Relevant
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; Ephesians 4:1-24
Have you ever
been on the threshold, between where you were and where you may be going? When
you're at a threshold, it helps to know who God intends you to be.
TFB is at a
threshold. This year, Academy has been exploring who God intends his church to
be. We have seen that God intends us to be a sanctuary, a family, a people, and
a kingdom of priests. This month, we look at the church as Christ's body, in
all her unity and diversity.
Unity. The church is one body under one Head, Jesus Christ. We grow in
unity by centering our decisions on Jesus and carrying out our work for his
glory. Unity is nourished by the shared content of what we believe and teach in
pulpit, classroom, patio, and life. It is nourished as we grow in love for God
and one another. It is nourished as we hold ourselves and one another
accountable to our shared values.
Diversity. The church is many members, each
working toward the maturity of the body according to the diverse supply of the
Spirit. Diversity is nourished as we respect difference while we fulfill our
callings and support the callings of others. It is nourished as we share insights
from our earthly communities and endeavors while recognizing and honoring the
resulting cultural mosaic. It is nourished as we serve alongside one another in
the Spirit, growing the whole body toward Christlikeness.
Unity and diversity. Unity without diversity becomes
uniformity; diversity without unity becomes division. We need both unity and
diversity. We achieve a critical balance by aligning our various functions,
cultures, and perspectives to the one Head, Jesus Christ. We achieve it by
valuing difference while worshiping Christ alone. We achieve it by loving God,
loving people, and teaching others to do the same, and doing so in ways that
are crafted and personalized by our callings and capacities. Together we can
work to make TFB a community in which individuals are honored for who they are,
a church where we all belong to one another in Christ.
We are on the
threshold, and it is a place to be traveled through not taken up as a dwelling.
We are in a place of transformation. As each member of Jesus' body at TFB works
alongside the others, using their various callings and capacities for the
growth of the whole, we will become the church Jesus intends us to be.
