Recommended reading: Church Membership by Jonathan Leeman
“Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.” 1 Corinthians 12: 14-15
Have you ever walked into church and thought, “I don’t belong here”?
Maybe it is because no one dresses like you, or likes the same kind of music. Maybe there is some area of theology or practice in your church that you feel deeply convicted needs to change.
Perhaps it’s time to seek another church.
Or…
It could be that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.
In the verse today Paul seems to anticipate that some Christians will walk into a church and say, “I’m a hand, and I don’t see any other hands here, so I must be in the wrong place.” Maybe God has called you to that church because they are incomplete without you!
We need to be especially aware of our tendency to leave a church because we feel different from most of the people there. When we were younger, we have been taught to seek out people that are like us, so when we walk into a church, we treat it like our high school cafeteria and sit with the people who seem to be most like us.
There may be a few of you who really do need to find a new church, but please do this very reluctantly with lots of prayer and wise counsel. For people who want to hit the eject button now, you may be missing out on the beauty God intended for His bride. Your uniqueness may be just what your church needs!
What do you love most about your church? Post a comment below!
Father, I ask that you would give me love and affection for those who are very different from me. Please give me a desire to show the world the beauty of a unified yet diverse community. May we testify to the world that You walked here, and that WE are Your Church. May we live out your prayer in John 17:21. Amen.
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