A Healthy Body and a Well-Lived Life

I was blessed to receive two e-mails today that seemed to bear witness to one another - as two witnesses confirming a matter I have been pondering for weeks.  The matter can best be expressed as a question: "Why is the Body of Messiah in such a state of division and disunity? What argument is great enough to utterly destroy congregations and tear the fabric of God's people completely apart? Are these arguments and disruptions of a doctrinal, theological nature, or are people just getting offended over petty, personal disagreements?"

This is the state of things where John and I live, but we also see it everywhere we travel. Denominations are splitting into more denominations in the Church - and the Messianics are in such disagreement that whole fellowships are dissolving and disappearing so that everyone can go do things their own way.

One of the e-mails I got today included an article by Eddie Santoro, from Jerusalem. He writes,

"The establishment and strengthening of the local congregation was the primary goal of Paul's apostolic journeys, and most of the Epistles are written to local New Testament expressions. The local congregation is God's vessel to express his life on the earth, and it is the "school" where new believers are discipled and older ones can grow and mature.  It is the furnace where we are tested and the fountainhead of any national revival.

God saves people but he does not stop there. Each of us are then called to take our place in this wonderful Body and it is this commitment of love and sacrifice that binds the "living stones" into a dwelling place for God's spirit.

Since the local congregation is so central to God's purposes, it is not surprising that the enemy attacks it. He strikes the shepherds so that the sheep would be scattered. He sows deception and strife into this house which is meant to be filled with love and peace, so that its unity would be destroyed. Since we moved to Jerusalem, we have seen at least three thriving congregations cease to exist.

A healthy Body is not just a good meeting, but also the expression of lives joined together in loving relationship throughout the week. The deepening of the bonds of relationship between members of our congregation is a vital step in advancing God's purposes and a deterrent against the strategy of the enemy to divide."

My friends, it is all about people!  For so long I have been endeavoring to live a life poured out for people, because that is the model our Master Yeshua gave us.  I love Eddie's explanation of this: "A healthy Body is the expression of lives joined together in loving relationship throughout the week." That is the definition of true community from a Hebraic perspective.  Loving fellowship, outreach, and meeting one another's needs is not supposed to be just a one-day-of-the-week thing - it should be our purpose all week long, all month long, all year long!

The other e-mail that really quickened in my spirit was based on a quote by Bill Bullock.  Though I am not aware of who Mr. Bullock is, I certainly agree with him, and I think maybe I'll print out this quote and paste it somewhere in our home as a reminder.  As a people we spend far too much time listening to TV and radio talking heads giving THEIR opinions about everything, and it disrupts the Spirit within us.  I am not interested in men's opinions, I am interested in GOD'S opinion, and I cannot hear Him when there is so much noise and chaos in my world!!

Thanks to Tinah Brown, who sent me Mr. Bullock's quote:

"Well-lived lives are not lived in the world of theory, philosophy, theology, religion, politics or any other form of pontification or dehumanizing generalization. Those who live well-lived lives do not waste time or energy talking about ideas or arguing over whose opinion or political or theological position is right. Those who live well-lived lives spend their precious time and energy focusing on real interactions with real people, with real names, and real life situations that must be dealt with in real time. Those who live well-lived lives see and respond to hurting people, not hateful labels."

Awesome! Now it's time for me to close this so I can get over to my real 89-year-old mother's house and interact with her real-life situation coping with dementia, and give her some of my precious time and energy, because she needs a real-life shower!

God saves his people, but it doesn't stop there. Each of us are then called to take our place in this wonderful Body and it is this commitment of love and sacrifice that binds the "living stones" into a dwelling place for God's spirit.

Shabbat Shalom!