Topic 3/3 (read the first and second)
The final of my entries on this topic involves others. I am not the Body of Christ, you arent, you and your four friends arent, we all are the body of Christ. This is so unique to Christianity, that we are dependant upon one another in such a unique way. Of all the things that have pained me the most (Im in the process of raising a support network to go over seas for the next year) through this process is talking to people not embracing their roll in the body of Christ, and ignoring their responsibilities to their First love. This trust, is above and beyond the hardest for me to even desire to have. But in my longing to be a vassal for Christ its been reveled as an attribute of Christ that I must let Him work in and through me.
Time and time again Jesus showed us that we must trust in the faith of the believers and followers around us. When he sent out the disciples/witnesses (Mathew 10), and when he entrusted the apostles to reach out to the different parts of the known world (see all the epistles) are the best examples from Jesus that come to mind and the apostles have a number of great examples in their ministries (appointing elders, planting churches, and so on).
This past year was my first time leading a ministry team and it was a very stretching experience, having between five and twenty people working with me to lead evangelism on our campus. The hardest hurdle for me to overcome was to place my trust in Christ, that their faith in God was sufficient to lead an outreach, or that they were led by the spirit when it came to sharing the gospel. For me to do it was one thing, I knew what to pray for, areas I struggle with, my doubts, but for others I had to have faith in them. More specifically I needed to have faith in each of their faiths.
Some it is much easier then others, there are peers I have done ministry with, but it is those that we do not know well that stretch us. It may be your team leader, your partners and peers, those you attend church with, but above all we need to trust Christ that when the time comes they will rise up and respond to Christ. To pray for them and let go of those worries and concerns. When Paul has planted the church communities during his journeys, he entrusted others to lead and others to follow them. He placed faith in them because of his Faith in Christ.
He did not blindly go about choosing these people, but the point is that we must have faith in our kin in Christ. We are all brothers and sisters, we must trust each other. Yes there will be times that trust will be broken, but God will give us grace to forgive and to grow with. Oh how much more the Body of Christ will be able to do once we embrace one another in Faith, encouraging and building one another up in our callings from God. How God will smile upon us and bless his creation all the more, just like any Father whose children who play well together. You and I are nothing without Christ, just as we are nothing without the Body of Christ given to us by God to be a part of, embrace your destiny and live every moment for him. Let us walk on heights and not be scared, looking together to Christ and arriving with more than we began.
~paul
Wow, I totally dig the new layout you have since you changed it! Love your entries too, it gives me inspiration.