Daily devotion – the body of Christ
Can you tell me where in the Bible we are told that we are supposed to get something out of the Church? Somebody has said that the local Church is like the neighbourhood bank – you get nothing out of it until you put something into it.
As for marriage, who ever said that its main purpose was to please either the husband or the wife? Scripture passages like Ephesians 5:22-22 and 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 seem to indicate that mutual marital enrichment depends on something far deeper than mere enjoyment. “I’m not getting anything out of my marriage!” may be a confession that someone is not putting anything into the marriage.
We cannot as followers of Christ afford to belong to the ‘Me Consumer Generation’ because Christians belong to the body of Christ. This means we belong to each other! It also means we have the privilege and responsibility of ministering to one another.
There are at least 14 places in the New Testament where we are told to ‘love one another’. There are at least 20 other references in the New Testament that use the words ‘one another’, such as ‘edify one another, admonish one another, bear one another’s burdens, care for one another.’
People who take on these commandments of God will have a hard time belonging to the ‘Me Consumer Generation’ of today.
One cause for this “Christian egocentrism” is the emphasis we have been placing on personal Christianity. That the individual is the important thing, not the family or the Church.
Like the Apostle Peter, we may find ourselves asking, “Lord, what shall we get?” – Matthew 19:27.
With the Lord’s help, we can change that statement to “Such as I have give I thee” – Acts 3:6. After all, it is not such a great step from “What will I get?” to “What can I give?” – provided you take that step to Calvary!
The Cross of Jesus Christ exposes the hollowness of the ‘Me Consumer Generation’ and its philosophy. It is one thing for us to sing “In the Cross of Christ I glory” and quite another thing for us to lay down our lives for the brethren.
The Cross of Jesus Christ and selfishness cannot cooperate; they must constantly be in conflict.
“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” – Galatians 5:24.
That should take care of selfishness!
The local Church is not to be a place where we look for entertainment where we get something out of it, but as a fellowship for investment and employment where we put something into it.
Individual Christianity is important, but it must not remain individual!
The Lord’s prayer does not begin with “My Father,” but “Our Father.”
Even when we pray, we cannot ignore one another! It is still the person who loses his life for the sake of others who finds it. This applies in the home as well as in the Church.