Unity in the Body
A founding member of the church, who faithfully attended services for thirty years and could always be counted on to volunteer, got sick. The church rallied by her side – the pastor visited, the secretary sent flowers, and the congregation sent notes and cards and prepared meals for the family. It was a good thing.
A new member of the church, who attended on and off the last year and gave when she could, got sick. The associated pastor called to check on her and the church secretary sent her flowers. It was a good thing.
The problem is that the church didn’t treat its members equally – so in reality it was a bad thing. I spoke to a lady recently who was staying in the hospital. She said people were stopping by – some of which had never really spoken to her during church. She finally asked what was up and one of them admitted that there was another member in the hospital as well. She felt like an after thought.
Because the church is made up of people and because “birds of a feather flock together,†it is easy for us to fall into groups that we spend our time with at church. Maybe it’s the people our same age or maybe we have similar interests. Maybe you hold similar positions in the church or have been attending for the same amount of time. It’s still no excuse.
1 Corinthians 12:25 “That there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care (have no difference between) one for another.â€
Do you attend a church that truly treats the members all the same? What is the trick to getting the church body to this place of unity? Personally, the answer still eludes me. It’s close, but still seems far away. I will keep pushing, praying, and studying until it all becomes clear, but some days it still seems like an impossible task.