I Corinthians 12:18

"But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased" I Corinthians 12:18

I have noticed a disturbing trend among Christians. More and more I hear people say things like, "The church would be better off without so and so" or "Why don't they just leave, we'd all be better off." I've even heard Christians say they wished other people dead. I Pray that they were exaggerating, but still underlying all of this talk is a serious sense that many of us feel we can do without the others.

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but, WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER. We can't just pick and choose who we go through life with and we certainly can't pick and choose who God has decided to put us into fellowship with in the church.

Paul has a wonderful way of putting this into focus in I Corinthians 12:21-26 "And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our un-presentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."

Can you get this picture of one part of the body arguing with the other telling it to leave. What kind of life would we live if that were the case. Likewise, if we are going around thinking that another member of the body of Christ is expendable then we cause the body to suffer and when the body suffers we suffer along with it. I might also add this goes for those who are not yet members of the body. We must never "write off" someone as too bad to be saved. We all need each other. Once we lose sight of that we have lost sight of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who died for us all and not just those we like to have around. Amen and Amen.