Hope in Membership

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body so it is with Christ.  For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body- Jews or Greeks, slaves of free-- and all were made to drink of the one Spirit.  For the body does not consist of one member but many....if the foot should say to the, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.  (1 Corinthians 12:12-15)

Thoughts: In our non-committal age we doubt everyone, every group, every authority, every truth, thinking that it is better and safer for us to be the arbiter of reality.  But it is actually safer and healthier for us to be able trust those we love and love us and commit to them.  To be unable to trust makes us doubt not only everyone else- but ourselves.  To love someone freely would mean to trust them without hesitation- it means to fall back on them knowing they will catch you.  Many of our divisions are caused by human pride, human divisiveness, and an inability to trust. 
    Paul calls us to remember the power of belonging.  We are members of one body.  We are not isolated parts- but put together in God's providence to do something for Him.  Because we are different does not mean we are divided or not in fact members of the true body of Christ.  Calvin talked about the invisible church and the visible one.  The visible one is made of those who say they are believers and take part.  The invisible church are the ones who are truly a part of the body of Christ.  They do not believe for show, or to avoid consequences, or to network for business only.  To be sure, no one has absolutely pure motives when they join the church, nor do they fully know what they are getting into and what lies ahead. 
    There was a time when the church kicked people out quickly in an effort to keep the body of Christ pure, undefiled and with a good reputation among outsiders.  Today, we have a hard time letting anyone go who does not come or take part.   We do not want to offend them needlessly, and there is always hope that they will come back.  We are, after all saved by grace.  If we say we are not a member (as our passage says) that does not mean we indeed cease to be a member.  Only God can truly remove or place someone in the real Book of Life.  On the other hand we can abuse our membership and shame our body by not only not functioning together with the other parts, but even becoming spiritually gangrenous.  If we try to cut ourselves off from the other parts of the body by not attending, not praying, not giving, not caring, then it pulls the whole body down.   The balance in membership is to encourage those who are missing to come back (James 5:19,20). 

Prayer: Lord, help me to respect my membership and remember my baptism in you.  Keep me from being offended, and help me to humbly come back when I am pulled away from your people- the church.  Let me be renewed in my faith and find hope in my commitment to you and your people.