And

I think I've said this before, but maybe the thoughts have just run through my head.  I'm saddened by the divide in the church that just seems to be getting greater and greater. 
 
We are called to be one body.  I am not speaking of everyone, but there are some people that have made us feel as we no longer belong to the body because they don't view the things we do as being of value.  We are so grateful for the members of the body who have lifted us up and confirmed our call to be here for such a time as this.  We will not stop being a part of the body just because some people have said "I don't need you!"  God has placed us where He wanted and we will continue striving to carry out the unique role for us.  We strive to please God, not man.  But that doesn't make it easy to sit and listen to the hatred. 
 
Are you working in unity with the rest of the body?  Are you telling other parts of the body they don't belong?  We only need so many eyes and so many ears.  Are you trying to fill a role that seems more honorable but is really already being filled?  We don't need the whole body to be an ear... but we don't need the whole body to avoid being an ear either. 
 
Is the world seeing us act as a unified body?  I think we're leaving them confused as to what it means to be the body of Christ. 

1 Corinthians 12
 
Unity and Diversity in the Body
 
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
 
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
 
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
 
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
 
 

I think so many people are looking at issues as an either/or.  We can either help the homeless or help the refugees.  We can either assist veterans or the disabled.
 
I believe we instead need to really examine what our role in the body is.  What is God calling you to do?  Are you doing it?  I am one person... I cannot meet all the needs of all the church... but I can meet some.  If each person proclaiming Christ as their savior carries out the calling that God has placed on their lives, we would not be worried about helping either...or...  We would be able to help both... and... 
 
Matthew 25 didn't tell us we got to pick one.  It says I was hungry AND... I was thirsty AND... I was a stranger AND... I was a stranger AND... I needed clothes AND... I was sick AND... I was in prison AND... 
 
We look at the issues of todays world and seem to think we can just focus on the one that best suits us.  That's not what scripture tells us.  We do see as an example in Acts that some of the members of the body were assigned specific roles.  The apostles realized their limitations and knew they couldn't preach the gospel well and care for the widows in the manner which was needed.  This goes back to the parts of the body. 

Each of us is called to different things, but as a body we should be unified in meeting the needs not of the either or's, but rather of the both, and's. 
 
 

Matthew 25
 
The Sheep and the Goats
 
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
 
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
 
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
 
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
 
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
 
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
 
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
 
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

We know that not everyone is being called to the welcoming committee to invite the stranger in, but many of you have voiced concern about the needs of the homeless and veterans being overlooked.  This goes beyond a budget line that gets added to the national debt.  Are you spending time with them?  Have you gotten to know them personally?  I have been on the giving and receiving end knowing how a listening ear can make a difference.  We need to empower without enabling but in order to do that, we must first get to intimately know the needs.  During part of our time here in Atlanta, Tommy has worked with the inner city homeless population AND the refugees. Both challenged him to look beyond himself and to look at the needs of others.   
 
I've seen comments about the difference in pro-life and pro-birth.  I have many pro-life friends who have opened their homes to children in foster care.  Some of them have worked with the families to ensure they are reunited in a good environment.  They build bridges so the child feels loved by both their foster and biological families.  They know that it is not just the baby's first cries that need to be tended to.  
 
I think sometimes we forget that each person has been made in the image of God.  Instead of looking to see God's image, we instead look at their sinful nature.  The thing is, we each have both.  Jesus tells us we are to love others for his sake.  When we love others, we glorify God.   
 
I am so encouraged by the ministries that I see happening to show the love of Christ to everyone.  We are each called to love the least of these. 
 
What are you actively doing to show that love?  Are you looking at Christ in others and seeing them as God's creation?


I was... AND