1 Corinthians 14:26 “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.”
The strength that it takes to make an athlete a world class competitor can’t be narrowed down to just a few factors. As a (once former) athlete, I can attest to the need for a complete approach when it comes to preparation and training.
Years ago when I was coaching boys high school basketball, I purchased an Olympic type training regimen that developed the whole of the player and not one aspect of the body. Exercise is important but more importantly was how you did the exercise. Weight lifting was a critical element for competition but more importantly was the way certain muscle groups when targeted brought the greatest results. Diet was another key aspect of athletic training that not only helped in the development of muscle building but also the neural pathways for brain development and its ability to react quickly to given situations. When the body is strengthened only in one area, it poses a greater risk for injury but when the body is developed completely, it functions at a level that is miraculous.
In respect to physical development, the body of Christ has many similarities.
Romans 12:3-5 “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
Believers must understand their role within the church, it is critical for the functionality of the church to excel at a level that God originally intended.
Development of its members is an aspect of church growth that remains critical for unity and fellowship. The church plays a key role in the scope of God’s greater plan and the more God’s people take their role seriously, the more the world will witness the impact of a church that is centered correctly on God’s Word—excelling at what it was called to be, salt and light in the world.
Why is it critical for the church to be what God intended?
The role of those called by God, who have committed their lives in the service of the King are those being led to exhibit the same attributes in the world. Living like Christ is as important now as it has ever been.
The delusion of many who have fallen away, seeking after riches and personal glory has led the world into hating anything deemed as religious…Jesus likened the imposters to birds nesting in a tree.
Matthew 13:31-32 “Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
It may be difficult associating birds with people who exhibit a false testimony but you must remember how Jesus described Himself in respect to His people.
John 15:5-8 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
The root of the tree is Christ and the branches are His people who grow from His supply. His Spirit is the life that courses through His branches and when true believers abide in Him, He produces fruit in them. The fruit is not only for the church, it is meant to bring about new plantings, new growth, and it provides supply to those who partake of it.
As a runner needs to moderate their diet to achieve peak performance, the diet of the believer is equally important.
John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
As for the tree, the birds don’t contribute to the growth of the tree, they only nest in the shade that it provides, they eat of its produce and enjoy the safety of it’s branches.
Jesus is the mustard seed. He came in humility, despised by men and yet established His kingdom for His people. His people are those who have been grafted into the vine, it is by the fellowship of the Spirit His people live and grow together.
Real Growth
Like the athlete that recognizes the value of each member of his/her body, so the church takes into account each member as valuable to it’s function and purpose.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:”
When each member of God’s church functions according to God’s leading, we see an enhancement of community and a strengthening of each individual member—each serving a vital purpose in God’s plans and purposes.
The church that gives people the opportunity to exercise their gifts leads to greater strength within the body. I’ve been to churches that have many people that really don’t know one another. People can feel alone in the midst of an assembly, the need to grow as a community is as important as the other mainstays of church gatherings such as preaching, teaching, and worship.
Not all churches are equal, consider finding a fellowship that understands the value of interpersonal growth and relationships and when you do, dive in and take part in what the Lord is doing there. The Lord will grow you through the experience and the body of Christ will grow.
U.T. 