How do you like to do things? Do you like to ensure you fully complete tasks? Is your preference to participate in successful ventures? Do you want to live life to its fullest? How does this apply to your spiritual life? Are you part of the fullness of Christ?
Most of us like to finish what we started. We enjoy seeing the finished product. Being able to finish a task brings satisfaction and gratification. Living out our lives to its fullest is a goal we seek to achieve. Chasing that fullness can take us down many different paths.
If we want to experience the fullness of spiritual life, there is only one place we can do so—the church. The church is the fullest expression of Christ. He is the head of the church and through His guidance the church fulfills His mission. Without the church, we cannot experience the fullness of Christ.
I know, some will point to flaws in the church. But let’s get this clear. Those mistakes are made by humans, not by the leadership of Christ. We, as humans, have the freewill to make bad choices, whether in the church or out. Therefore, do not let bad experiences in the past keep us away from the church. For it is in the church that we experience Christ in His fullness.
Our culture has become individualistic and many in the church have become that way as well. But it is not in the individual that Christ is full. It is in His body, the church, that He becomes full. Why? Each one of us has been blessed with different gifts. It is only when we come together to share those gifts that we can present the fullness of Christ.
So, be part of a local church body. It not only helps you, but it helps the larger body of Christ and local communities. In the ministry of the church, we show our communities Jesus. The church builds the individual and the collective group. It reaches those who might otherwise go unreached. The church is the only place to experience the fullness of Christ.
I pray we all become part of a local church. I pray we choose a church that helps build our faith. I pray each one of us will contribute to the body of Christ through our work in a local church. Be part of the church. Be part of the body of Christ. Experience the fullness of Christ. Contribute to the mission of Jesus.
Ephesians 1:22-23 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Marty Pressey 