I’ve written recently on Why We Need to be More Interdenominational.
As we’re basking in the glow of another awesome Women of the Way series, now more than ever, I’m convinced we must be more about building the Kingdom of God than our own denominations. In light of churches opening up and services resuming again, we can’t just focus on our local congregation. We must be mindful of those who don’t belong to a church. They aren’t looking for a place to go to church. They are looking for someone to be the church! Being more concerned about building His Kingdom, then, begins with building more unity with local churches around us.
(If you know my story, you know that I am a Heinz 57 mutt of denominations…..so, I am not against denominations). So, I do believe building His Kingdom happens better when we are unified.
Roman 12:3-5 “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”
Sometimes, we get in our church box where it’s comfortable and familiar, and we might have the tendency to start comparing our brand of church to other churches….that’s like comparing apples to oranges. Instead we need to compare our fellowship by the faith that God has given us.
Are we fulfilling the specific mission that God has called us to do?
The reason we shouldn’t compare each other’s churches is because we each have a special function and purpose within the Body of Christ. Each part has its own way of ministering to and reaching all different kinds of people. So, it’s ok for us to have our own functions and missions as long as we remember that these differences are meant to complement each other instead of divide us.
When we realize that we are all parts of One Body, then we’re going to see that “we all belong to each other.”
See, Jesus doesn’t see us as separate parts. He sees us as One Body….His Body.
With this uplifting perspective, we don’t have to compare our ministries or fellowships. We can support and cheer for each other and work together because we are all working for the common goal of building His Kingdom!
If fact, Jesus prayed that we’d all be one:
John 17: 20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me”
We need to remember that the Church isn’t a building, and it’s not a collection of worship services. The Church is the living, breathing Body of Christ. We need to show the world that the Church is alive and well so we can point them to Jesus.
As Women of the Way 2021 draws to a close, we should keep in mind:
We belong to each other!
If you believe in Jesus Christ, you are my sister and let’s be about the Father’s business building the Kingdom of God!
~Amy
PS….if you would like a study and some ideas on how you can build Unity in the Body of Christ, sign up for some *free* resources here.
Reblogged this on Women of the Way and commented:
In a few weeks women in ministry from many different churches and denominations will gather to encourage each other….to be together as One Body….
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