Wednesday, April 6, 2011

We Are the Body


Recently I heard this song at church and haven't been able to get it out of my head...or heart.  Perhaps because I see God's purpose for the body of Christ more than I ever have.  I am overwhelmed by the need and the hurt that I am witnessing all around me.  There are SO many lives who are desperate for help, for answers , for the right words to pray...for light in the darkenss, for hope in the midst of sorrow and tragedy.

We all need Jesus.  We, as the Body of Christ, need His saving power.  We need His healing touch.  We need His compassion...His heart for the broken, the desperate, the helpless.

I'm realizing more than ever that the Church is more than a place where we come to worship.  The church IS the body of Christ.  We are His Hands and Feet.  We have His heart and His Spirit!  It is the Lord's desire that we be the Body of Christ to our brothers and sisters.

Romans 12:5 says this:
"...in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

Throughout Scripture Jesus teaches and shows how to care for others.  It is the heart of every Christian to follow in His footsteps...In fact the Greatest Commandment Jesus gives is this:

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  Matthew 22: 37-39

We can't love Him or love like Him without His help...Let us pray desperately for His love to overflow out of us as His Body.  Let us not be passive in our prayers for others...but let us pray with intention to do whatever is required of us to meet the needs of those around us.  Ask Him to open our eyes to how He is working--even in the darkest places of our lives.  Let us not miss the miracles.  May He be glorified through His Church.

We Are The Body of Christ
by Mandi Mapes, Jim Watkins

We are the body of the most High
We are the bride of a Savior
And we fall for the King of the kingdom
As we sing the songs of salvation

And we stand for those who cannot stand for themselves
And we love the loveless
And we go where Your light's not shining
We are the body of Christ

We shine like a city on a hilltop
We boast in the Spirit living in us
And we march on a road leading to freedom
As we reach out our hands to the fallen

And we bring living water to the thirsty and
We live for the One who was and is to come
So our life counts for something greater than ourselves
We are the body of Christ

And our anthem will be a song of praise to the King
"He is worhty, He is worhty"
With one voice we will sing, "Where oh death is your sting"
He is mighty, He is mighty