Cells in a Body

Rom 12:4-5 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

This last week I was very blessed to see how God made His children differently and we all have different gifts. A little summary:
- Wayne, who has a very pastoral heart and loves to follow up in prayer and in person with the folks we meet on the streets, despite being busy stopped by and exhorted a few people who were lingering on the streets.
- Pam, who is the doctor of heart issues got to speak with some guys who needed healing from Jesus in their hearts.
- Jeff was faithful in anchoring in prayer for us and the city as we were walking the streets.
- Sarah last week had an opportunity to step beyond the boundaries of her workplace and pray with a man on the streets whom he had seen before on her job, but wasn't able to share the Lord in that situation. She did this time very boldly and filled with the love of Jesus. What an opportunity the Lord gave her. We all know the feeling when we are on a job and we want to share, but the opportunity is just not right. The Lord redeemed an opportunity for her this time. 
- I personally really enjoyed praying with a man who had a serious heart problem and HIV. The Lord has put me in a position where I always have some extra supplies of natural remedies in my car and I felt led to give this men some specifically for his condition and encourage him to meet again. 

I imagine the Body of Christ as a literal body, every person being one cell in it. Multiple cells form a tissue, which can be muscle, connective tissue, neural tissue etc., all with different functions. God designed the body with MUCH wisdom and every organ, tissue and cell has a reason. How awesome it is that we can find our place in this body and relate to the other cells, maintaining the wholeness and the function of the Body.

I look forward to see what kind of a cell He develops me into. It's of course not all about destination. Most of the time I really enjoy the journey and the development. We just need the right nourishment to grow. Just as our cells need oxygen, sugar and other elements to function, we need these as well. We need His Spirit, the Word, other members to fellowship with. 

We also need to function in our gifts. If you don't use your arm muscles for a few months, maybe because you have a cast on it, your muscles will suffer a significant decrease. This is called atrophy. To avoid or reverse this, we need to exercise.

We need to take our gifts the Good God has given us and serve others. Believers and unbelievers. Those gifts, whether it's natural or supernatural are given to make disciples and edify the body. Of course we enjoy it as well along the way. God gives us joy as we serve.

I would love to see the local parts of the Body grow and function in it's fullness and it's glory. I look forward to the two days of prayer for the region in May. This is another few sets of push-ups that will grow the muscle.