One in Christ

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:27
“Now, you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it”.

So We ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST.

Or Are WE?

The Bible also says in 1 Corinthians 12:12
“The Body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one Body”

So we, as many Parts, ALL Form the ONE Body - The Body of Christ?

Do we?
Do we really? And while you think about it, I’ll give you a little story, a completely hypothetical story, but one with a message….

A Burly Spirit-Filled Biker, wearing full leathers, earrings in his ears, tattoos all over his body, walks into a Baptist Church in England.
All throughout the service, he gets strange looks from the congregation. At the end of the service a Warden comes up to him and says “we don’t want “your’sort’ here. We don’t do our services like you do”. This made our burly Biker feel very uncomfortable, and not welcome. He left with one phrase on his lips, which left the Vicar speechless. It was.. “well, aren’t we all supposed to be One in Christ? Or is that ONLY if I’m like you -- unchallenged?”

So, now. Think. Are we all REALLY One In Christ?

If you’ve given your life to the Lord Jesus, it doesn’t matter if you’re a Baptist, a Catholic, an Anglican, a Methodist, or any of the other many “religious” denominations, you are a Believer. And as a Believer, you are PART OF THE BODY of Christ.
And as a Part of the Body, you or I should be able to walk into any church and feel welcome. But that just doesn’t happen does it?

Why?
Because Man has even managed to corrupt that which God ordained – Fellowship.
Even Jesus told us we are to “fellowship with one another and with Jesus”,
But 1 John 1:6 gives us a WARNING:
1 John 1:6
If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. And as we all know it is the Truth which sets us Free! Because in the next verse, John says in1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the Light, as He (Jesus) is The Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

So what does this word “Fellowship” mean? What does it mean to “have fellowship, one with another”?

A Believer’s life (In Christ) should never mean solitude. It should be about Community. Community, not just with other Believers’ to encourage and support one another (in their Walk with Christ), but also with Believers in the wider Community.
So what is more fulfilling than a life lived with friendship, and a unity with those around us?
Psalm 133: 1-3 gives us a simplistic view… “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
And that is “good and pleasant” for God, not for us! (Well, for us too, hmm)

Y’see, I and others firmly believe that we are now in, what is known as, “the End times” Jesus is COMING, and SOON!

But before He can return to us and sweep us up into the air with Him, there MUST be Unity, Unity amongst all those of us who Believe, whether they be Black or White, Jew or Gentile, slave or free, we all know 1 Corinthians 12:13 too well, but have we ever really understood it? The hint is in the very first line of that verse… “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into One Body…” And that Body is the Body of Christ.

So what must we, as Believers do, before that wonderful Day comes?

Simple. Galatians 5:14 says it all.
Galatians 5:14
The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
So whether your neighbour is a Catholic, a Baptist, a Methodist, or any of the other religious denominations, if he (or she) is a Believer in Christ, he (or she) is to be loved (and supported and encouraged) just as

Jesus Loves You.

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