Noticeable or Discreet

Each one of us has one body, and that body has many parts. These parts don’t all do the same thing. In the same way, we are many people, but in Christ we are all one body. We are the parts of that body, and each part belongs to all the others. (Romans 12:4-5)

"A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don't function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick." (Brene Brown)

What is your 'part' in the Body of Christ? If you cannot answer that right now, then it is time to ask God to show you where you 'fit' and what your 'role' is. We 'belong' to the Body of Christ, and as such, we belong to each other. To neglect relationship with anyone in the Body of Christ is like neglecting a particular part of your physical body. Whenever we neglect any part of our physical body, we find it becomes diseased, smelly, or downright unpleasant to be around. Neglect a brother or sister in Christ and you might find it hard to be around yourself because you are neglecting something you need!

One breaks or becomes numb to life. Are you there to help them put the pieces back together? Are you there to bind up their wounds? It is the way God intends things to be - each of us looking out for the other, helping each other mend, but also grow 'through' the things that make life difficult. Difficulties are made all that much easier when they are born together. Not only do we fulfill a particular 'role' in the Body of Christ, but we play a very special 'role' in ministering to the needs of each other - spiritually, emotionally, and perhaps even service wherever a need exists.

There is much to be learned when we learn to relate to one another. We might not become the best of friends, but when another hurts, help where you can. When another celebrates, cheer right along with them. When one shares some deep treasure God has given them in their time alone with him, take the nougat of truth he gave them and see how it applies in your life. We are made for each other - we need to learn to appreciate we each fulfill a 'role' - small or large; noticeable or discreet. Just sayin!

Working on those rough edges

You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. (I Peter 2:4-5)

We all experience some form of rejection on occasion, so lest we think we are enduring the worst rejection possible, let us not forget the extreme rejection Jesus endured. A life lived well will be subject to some form of criticism and even rejection - the ones doing the criticizing just cannot live with their own choices in the face of the ones we have made, so they ridicule and reject us. It isn't a bad thing when they reject us because it actually shows we are living in such a way that they are convicted just by the example we set.

Rejected by people but chosen by God. We might admit that being rejected by others is kind of hard to endure - it hurts our feelings, wounds our pride, and makes us feel like our lives don't really matter. The feelings will mend, and our pride can take the hit - but to believe our lives don't matter just because they reject us is just plain silly. People can say and do all manner of things, but it is what God sees when he looks into our lives that really matters.

As living stones, we are built TOGETHER into HIS temple. We are not doing this alone - others are right there alongside us and Christ is at the center of us all. He forms the pivotal 'cornerstone' of this great 'building'. As a body of believers, we don't 'tower above' others, but we allow them to find a place of shelter when they need it the most. When an unbeliever walks into our lives, what do they experience? Are they faced with rejection because they dress differently, use language that is a little coarse, or have habits that are damaging and offensive? I hope not!

It isn't the literal walls of the church Christ is building - it is the many hearts and souls redeemed by his blood that make up the church. For a little while, those on the 'outside' of these 'spiritual walls' may feel like it is silly to be part of his church, but as they begin to experience the grace and love of God as we have, they will find their 'perfect fit' right there alongside us. They just don't know God is at work forming their rough edges so they fit into that empty space left just for them. Just sayin!

We belong and we are needed

Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others. (Romans 12:4-5)

What 'part' do you play in your varied relationships? If you are a mom, you likely fulfill roles such as chief cook & bottle washer, laundress, personal hygiene aide, and even thrift-minded shopper. If you are employed as a mechanic, you not only diagnose every squeak, plink, and plunk an automobile makes, but you are adept at figuring out how to set those things right again. We all have 'parts' to play in our daily work and home lives, but we also have a very unique 'part' to play in the Body of Christ - the church.

Don't be deceived by those four walls you label as a church - the place where you 'go' on Sundays to worship for a couple hours. Complete with pews, chairs, choir loft, podium, and perhaps a coffee station, it is a building at best. The 'church' is us - you and I - believers who are bound together with a 'blood bond'. We have a role to play in the lives of those who share this bond with us. Building each other up, helping each other to see scripture with a fresh perspective, and even guiding one another when we find one is about to 'get off-course'. These are just a few of the 'roles' we play as part of God's family, but if we fail to 'execute our role' as we should, that 'part' in the Body is missing.

We BELONG to each other, and we NEED each other. Don't lose sight of those words in this passage. We BELONG and we are NEEDED. Too many times, we deceive ourselves into believing what we have to offer within the Body of Christ is not really all that 'valuable' or 'important'. You may not be called to preach or teach, but you can make a mean cup of coffee for that coffee bar! You may not find working with children all that exciting, but your ability to hunt out a bargain can keep them well-nourished with snacks you find at great prices. The 'gift' you are to the Body of Christ isn't measured by doctrinal knowledge, but by an open, willing, and committed heart. Just sayin!

Who knew?

For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle. (I Cor. 4:7-8 MSG)

Who really knows your heart - not mine, not the next guy's, but yours? At first, you might think of someone very close to you and say they come pretty close to really “knowing” us, but do they really? Do they know the intimate workings of our mind (that could be scary), see the inner challenges of daily decisions that we make (uhm...that would be meddling), or understand the pull of our self-nature in every opportunity for compromise that presents itself to us? To be truthful here, no one really has that kind of knowledge of us - but some come "close". There are those who we confide in, but even in the deepest of relationships, we don’t always share ourselves completely, with full transparency in every area of our being - we 'guard' ourselves in some area because it is just not comfortable for us to expose ourselves totally.

There are always going to be challenges faced by the believer in understanding and appreciating the unique character qualities and talents bestowed in their lives. There are always going to be the tendencies of human nature to engage in comparing one’s own talents and abilities to those of another - he has that, she does this. The tendency of our nature is to zero in on some area of performance in the life of another and then to see if we “measure up” to that performance level – in areas that are spiritual, material, physical, or relational. Measuring up is kind of subjective, though, because our 'measuring tape' in life is often skewed by our experiences, beliefs, and sense of 'self-worth'.

The concept of “wanting what the Jones’ have” is not a new concept to the 21st century. It has been a challenge for human beings for as long as man has walked this earth. Even in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were challenged by the fact that they felt God was keeping something from them in forbidding them to partake of the two trees in the Garden. They wanted what they did not possess right now and were willing to pursue it, regardless of the cost. Beware of this kind of 'inward drive', my friends, for 'getting what we want' in this 'very moment' may not always work out the way you hoped! Sometimes we bite off way more than we can chew when this is the drive behind what we are doing!

Everything we have and everything we are is completely a gift of God in our lives. We often claim credit for our accomplishments, focusing attention on our ability or talent, all the while completely missing the fact that God was the creator and the one who bestowed that talent in the first place. Without the gifting God places in our inner man, we would fall short of the ability required to accomplish the very thing we so often take credit for ourselves. Comparison often leads to the conclusion that we are not “gifted” or “talented” because we do not accomplish the same things or walk in the same manner that the one we are observing has accomplished. What we really need to hear (and I mean loud and clear) is that “You already have all you need.” Could it be that easy? It is really a matter of us realizing that the unique way we have been created, including the uniqueness of our personality, make up something of significant usefulness in the hands of a mighty God.

When we get real with ourselves, allow ourselves to get real with others, and then allow God to expose the unique way he has created us to interact with others, building one another up in the special way their are created, we find a great synergy begins to occur. The body of Christ begins to function exactly as he intended - each of us being a building block of greatness in his kingdom. Just sayin!

But...you rub me wrong...

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. 

(Ephesians 4:14-16 NLT)

As this passage opens, it is a summation of Paul's comments of being "equipped for every good work" as a result of God having given us those who will teach, exhort, ensure a good foundation for building our lives together, and creating unity within the diversity of those called The Body of Christ or the Church. It is the result of this "building work" that helps us to no longer be immature like children - to have some stability in our walk and in our daily actions. More than ever, we need stability in our lives - not the stability the world preaches such as might be found in investments or careers - but the type of stability that comes in making consistently wise choices and strong, faithful moves in life.

Children have a way of believing almost anything they are told. The other night I went up to mom, gently put my index and middle finger around her nose and pretended to have "taken her nose". She chuckled in glee as she remembered he father having done this so many times to her as a child, recounting her horror at being "without a nose" until he gently put it back in place! Now, her father didn't possess some form of magic, allowing him to remove and replace body parts at will. It was a form of playful make-believe between parent and young child - something mom hasn't forgotten, nor do most of us whose parents did exactly the same thing. 

To go through life with the perspective of a child, just blindly believing anything we are told, is dangerous and presents many a chance for us to get off-course or totally derailed in life. There is more to this thing of "being taught" than first meets the eye. The purpose of us being taught is that we will learn from that which is taught! The outcome is that we will be able to spot the fake, reject it, and walk with determination toward and in the real. To this end, we are placed in relationship with each other, with each one of us having some form of influence over the other in one way or another. We teach each other, learning from each other as we go, and together we come out stronger and hopefully with a solid foundation in life.

Alignment in the right relationship matters - it determines what we learn, and may even determine how quickly we learn whatever it is we most need to learn in life. The relationships we form within the Body of Christ are not by accident - even the hard ones. They are there to shave off the rough edges we each have and to help us stand strong when there is attack against us that we don't see coming. It isn't optional to be related - it is mandatory for us to find and work hard to maintain these solid relationships. I am indeed blessed with some that are deep and solid - others that are newer and growing. These are intentional - prepared for us by the Lord himself. Don't ever underestimate the value of a friend, or the importance of one of those relationships that are more than a little challenging at times! They are your "gateway" to growing up in Christ! Just sayin!

Serve

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. 

(Ephesians 4:14-16 NLT)

What is your "part" in the family of God? So many times we are simply content to allow others to serve around us, while we just observe their service. There is a direct correlation between our service and our growth. One does not occur without the other. Now, don't get me wrong - service is not a way to "earn" anything in God's kingdom, but it is a means by which we put into practice the things we have learned while sitting at his feet and experiencing his grace poured out in our lives.

Not all of us blaze new trails, but without the trailblazers in the group, we'd never discover new things or explore new places. Not everyone is comfortable reading stories and holding the focus of wee ones gathered around in rapt attention while they do, but without them many a parent would not have the opportunity to enjoy some time with other adults in worship. Not all possess the skilled craftsmanship of a carpenter, but without them we'd find our homes devoid of many a beautiful piece of furniture.

Since we all possess a little bit of a different "talent" or "skill", similar though they may be, it is important that we utilize what we possess for the good of the whole! This is the principle of the whole body "fit together" perfectly - each doing their part - each appreciative of what the other offers regardless of how "small" or "insignificant" their "service" may seem. 

Mom is blind, only being able to make your your shape or form. When one of the gals or guys who serve as greeters at church welcome her and comment about how wonderful she looks, she may not recognize their face, but she appreciates so much being acknowledged and welcomed! They each play a part in encouraging her at 98 to still be there enjoying fellowship right along with them.

We become stronger when each does their part - regardless of how different that part may be, or how "changing" it may seem over the course of time. It may be you find yourself of "service" by praying for someone God places on your heart today - not really knowing how to reach out to them or what their specific need may be, but just knowing they need to be lifted up to Jesus in prayer and then doing just that. It might also be that you adjust someone's cane that is too long or too short for them, making them a little unsafe in using it to "steady their gait", but that small act of service can keep them safe and help them in ways untold.

Service doesn't have to be big, but in serving we all grow. Maybe it is because when we show how much we appreciate and have been embraced by God's grace through returning fragments of that grace in some form of service to each other, we are revealing an element of God to them that they needed the most at that moment. The single parent needed that time away from the kiddos to just regroup, find strength for another week, and to be "refilled" for the many tasks ahead. The struggling married couple needed to know that others struggle with similar issues of trust, insecurity, and communication. 

We are placed in community because it is where we find out just how much God's love can be reflected in different ways and through different instruments. Be an instrument of his love today - serve! Just sayin!

We are the church

If you find any comfort from being in the Anointed, if His love brings you some encouragement, if you experience true companionship with the Spirit, if His tenderness and mercy fill your heart; then, brothers and sisters, here is one thing that would complete my joy—come together as one in mind and spirit and purpose, sharing in the same love.  (Philippians 1:1-2 VOICE)

Comfort - encouragement - companionship - tenderness - mercy...
What fills your heart? What encourages your spirit? What energizes your thoughts? What gives "lift" to your step and forward motion to your actions? What gives balance to your emotions? If you can answer "Christ" to all of these, then you are probably pretty saturated in the peace of Christ!  Your comfort isn't found in things you own or the stuff you might be able to "see", but rather it comes from being embraced by his grace, tenderly touched by his mercy, and wrapped up squarely in relationship with him!

The very next step in developing a strong walk with Christ is to begin to relate to one another as we go along in this walk. As I have said on more than one occasion before, we aren't meant to walk this thing out alone.  Most of life's challenges are not meant to be "self-study"!  They are meant to be faced with each other - maybe so that we will grow, but it could also be that the other one we are walking with needs to see us go through the challenge so they can face their own!  I used to think I had to be pretty "bottled up" about some of the stuff I struggled with in life until I realized I was cutting myself off from what just might be the help I needed to actually see things from a different perspective than I had been able to see myself!

My pastor likes say that the church isn't a place, it is the people who fill the place - it is us!  If you truly think on that one then anytime two or more of us are anywhere together, we are having church! So, does that mean if we are hiking the hillside together we are "in church"?  Yup. Does that mean if we are putting a room together that badly needs a make-over we are having "church"? Yup. Does that mean when we stroll the shops together on a lazy Saturday afternoon, just looking for a good bargain we are "being the church"?  Yup.  We don't have to be raising our hands in worship, swaying to some song being played on the stage, or sitting circumspectly as the pastor preaches a sermon to be "in church".  If we are "in Christ", then when we are anywhere, we are "in church" because we are the church.

Our purpose is to come together - as one in mind, spirit, and purpose. In that sense, when we are engaged in any project, even the ones that seem a little like leisure, we are in a place of representing Christ to each other and helping each other to grow a little.  As I have said, nothing speaks louder than our actions - how we live our this comfort we have experienced, extend the same mercy we have received without measure to those who might just need a little of it themselves, and just plain show how much love God has embraced us with in our actions is what counts.  God's love isn't just for us - it is meant to be lived out "in community" - with those he places purposefully in our paths. They may not all be "ideal" in their own walk with Christ, but if we are on this mission of learning to embrace his grace and love together, then we are going to move toward that goal together!  Just sayin!

Learning to Lean

I have two grandsons, about five years apart in age.  I have two children, about two years apart in age.  One lives in Chandler, the other in Mesa. My brother is eleven years older, my sister ten years older than I am.  One lives in Phoenix, the other in Sedona.  We each have "distance" between us, if not because of physical location, at least in age, gender, and levels of maturity, don't we?  In the family of God, the "distance" we maintain from each other is also quite "palpable", is it not?  Some enter into this family relationship with great eagerness, just because they want to belong, finally feeling part of something worthwhile.  Others barely edge in, afraid to get too close for fear they might be "found out" for their short-comings.  Still others "enter in", but never really get beyond sharing "surface stuff" about themselves.  Depending upon the "distance" we maintain between God and others, our growth is affected.  If the distance is short, we tend to either "feel the heat" a little too much, sometimes pulling back or shrinking away.  If the distance is too great, we never really feel connected.  Either way, we are impacted by the distance we maintain.  Getting connected into God's family is his plan for our lives - staying connected is tough work, but a necessary part of growing close to Jesus.

Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.  

(I Thessalonians 5:13-15 MSG)

What happens when we finally make this "connection" within the family of God?  We have to learn to relate to each other - not because we were "born into" this family the "traditional" way, but because we are placed into this family by being "born again" when we asked Jesus to rescue us from our sinful nature.  We are placed into the family of God - much like a child who is adopted is placed into his/her new family.  Within this family, there will be different personalities with which we must interact, learning how it is we relate to each other and hold each other accountable.  Most importantly, we have to learn what it takes to really "lean upon" one another - where we need a helping hand, when we need to realize our potential, and where it is we need the focus of the Holy Spirit to help us put down roots so we will grow.

To this end, I think Paul was writing to the Thessalonian church.  He and his two companions in ministry, Timothy and Silas, are concerned for the church at Thessalonica because they are new believers.  As such, they were "fair game" for opposing belief systems.  The new way of believing - that of faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice - was a threat to the way of Judaism which had a foothold in the regions into which Paul established the first New Testament churches.  He is concerned because he knew of the possibilities of such opposition, remaining hopeful they would be established together as a "solid" group of believers, able to withstand the persecution they were sure to face.

So, he writes with "advice" on how to stand strong - with the underlying theme of being "joined together" as a united body of believers.  This uniting together was what would give them the stability to stand strong, facing the toughest threats to their beliefs, and then to learn of the ways in which their new found faith would make them strong in character, deep in love, and firm in their convictions.

- Each must do their part.  We all have a part to play in the family of God - to neglect our "part" is to leave a hole into which the enemy of our souls may enter in.  This is most important because we often don't recognize where we have "gaps" in our lives - but if each one does their part, the gaps will be filled.  I

- Those with the tendency to just "hang out" are to be challenged to step up their game.  It cannot be emphasized enough that we EACH have a part to play in making the Body of Christ strong.  Each believer is an agonist or antagonist role at one time or another in the church.  Sometimes we act as the agonist, helping to create the right movements so the work of the whole accomplishes the purpose for which it was created.  At others, we are kind of like the antagonist, almost resisting or pulling in a different direction. Sometimes it is not bad to be the antagonist, especially when the direction needs to be changed.  We all play a part, but when we don't do our part because we find it comfortable to just "hang out", we are endangering each other, not just ourselves.

- Some will lag behind, others will get discouraged - both need what it is we bring to the table.  I don't know how many times I have been personally challenged by what I see in the lives of others around me, especially at times when I have drifted into complacency or simply been resistive to the work God is doing within me.  If someone had not challenged me, I would have lagged behind, totally missing what God was doing.  I would have possibly fallen prey to the discouragement of missed opportunities.  We need to encourage each other - almost prodding each other onto maturity.  In so doing, we are fulfilling our "role" within the Body - to engage each other in the work of meeting, knowing, and growing together in Christ.

- Each have needs which differ, so we need to be sensitive to those needs. We are not all the same - this is a good thing!  We would not want a whole church filled with look-alike, sound-alike, act-alike believers.  Those are called "cults"!  We want the uniqueness God has created in each of us to be utilized for the benefit of the whole.  As different as our personalities are, we also differ in our needs.  Being sensitive to the needs of those we are "partnered" with in this ministry is essential to maintaining unity and optimizing growth.

- Finally, we must recognize that each individual has the potential to be their "best" when they are related within the Body.  We have the responsibility to bring the "best" out of each individual.  This is an "art", to say the least.  In learning to bring the best out of our fellow believers, we also will be challenged to allow our best to show.  In turn, God's best is on display for the world to see.  This is his plan - to use us to reveal the truth of his love, grace, and restoration to a hurting and lost world who thinks "good enough" is really "good enough".  Just sayin!

A change of focus

We have been exploring the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives through the various "gifts" he gives as we walk along with him.  As we have already established, there are a variety of "fruits" and "gifts" of the Spirit, but all come from exactly the same source.  Fruits are a result of growth IN our inner man as we walk with the Spirit, gifts are a result of the Spirit's working within us given to help each of us grow a little deeper in Christ.  The gifts of the Spirit are for the benefit of the entire Body of Christ - his church - your fellow believers.  The fruits of the Spirit actually impact you first, then they begin to reveal the nature of God's heart to the world around you.  We need both - one without the other is like bread without butter, potatoes without gravy, or cake without frosting.  I can eat bread plain, but there is something about the combination of butter slathered on the surface of a good bread which gives it just that much more pleasure when I take it in!  I think God may want us to find as great a pleasure in enjoying the presence of his Spirit within our lives as we do enjoying cake with frosting, bread with butter, and potatoes with gravy!  It is this "with" thing we need to understand if we are to understand the Spirit's purpose in the fruits and the gifts - for in being "with" us, indwelling us "with" his presence, we are made new, vibrant, and effectual in our ministry.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.  To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.  The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.  He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy.  He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit.  Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.  It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts.   (I Corinthians 12:7-11 NLT)

Let's keep in mind all the spiritual gifts are for the purpose of helping each other.  They are given to "grow" the church - to help us become stronger in our walk, built up in our faith, and growing in unity.  You might have heard someone speak of the gifts in three categories:  the Teaching Gifts, the Service Gifts, and the "Sign" Gifts.  Loosely the various gifts outlined "fit" into these three categories as follows:

1. Teaching Gifts:  Evangelist, Prophet, Pastor, or Teacher - the explanation of these "speaking" gifts is found more thoroughly outlined in Ephesians 4, but in general, they are given to the Body of Christ for the express purpose of preparing the believers for their work of service (for all are to serve), the building up of the members of the Body (for all need to receive encouragement or edification), and to bring the Body to a place of unity (for unity will help us achieve maturity).

2. Service Gifts:  Administration, Giving, Helps, Hospitality, Love, Mercy, or Serving - you will find further teaching on these in Romans 12 and I Peter 4. In general, these gifts serve to "help" the Body of Christ.  For example, if you have the gift of Administration, you might find yourself fulfilling a leadership role in the Body, such as a deacon or elder in the church, lay minister, or other such role.  Those who function in the area of hospitality might actually be those who hold small groups in their homes during the week, opening both their homes and their hearts to others so they may grow in Christ in a safe, and trusted small group environment.

3. Sign Gifts:  Faith, Healing, Miracles, Discernment, Tongues, or the Interpretation of Tongues - there is really no better explanation of these gifts than to say they actually reveal God in some way which allows men and women to see evidence of God's working in their midst.

So, we have various "groups" of gifts, but it is not as important to put them into "buckets" as to understand the purpose behind the gifts - they all work to "grow up" the church and to keep us on track.  Without discernment, we might believe anything we are taught by anyone teaching it.  Without administration, the church might be lacking in organization and the necessary talent to further the "programs" and outreach work it is intended to accomplish.  All gifts are necessary - all gifts are for the Body benefit.  

Yesterday, we explored two gifts which seem to go hand-in-hand, the Word of Knowledge and the Word of Wisdom.  Look at the gift of Faith. Now, don't confuse this with the faith to believe in Christ as your personal Savior, the only Son of God, given to provide a means of reconciliation between us and God the Father.  This is also a "gift" to us, for we don't even possess the faith to believe, but the spiritual gift of Faith is a little different. It is the ability to believe despite the circumstances - it is almost the ability to see things as they "will be", not necessarily as they are.  People who might operate in the gift of faith might also operate in the gifts of healing, because the person has faith to see what "will be", not focus on the deformity or illness which is before them.  

As you can see, many of the gifts are interwoven with others.  None really stand alone.  Pastors are good with the gift of administration, but may not be as good with the gift of teaching - so they need others to fulfill this role in the church.  Teachers may actually use the gifts of teaching, mercy, knowledge, etc.  As they teach, their ability to present the teaching in a manner which reaches the hearts of those listening, to empathize with their condition of heart and to speak into their lives in a way which does not condemn or drive away is actually a manifestation of each of these gifts.  It is not as important to "pigeon-hole" yourself or another into a "gift" category - it is important to recognize they function together, often at the same time and through the same individual, because they are needed in order to build up, bring into unity, and to reveal Christ within us.

I have heard some say they wished they knew what "gift" the Holy Spirit was placing in their lives.  I would challenge you to think not so much about "a" gift, but the openness to be used as his "conduit" of edification (building up), exhortation (encouragement and correction where necessary), and expression (the revelation of Christ's love and mercy within you).  It isn't the "gift" you have - it is the person who indwells you that makes the difference in your life. Just sayin!

The cells of life

"Any and every Israelite—this also goes for the foreigners—who hunts down an animal or bird that is edible, must bleed it and cover the blood with dirt, because the life of every animal is its blood—the blood is its life."

(Leviticus 17:13-15 The Message)

The life is in the blood - the blood is its life.  These words speak volumes to those that suffer from incurable diseases of the blood.  The inability of the body to produce the right quantities of blood cells, the response of the body to produce too many of one type of cell over another, all create such "imbalance" and leave a person fighting for life.  The truth is that the very life of each and every man and woman is nothing without the blood!

This week, my dearest friend will go through the process known as hematopoietic stem cell phoresis for the purpose of donating those life-giving cells to her brother who is fighting for his life with leukemia.  The process involves injections that will increase her white blood cell count by sending her body into a period of over-producing white cells.  Within her blood fully mature white cells will circulate, along with tiny "baby" white cells known as "stem cells".  Both carry an important function and will be "harvested" to be given to her brother.

As I considered the importance of what she is doing, some thoughts came to mind that I hope will speak to you as clearly as they have spoken to me.

- Those "mature" white cells already have a "job" in the body.  They are there to fight off disease - surrounding "bad stuff" in our body and removing it.  In fact, when a virus or bacteria attempts to "set up shop" in our bodies, those mature white cells are called into service in astronomical ways.  They envelope the "invading" virus or bacteria, forming a secure "covering" that encapsulates the bad stuff.  The white cells actually work to damage the invading "bad stuff" so that they cannot any longer affect the body.  

As I thought about that, I began to see the importance of each of us in the Body of Christ.  There are "mature" believers within the Body of Christ, called upon from time to time to keep the "immature" and "unknowing" of our Body safe and secure.  Sometimes we call this "standing in the gap" for another.  As mature believers, we are able to recognize the "threat" that certain "invading beliefs", "unwelcomed attacks", and "cunning compromises" have dramatic power to "take down" the weak.  There is no greater sacrifice that we can offer but to stand in the gap for the one who is weak and unable to stand alone.

- Those "stem cells" have the potential to mature - they just need a "safe" environment in which to grow.  The "stem cells" have growing to do - but if they are in an environment that is "hostile" to their growth (such as what happens when a patient undergoes chemotherapy), they will be killed off before they ever have a chance to develop.  They learn their work of providing life-giving aid to the body as they are able to develop.  The same is true of those in the Body of Christ who are "young" in their faith.  They need a safe place to grow.  In fact, white cells do all their development "in the blood".  The red cells do all their development in the bones.  That means that the white cells actually develop as they "journey" through the body. 

These stem cells will "learn" from the mature cells around them.  If they see the mature white cells performing their designed roles well, they will have great "role-models" to pattern their growth after.  The Body of Christ needs strong "role-models" - those that can exemplify the attributes of what it means to be embraced by grace, to stand in strength against enemies that seek to harm, and to be on the ready for every attack.

- The stem cells have to "settle in" within the body of the one receiving them in order to begin to do their work.  As the stem cells are removed from the donor, they are given to the one needing them.  Then the work begins.  The stem cells go right for the bone marrow of the one receiving the transplant.  They have to "engraft" in order to begin their work.  They are actually going to give life to the one receiving them.

The immature believer has so much life to give - they just need a place to develop - to engraft.  It is in the engrafting process that the opportunity to grow and affect dramatic change within the body.  That is exactly what new believers do for the Body of Christ - they keep a continual growth and development experience occurring.  

- The stem cells of the donor become the defense of the recipient.  The "immune" defense of the donor is transferred to the transplant recipient - giving the recipient new, or lost, immunities.  The immunities provided actually help the recipient fight off disease and will hopefully kick the leukemia into remission.

Immunity is not always something we get to experience just because we were "exposed" to something.  In fact, I have had the measles, have been exposed to them multiple times, and have had many booster immunizations.  I just cannot seem to develop "enough" immunity to say that my blood "titer" level is high enough to fight off the disease if I am exposed again.  The same is true in the Body of Christ - just because we have been exposed to a particular circumstance does not mean that we will be able to handle it on our own.  We need the "immunities" of each other to help us walk through it!

I know I probably did not do justice to this whole process of blood stem cell transplant.  My hope is that I gave you a little food for thought.  You see, life really is in the blood - and the blood is our life.  The greatest "gift of life" was given in the shedding of blood on the cross.  The greatest "gift of life" we can embrace is the "engrafting" of the blood of Christ in us.  It has the power to change us!  It has the power to "save us" - the blood is truly our life!