To start the year at HIF, we are spending 5 Sundays in Romans 12. What a great chapter providing teaching that is so relevant to living the life of a disciple of Jesus. Today I was preaching from Romans 12:3 -8. One point stressed in this passage is the importance of seeing ourselves within the Body of Christ; this Body which is a unit yet very diverse.
"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." 12:4,5
I hope you are learning to rejoice in the fact that the body is both unified and diverse. Some people allow the diversity to irritate them. They really want everyone to enjoy the same kind of preaching and worship music; to have full agreement on spiritual gifts; to be united on the role of women; to agree on everything. So they usually draw a circle that is only as big as their comfort level allows. And in so doing they miss the richness of diversity Christ allows in His Body.
In an international church we cannot escape the diversity of the Body. Today our worship singing was led by a visiting Australian pastor who frequently travels internationally. Yesterday he led a seminar on worship for about 20 of our musicians. As we chatted for a few moments it was evident that he comes from a strongly charismatic circle of churches, while as I mentioned to him in just one sentence my background is different. We agreed that focusing on the main things allows believers like us to stay unified in the church; to worship and to serve together.
I mentioned to him that I don't know the denominational background of most of our people at HIF. We want them to love Jesus and to study and respond to the Word. Backgrounds are very secondary.
Our visiting Australian leader had an HIF worship band today consisting of two men from the Philippines, two Americans and two Nigerians - not sure of their church backgrounds but they sing and play well. The one giving announcements, the one praying - and Oh yes, me, the one preaching, were all from Canada.
All of us are one in Christ. All of us belong to His Body, the Church. You, wherever you are, whatever your church background and nationality, you are part of this great worldwide Body. How wonderful to know that by faith, we all belong to Him, and therefore belong to each other.
It was fun to talk with a visitor from Toronto today, who recalled hearing me preach a few times when I was a pastor there. She has served with World Vision in Indonesia and now is in Laos. Both of us far from Toronto, but connected in this great unity: One Body. One Lord. One Church.
How much fun it is to belong to a Body with such diversity. How amazing that we all belong to Him!
"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." 12:4,5
I hope you are learning to rejoice in the fact that the body is both unified and diverse. Some people allow the diversity to irritate them. They really want everyone to enjoy the same kind of preaching and worship music; to have full agreement on spiritual gifts; to be united on the role of women; to agree on everything. So they usually draw a circle that is only as big as their comfort level allows. And in so doing they miss the richness of diversity Christ allows in His Body.
In an international church we cannot escape the diversity of the Body. Today our worship singing was led by a visiting Australian pastor who frequently travels internationally. Yesterday he led a seminar on worship for about 20 of our musicians. As we chatted for a few moments it was evident that he comes from a strongly charismatic circle of churches, while as I mentioned to him in just one sentence my background is different. We agreed that focusing on the main things allows believers like us to stay unified in the church; to worship and to serve together.
I mentioned to him that I don't know the denominational background of most of our people at HIF. We want them to love Jesus and to study and respond to the Word. Backgrounds are very secondary.
Our visiting Australian leader had an HIF worship band today consisting of two men from the Philippines, two Americans and two Nigerians - not sure of their church backgrounds but they sing and play well. The one giving announcements, the one praying - and Oh yes, me, the one preaching, were all from Canada.
All of us are one in Christ. All of us belong to His Body, the Church. You, wherever you are, whatever your church background and nationality, you are part of this great worldwide Body. How wonderful to know that by faith, we all belong to Him, and therefore belong to each other.
It was fun to talk with a visitor from Toronto today, who recalled hearing me preach a few times when I was a pastor there. She has served with World Vision in Indonesia and now is in Laos. Both of us far from Toronto, but connected in this great unity: One Body. One Lord. One Church.
How much fun it is to belong to a Body with such diversity. How amazing that we all belong to Him!
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