Have you seen dissension? Have you noticed the finger pointing and shouting at one another? Have you witnessed family feuds? Are you aware of grudges being held like they were gold? Have you played a part in any of these situations? Have you seen them in the church?
We see dissension, finger pointing, shouting, and grudges. It may start as a small disagreement but grow into hatred. Someone feels slighted and allows it to fester. Someone slights another but refuses to apologize. Forgiveness never occurs to anyone. It becomes a downward spiral.
The Apostle Paul tells the church in Corinth they are all members of one body. He uses the example of our human body to make the point. He states that when one member hurts, every member hurts with it. Therefore, when one member of the church is hurt or not doing well, it has a negative impact on the rest of the body.
It makes sense. Think about it. If you are hammering a nail and accidently hit your finger, a shock of pain runs all the way up your arm. The nerves carry the pain signal to the brain. Our whole body has a reaction. The same is true if we burn ourselves on the stove or by reaching in the oven. It becomes even more pronounced when a bone is broken. It affects what we can do and how we must do things.
When the church has dissension, grudges, or hatred going on within it, we cannot be as effective in ministry. We are not attractive to the people we are trying to reach. Our ability to reach others is diminished. We cannot carry the mission Jesus has given us. We should keep Paul’s analogy of the body of Christ in mind and seek healing of relationships throughout the church.
I pray we all realize we are members of one body. I pray we work for healing among the members. I pray each one of us do what we can to make the body of Christ one cohesive unit. You are part of the body of Christ. Seek healing of the body. Work to make the body a cohesive unit.
1 Corinthians 12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
Marty Pressey 