Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name, we patiently wait for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done on earth as it is done in heaven. Thank You, Lord, for Your Ministry of Reconciliation. Lord, help us to pursue Your holy Ways. Thank you, Lord, for blessing those who thirst to hear Your Word and strive to live it daily. Thank you, Lord, for giving us an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the people called by Your name. Thank you for forgiving our transgressions and encouraging us to forgive those who transgress against us. Lord, thank You for giving us the authority and power to confront evil and claim victory in Your name. Strengthen us so we dare to rebuke false teachers and expose false doctrine. May the words of my mouth bear witness to my transformation as a new creation and my belief that You are omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Lord, I ask You to guide me to speak words pleasing to Your ears and food for Your people. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
Whether good or evil, every part of the body serves every other part of the whole. When our actions cause fiction on other parts of the body, we diminish the credibility of the entire body. We must strive to keep our conduct honorable to maintain our good name and glorify the Lord. When we follow the Lord’s Way, heathens cannot use what we do and say to blaspheme the Lord’s name. My brothers and sisters, you need to believe that "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling" (Eph. 4:4, NKJV). What we do and say affects other people. We do not live on an isolated island, and unless you believe in evolution, one man and one woman gave birth to humankind. If you believe the Bible is a record of the truth, then one family survived the flood. Even if you do not believe either of these truths, look around and I dare you to deny that there is only one earth and we have yet to find a way to leave this planet and live on another planet. Consequently, we must stand united, and serve each other, or we will fall divided, trying to destroy each other. God created us all, and He does not consider anyone expendable. The Lord told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and love our enemies as well. God’s Word is clear, the Lord “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9, NKJV).
Let us work together to help each other understand what Paul said to the Corinthians: "The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I do not need you" (1 Cor. 12:21). Applying this theology, it stands to reason that Anglo-Saxons cannot say to African Americans, "I do not need you;" Republicans cannot say to Democrats, "I do not need you;" Canadians cannot say to Americans, “I do not need you;” Americans cannot say to Mexicans, “I do not need you;” and Europeans cannot say to Arabians, “I do not need you!’ at least not in good faith or obedience to the Lord’s Way and His Truth.
From the beginning, one body part affected the other parts of the body. Eve's actions affected Adam and their unborn children. Cain’s actions against his brother affected the psychology of people for all time. What Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar did still affect family groupings today and will continue to influence the world for generations to come. How many of you hear “That’s my baby's daddy” or That’s my baby's mommy” as if it is normal? The world is turning upside down because we do not expose sin. When a portion of the body decides to do its own thing and fight against the other parts, we become divided in Spirit, causing too many to walk away from the truth. In essence, their truth becomes THE TRUTH, and they no longer accept God’s Truth. Sarah decided to do her own thing, and single Mommies, without the counsel of the Holy Spirit, decided to do their own thing. Too many families are doing their own thing: having children outside of marriage, splitting up over money, committing violent acts against each other, disrespecting family members, and the like. Too many churches are dividing over arguments concerning power, sexual immorality, women preachers, and the like.
Do not deceive yourself, a little strife can turn into anger, and eventually to uncontrolled violence. When we put a little yeast in the dough, it spreads through the whole batch. Put a drug addict in the house and it disrupts the entire household. Even a smoker of regular cigarettes can disrupt the peace in a home, especially when a family member is allergic to smoke. This is why Scripture says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Phil. 2:3, NIV). Do you put the mental and physical health of others above your wants and desires? Those who are self-seeking reject God’s Truth and follow the way of wickedness if it gets them what they desire. Only the humble value the feelings and needs of others.
Those who call evil good and good evil do not humble themselves. False teachers in the church and the dissidents in the community are not humble and given the opportunity will lead entire families and groups astray if they are not alert and working together as one body by faith, love, and hope. When faith, love, and hope fall by the wayside, chaos follows.
Do not be like the Pharisees and the Sadducees and all others who are "always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7, NIV). We must function together in harmony for the good of the whole. The call is for you and me to go into the world, preach the gospel, and influence unbelievers to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for the salvation of humankind. We can do this through Church ministries or conversations in Walmart, Target, Kroger, or the Mall. When we are grounded in faith, the venue is no consequence; we find ways to exalt Christ as Savior.
Fill up with the Holy Spirit and do what is necessary to "avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless" (Titus 3:9). We do what is necessary to stand united under one Lord, never forgetting that all of us are essential parts of what some refer to as this human experiment. For the sake of humanity, as far as it depends on us, we need to be diligent and make every effort to unite and preserve the peace. "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14, NKJV). Those who do evil and call it good are adversaries to peace. No part of the body will reach its full potential without the other parts working in unison.
Closing Prayer – Stand firm in one Spirit, contending for the faith and the gospel. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen!
