth
By Pastor Claude Thomas
The birth of a baby is an occasion for celebration. Today, dads gather in the delivery birth room and when the baby is born, everybody celebrates together. But that is only the beginning. More days, weeks, and years follow. What follows after the birth is of great interest to everyone.
When we take our children to the pediatrician, the doctor measures so many things about the child that it is hard to keep up with them. Weight, height, girth, alertness, motor skills, and many other things are measured. Why? They want to measure the growth in all of these areas.
Think about this one. The baby takes its first step. Now that’s an occasion for celebration. Mom and dad are on the floor whooping and hollering. The child looks around in amazement at all the excitement that a single step has caused. Why is that? Because the first step indicates growth is occurring that we can see and measure. We want our children to keep growing.
We see growth is important for a child. Is it important for an adult? A. Lincoln said, “I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” (Great Quotes from Great Leaders, p.22).
The Bible calls upon us to reach toward out God-given potential. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18) This is a prescription and an opportunity. “Grow” is a verb of prescription. God told the believers Peter was addressing “to keep growing.”
Someone has noted that growth for a Christian can be seen in three ways: an option to exercise, an obligation to fulfill, or an opportunity to realize.
No doubt growing can be seen as all three wrapped up in one. “To grow as a person and a believer” is an option to exercise. You can continue to grow or you can choose to stagnate.
Cliff Barrows has been a member of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Team for many years. Although he is growing older in years, he said a few years ago, “I am going to continue to change as long as I live.” What was he saying? I will continue to exercise my option to be a growing person. (Graham Missions Metroplex, Texas Stadium Club Room. Celebration Announcement of October 17-20, 2002).
“To grow as a person and a believer” is an option to exercise. It is also an obligation to fulfill. A key to growing is obedience to God and what He says. And He says, “Grow!” To fail here is to fail!!!
That is nowhere more obvious than in the life of Saul, the first king of Israel. Saul lost his future because he failed to obey what God told him to do. Obedience is the main essential for us to keep growing in our relationship to Christ, as a person, and in our relationship to others!
“To grow as a person and a believer” is an option to exercise, an obedience to fulfill, and an opportunity to realize. John Maxwell wrote: “God’s gift to me is my potential. My gift back to God is what I do with that potential.” Maxwell. Developing the Leader Within You, p. 148.
To keep growing is an option to exercise, an obligation to fulfill, and an opportunity to realize. Now we realize all of us are not at the same place, but we all have potential to grow. We may not grow at the same rate but all of us can grow. And for you and me to become the best that we can be, the Scriptures teach us that we all have the potential to grow, and we should invest in growing toward what God has for us.
