Submitted by Pastor Brad Dush, Fairfax Methodist Church

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.” ~ 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

I had the pleasure recently of having breakfast with a dear friend and ministry colleague. We first met almost 20 years ago in a rural community in Southern Missouri. At the time we were both pastors. We had a common vision and drive to share with the people of our community the truth of the Gospel. The two of us, along with the churches we served, worked together on numerous outreaches and projects together. The most interesting aspect of our partnership was we came from two different denominations. Yet God used us in creative and life-changing ways because we were willing to follow His lead. It was not about either of us, it was all about the Risen Lord, Jesus! It was so good to enjoy our time together over breakfast and reminisce about those days long ago. We haven’t seen each other much lately since we parted ways when we both moved, but it was like we hadn’t skipped a day spending time together. I give God all the credit for the depth of friendship we have and I expect will always have.

I share this because these two verses speak to the truth of the diversity of the Body of Christ. There are many parts that make up the Body of Christ. Not just the diversity of spiritual gifts the text speaks of in the verses that follow those above, but also in the backgrounds of those parts of the Body. The Body of Christ, the Church, is made up of more than Methodists (my general tribe). There are many different denominations around the world comprising the Body of Christ. All of us who call ourselves Christian have a Biblical mandate to “go and make disciples of Jesus Christ.” This mandate is there for every one of us. Sure there are some doctrinal differences amongst Christian denominations, but our unity in the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, and what He did for us, is far greater than our differences.

In life, it is far easier for humankind to find differences with each other and work against one another. Some even thrive on competition. 1 Corinthians 12 reminds me Christianity is a team effort! We must have a competitive spirit, but not with each other. In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul speaks exactly to who our competition is, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” We must all work for unity in the community of the Body of Christ!