Bad Body Sculpting

1 Corinthians 12:25  That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 

26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 

Ephesians 4:1  I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 

2  With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 

3  Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

4  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 

5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 

6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

Ephesians 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Colossians 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

1 Corinthians16:2  Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

Acts 2:46  And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 

47  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. 

We are relational beings and the digital age has warped that. It has its place but it does not replace the meeting of the Body.

The latest resurgence of house churches is another fad when people do not hear God or someone needs a pulpit they cannot get elsewhere or they have a misconception of what church is all about and it is not about them. They still worshipped in the temple and met the first day of the week which why Paul said to take up the offering for the poor then. They broke bread house to house, but the idea of a corporate meeting was not abandoned.

We are in an age where unity is more important than ever and causing disunity is heresy as much as false doctrine. Jesus prayed that we would be one as He is one with the father. Constantly splintering the Body is not how we do that. If a grenade went off in your belly you would have an example of the modern Western church and you would be just as dead and useless as many churches.

Nondenominationalism was supposed to tear down the walls and unite us. Instead it has splintered us more than ever and music is the second greatest cause of division. We must unite. Want to go back to Acts? There was only one church per town not fifty of like faith and back then there was only one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one doctrine. Paul wrote to THE church in one town and to the churches in Galatia.

If we are of the truth then we unite. If we are not then truth does divide from error. If there are five churches of like faith in one town or in these days twenty miles of each other four are redundant and wasting God's manpower and resources. This is especially true when there are no more than twenty in each church. Pick the best building. Sell or repurpose the rest into homeless shelters, food banks, etc. That unifying act may be the spark of revival that will shock the unsaved into hearing the message when our songs of unity are reality. It is way past time to stop the madness and be the real Church not a business or entertainment center. Maranatha!!