The Power of Fellowship

Over the last few days we have been looking at Ephesians 4:11-16 because this is one of the most concise texts in the Bible on New Testament church life. A healthy church life is crucial for a healthy Christian life. When we were called by the Lord, it was to be a member of a body of believers that includes hundreds of millions of others around the world. We have also been joined to the historic church that includes all of the believers who have served the Lord for the last two thousand years. We are not alone!

In verse 16 that we studied yesterday, we are told that the body is built up by that which "every joint supplies." A joint is where two parts come together. The stronger the union of these parts the stronger the whole body will be. As we also discussed earlier, one of the primary burdens of the Lord's own heart is the unity of His people. Unity is essential for the health of the body, and it will be to the degree that we are in unity with the church that we are personally healthy, spiritually and physically. This we see in I Corinthians 11:23-30:

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you,
that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood;
do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner,
shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly.
For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

Of course the bread and cup that he is speaking about here is the ritual of communion, as we read in I Corinthians 10:16-17:

Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ?
Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.

The Greek word that is translated "sharing" here, and "communion" in other versions, is koinonia, which implies the closest, deepest kind of partnership or fellowship. The word "communion" was originally two words that were merged to form one, the two being "common" and "union." The word "fellowship" that this word is sometimes translated was taken from the phrase "two fellows in a ship," which implied that if they were going to get anywhere they would have to work together.

In these we also see that if we partake of the ritual of communion in an "unworthy manner" we are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, and eat and drink judgment to ourselves. To do this in an unworthy manner is to "not judge the body rightly." We bring judgment on ourselves by trying to substitute the ritual for the reality that the ritual symbolizes. The reality is that we have communion, or common union, with the Lord and His body.

To have communion we must "judge the body rightly." We must discern the different parts and where we fit in. The only way that a teacher can have common union with the rest of the body is to understand that not all are called to be just like him, but that he must learn to relate properly to the prophets, pastors, evangelists, etc. Likewise, prophets must understand how badly they need the teachers, pastors, etc. We must see how our ministries compliment each other instead of conflict with each other.

I know a number of great evangelists who lead many people to the Lord. However, all but a couple of these at least project a mentality that everyone who is not an evangelist like them is basically wasting their time. In the first century church when someone was converted they were "added to the church" (see Acts 2:47 KJV). Today it is estimated that as few as 5 percent of new "converts" actually go on to become part of the church. In the first century the evangelists worked together with all of the equipping ministries. Today very few do, and therefore we have this kind of result. Both the body, and the new converts, are therefore weak, sick, and a number sleep.

How much more fruitful would our evangelism be if prophets went into a place to spy it out and discern both the strongholds of darkness and the spiritual openings in an area before the evangelist came? How much more fruit would remain if after the evangelist left, pastors and teachers came to gather all of the new converts to lay a strong foundation in their lives and see that they were added to the church? Our calling is not to just bear fruit, but to bear fruit that remains.

As the text in I Corinthians implies, the main reason why Christians are weak, sick, and die prematurely, is our failure to discern the Lord's body. As the apostle wrote in I John 1:7:

but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

The Greek word translated "fellowship" in this verse is the same koinonia. Fellowship is more than just meeting together, it is having a union where the different parts fit together properly, and function together properly. It is in this kind of fellowship that His blood, which is His life, flows through us and cleanses us from all sin. We were forgiven of our sins at the cross, but there is a cleansing process that comes through fellowship that is essential.

For the life-giving blood to flow to my hand it must be properly connected to my arm. We too must become properly connected to the body. That is why we are exhorted to not "forsake the assembling of ourselves together" (see Hebrews 10:25). This is not just talking about meetings, but about being assembled together just as the different parts of a car must be assembled together before it can actually be used to go somewhere. What good would all of the parts of a car do us if they were just laying together in a big pile? That is what the church is like at this time.

The church is made up of "living stones" (see I Peter 2:5), but presently our congregations are like piles of these stones which have not yet been assembled into a temple where the Lord can manifest His presence. The assembling together of these living stones into a temple is going to take place. The Lord is going to again send His "wise master builders" (see I Corinthians 3:10) which are authentic New Testament apostles. They will be much more than just great preachers, or even great leaders. They will be used to begin fitting the whole body together just as the Lord designed it to be. They will build the prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers into the teams they are called to be. They will train and release them to do their primary job again, which is to "equip the saints to do the work of the ministry." Before the end, the church will arise to be the glorious body of Christ that it is called to be, with all of the parts working!

MorningStar Ministries

Resurrection Life

John 11:25-26 ->

Have you ever considered that one reason many have a hard time believing in the resurrection is because they look at the weakness of the Lord's own body, the church, with less than 10 percent of its members functioning? Of course the church is given as the most frequent reason why people do not believe the gospel, and this is understandable. However, before the end comes the church is going to be the glorious bride that she is called to be, with a body that functions with a beauty, grace, and power that will cause the world to marvel. Why not now? Today let's continue our study in Ephesians 4

…we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,
from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies,
according to the proper working of each individual part,
causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:15-16).

To know the next step, we need to know where we are. It is quite obvious that the church today is in a state somewhere between atrophy and death. Many churches only continue to exist because they are on artificial life support, the devices of human mechanisms and programs. Even so, the most revolutionary force to advance the cause of Christianity in history will come when the equipping ministries start equipping the people instead of trying to do everything themselves.

As I recently heard a very gifted Bible teacher say, "Most churches today are one gift churches. Most of the time this one gift is a teacher." He was not stating this to highlight his own ministry, but he was stating it with great remorse. However, it is true. Few who actually call themselves pastors really are pastors. Some are evangelists, others are teachers, some may even be prophetic or apostolic, but it is rare to see someone with an authentic pastoral ministry actually shepherding a church. I too am a case in point.

However, nowhere does it say that the leader of a church should be a pastor. In fact, in all of the New Testament it does not even say what a pastor does, or anything else about this ministry. It is only mentioned in the New Testament one time, in Ephesians 4 where it is listed with the other equipping ministries. So, how did this one ministry that is only mentioned one time in the New Testament come to so totally dominate the ministry of the church? Maybe there are a few other things that we should question while we're at it.

Occasionally the leader of a church will have a second gift such as evangelism, or maybe even a prophetic gift, and they are the ones who week after week practice and grow in their own gifts. However, the New Testament ministry that is revealed in Ephesians 4 is a team of ministries. The church is called to be a many membered body with every member "properly" functioning. The evidence that they are have a true New Testament ministry will therefore be a body of believers who are a living, functioning body.

This is no small task. We cannot expect to get from where the church is today to where we are called to be overnight. I have had this vision for a functioning body for almost thirty years. Our church in Charlotte is now nearly seven years old, and we still have less than 20 percent of the people functioning in their callings. It has been a very slow process for several reasons.

Possibly the main reason why we are still at this place is the fact that we grew from a few people to nearly two thousand very fast. If we had stayed smaller we could have spent more time with individuals who could have sped up the process, but we are called to be a large church. However, we want to use this calling to learn how large churches can do this because we know that this is for all believers whether they are in large or small churches. Sadly, we do not know any smaller churches that are actually doing any better at this than we are.

Second, it has taken a while to change the mentality of the leadership team from just doing the ministry to actually equipping others. Now we have a core of ministries that are devoted to this, but it is still taking time to stimulate and awaken believers who are in a state of atrophy because they have never been allowed to do anything of significance before. However, when just one catches the vision they always wake up many more. When one member of the body starts to function, it releases great encouragement to the rest of the body.

In one of our services this year Robin McMillan started out by saying, "We have ten guest speakers tonight, and none of them know who they are!" He then explained that he was going to choose ten people at random to share five minutes each. Everyone woke up because they knew that they could be called on. The ten who were chosen were apprehensive, but as soon as the first one started the Lord came upon them. They were so anointed that some were drowned out by the cheers of the congregation, many of who were standing on their chairs in excitement.

We now have about four hundred people on prophetic ministry teams. Not all of these are called as prophets, but all have demonstrated the gift of prophecy, or the gift of interpretation, and they are growing in their gifts through exercise. However, even the greatest prophet only sees "in part" (see I Corinthians 13:9). Therefore to get the whole picture we have to put the different parts together. For prophets to function properly they need to be rightly connected to the other equipping ministries given to the church.

If the Lord heals you, or gives you a prophetic word through someone else, it can be a great encouragement. However, it is not nearly as encouraging as when the Lord uses you to heal or give a prophetic word to someone else. There are few things that we can ever experience as encouraging as being used by God, and learning that He had a special purpose for us when He called us before the foundation of the world. There will be few things that can strengthen and bond together your church like when the Lord starts using the members of the church.

Ephesians 4:15 states that the body is built up by that which "every joint supplies." A joint is not a part, but is where two parts come together. We cannot form a joint with another part of the body if we do not know what part we are. The arm has to be joined to the wrist, not the knee, etc. Most churches have people coming and going continually because the people are not properly joined to the body, which can only be done as a functioning part.

In every way, it is in our best interest to equip believers to do the work of the ministry, and then release them with genuine authority to do what they are called to do. The Reformation is not yet complete. The church is still far from the form that it is called to be. The next great wave of the Spirit is going to be the awakening, equipping, and releasing of the whole body of Christ.

MorningStar Ministries

Choosing Life or Death

Today we will continue our study of Ephesians 4 by looking at verse 15,"but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ." As this verse implies, one of the primary ways that we grow up into Christ is by "speaking the truth in love." Jesus is the Truth, and if we are going to abide in Him we must be committed to truth. God is also love, so if we are going to be like Him we must do all that we do in love.

Recent polls and studies have indicated that there is no longer a distinguishable difference between the basic moral principles of Christians and non-Christians. The divorce rate among evangelical Christians has now exceeded that of non-Christians. Studies now show that Christians are just as prone to lie as non-Christians. The most sobering fact highlighted by these studies was that the majority of Christians did not think that this was wrong! Can we not accurately say that the salt is losing its savor? What does the Lord say that He will do when this happens? He will throw that salt away!

One of the basic characteristics of God is that His Word is true! How can we ever expect to abide in Him, be like Him, or represent Him, if we are not devoted to truth? The devil is the father of lies, and when we have given ourselves to lying, in any form or to any degree, we are opening ourselves up to the devil, to be used by him, and to be changed into his image instead of Christ's.

In II Corinthians 5:14 Paul wrote, "For the love of Christ controls us." How different would we be if we were truly controlled by the love of Christ in everything that we did and said? How different would the church be if every Christian were controlled by the love of Christ, doing everything that they did out of a love for Him and the love that He is? The change would obviously be radical, and our goal must be nothing less than this. Before the end comes there is going to be a church that is without spot or blemish. She will be pure in all of her motives and actions. Why can't this be us?

It should be a basic goal of every Christian to walk in truth and love in everything that we do and say. If we do not we will remain the hypocrites that the world thinks we are. We should also keep in mind that the Lord Himself reserved His most scathing denunciations for the religious hypocrites.

We should examine every conflict that we are now involved in to be sure that we are walking in both truth and love in it. Is our position truly accurate, or have we let partial truths, or even lies get in? Once our argument or position in a conflict passes the truth test, we should then determine that it also passes the love test. Then we should endeavor to test all of our words and actions this way.

This means that sometimes we will not say things that may be true unless we can also say them in love. Truth can hurt, and even kill, if it is not spoken in the right spirit. That is why "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" (see II Corinthians 11:14). This could also be translated "messenger of truth." Many of the devil's most devastating attacks will have some basis in truth. Often it will have a twisted interpretation, or be used to gain entry for his subsequent lies, but sometimes it is just plain truth that is incomplete, or spoken in bad timing so that its effect is to cause division, discord, etc. That is why we must also determine if we are speaking the truth "in love." Satan can use truth as a weapon for evil, but he has a very hard time masquerading love.

Proverbs 18:21 states that, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Our words have the power to impart death or life. When we speak are we imparting life, hope, faith, peace, patience, etc., or are we being used to stir up strife, doubt, fear, or division? As we studied previously in Ephesians 4:29-32:

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification
according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

MorningStar Ministries

The Maturing of the Saints

"But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days!" (Matthew 24:19)

This was a warning that the Lord Jesus gave when He was describing the last days. Another way that I think we could phrase this is "Woe to those pastors who keep their people in immaturity!"

Yesterday, we addressed the need for the equipping ministries listed in Ephesians 4 if the church is to function and mature as it is supposed to. I want to now elaborate a little on the next verse in this chapter, Ephesians 4:14:

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves,
and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.

This verse is a good depiction of much of the body of Christ today. It is accurate to say that most Christians remain spiritual children. They get tossed about by waves and movements, but seldom mature, and few ever walk in their calling. Those who are not tossed about by waves and movements are tossed about by winds of doctrine that carry them from one emphasis to another. These are the ones who are doing relatively well! The rest are captured by the "trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming."

As we read in the previous verses, one of the reasons the equipping ministries are given to the church is so that this will not happen. It will continue to happen, however, until these ministries are restored and given their rightful place of authority and influence in the church.

We begin to feel good about ourselves if we think that we know some apostles, prophets, or evangelists, etc., and that our church recognizes and receives from them. This may be true of some, but if we are to examine the fruit of those who call themselves apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers, do we see what is described here in Ephesians 4? Is there any church on earth where all of the members are really being equipped for the ministry as it states in this chapter? Is there a congregation anywhere that is really growing up into the measure of the stature that belongs to the fullness of Christ?

I am including the congregations that I have been a part of planting in this assessment as well. We have done fairly well in equipping some of the people to do some things, but overall we too fall far short of this level of ministry that is supposed to be the standard for all churches. I am therefore not writing this to condemn anyone's church or ministry, but rather as a cry that we must wake up. We only have a couple of the equipping ministries functioning in our church at this time. We invite those who would like to visit and help us in what we are lacking, and they do, but not in the kind of depth that it really takes to equip the people to do the work of the ministry.

As I stated yesterday, I only know of a handful of ministries throughout the world who really seem to understand and are committed to equipping believers to do the work of the ministry. Most just think that it is their job to go around performing their ministry, and if people catch on to what they are doing and are able to then do some of it, great. It is apparent that less than 10 percent of the Christians in the church today even know what their calling is, and less than this are actually functioning in their calling. This is a spiritual tragedy.

I watched my father endure a number of strokes until he could only move one arm a little. To see him in this condition for several months has been one of the hardest things I can ever remember going through. How does the Lord feel when He looks down on the church that is supposed to be His glorious bride and she can barely move an arm a little? If we have been trusted with an equipping ministry in the church, are we not responsible for this?

The present form of ministry in the church, as it is understood and functioning, is not accomplishing its biblical mandate. There must be a radical change in our understanding of ministry. As the saying goes, "Unless you change your course you will end up where you are headed." We are in need of a drastic course correction in the very way that church leadership and ministry is now conducted.

Our condition is not just the result of the church failing to understand and accept apostolic and prophetic ministries today. It is deeper than that. We do not really understand evangelists, pastors, or teachers either. It appears that those who have these callings seldom even understand their own purpose in more than just a superficial way.

Jesus is the model of all true New Testament ministry. When you think of Him you must also think of His disciples. Immediately after He began His ministry He started calling disciples whom He could train to do everything that He did. This should be fundamental to all who are in ministry. Whenever we are sent out to do ministry we should have around us those who are not just called to be assistants, but who are there to learn to do everything that we are doing so they can go out and do the same.

There are not many who are secure enough in their ministry to do this. I have questioned quite a few who feel that if they do this then those whom they disciple will end up taking many of "their people." One who is this insecure should not be in ministry in the first place. If the Lord really commissioned our ministry, then He will take care of us. If we do not have this fundamental security in our lives, then we need to question whether the Lord has really sent us, or if we have just assumed a position by our own efforts.

One of the great models of New Testament ministry was actually the last prophet under the Old Covenant, as well as the first under the New Covenant, John the Baptist. His whole purpose was to prepare for the One who was to come after him, to point to Him, and then be willing to decrease as He increased. Contrary to this, church history testifies that almost every movement persecutes the succeeding movements instead of helping to prepare the way for them, blessing and commissioning them. Therefore, almost every new movement that arises to help the church advance also comes with all of the problems of not only being an orphan, but one who had to live in fear of his parents trying to kill him! This must change.

Like the Lord Himself, we must understand that our fruit will not remain unless we help prepare those who are to carry our ministry further and even do "greater works" (see Matthew 14:12). Until we do this, the church is going to continue to be tossed about and subjected to the trickery of men instead of advancing toward her destiny. The encouragement is that there is now a great movement across the earth to recover our basic biblical mandate for ministry. It is time, and it will soon be accomplished.

MorningStar Ministries

Change is Coming

Yesterday we addressed why we must have unity in the church, as well as some practical ways to help bring and preserve unity, especially as outlined in Ephesians 4:11-13. We can become great at leadership and organization, but no amount of human organization or leadership will cause the church to grow up to "the measure of the stature that belongs to the fulness of Christ" (see Ephesians 4:13). Only the Spirit can bring forth that which is spirit (see John 3:6), and only the Lord can build His church. When He builds His church He does it through the ministries that He has given for this purpose, which are the ones listed in Ephesians 4.

Presently, most churches are led by one person who, with his or her staff, does the majority of the ministry. A few are equipping some in the church to do a few aspects of the ministry, but mostly what would be considered the ministry of helps. Churches that are devoted to building home groups usually do more for equipping their people, but this cannot be a substitute for the ministry of those who are given for the equipping of the church. Some may bring in visiting ministries occasionally, such as an evangelist to stir up evangelism in their people. This is commendable, but there is a difference between stirring up and equipping.

I know quite a few traveling ministries who either claim to be, or aspire to be, one of the equipping ministries listed in Ephesians 4. However, with the exception of just a few, their program consists mostly of going to a church and having a good meeting, or maybe even a series of meetings, where their gifts are demonstrated. This can be helpful, and people are encouraged by it, but not equipped. For the church to mature in the way to which we are called, there must be a radical transformation of our concept of ministry. This is something that much of the church worldwide is now grappling with, and addressing, and it is something we must do.

We should question whether one is really an Ephesians 4 equipping ministry unless they are leaving behind those who can do what they do. This takes time, and it takes a depth of relationship that is not possible if one just passes through for a couple of days once or twice a year. That is why in the Book of Acts we see the traveling ministries sometimes parking in one place for months, or even years.

If we are not in a church that has the vision for equipping their people in all of the aspects we see in Ephesians 4, we can still receive from equipping ministries through other means. We are blessed today to have books, tapes, conferences, television, etc., all readily available. These can all be helpful, but for the church to "attain to the measure of the stature that belongs to the fulness of Christ," it is obvious that there is a radical change needed in the general concept of ministry that most of the church now has.

Remember, change is good and change is coming.

The Beginning of True Church Life

Yesterday we considered II Corinthians 2:16, "But we have the mind of Christ, and John 17:23 where the Lord prayed that we would be "perfected in unity." We then briefly discussed the three basic stages of personality development, which are: co-dependence, independence, and inter-dependence. Today I want to view this a little deeper, applying it practically to a major thrust that the church is about to go through. In Ephesians 4:11-16 we read how this is supposed to happen in the church.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man,
to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves,
and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,
from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies,
according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

We see that the five ministries named here are given to equip the members of the body who are called to do the actual ministry. Therefore the primary job of an evangelist is not to just evangelize, but to impart a love for the lost to the whole body, and help all believers to be able to lead others to the Lord. The main job of a prophet is not just to hear from the Lord, but also to help all believers to know the Lord's voice and be able to prophesy. The primary job of a teacher is not just to impart knowledge, but also to impart a love for the truth and the spiritual tools needed for all believers to be able to mine the truths of God's Word. The primary task of a pastor is not just to lead people, but also to equip all believers to be able to help one another. The apostle is called to do all of these.

As we read in verse 13, this is to be done "until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ." Note that he does not say here until "some" attain, but "all." We cannot get where we are supposed to go without each other. We are therefore compelled to love and help one another if even for selfish reasons. If we fully understood this we would look at the weakest Christians, or churches, as those that we must reach out to help. We cannot write off those who may have some wrong doctrines and practices. This does not mean that we have to accept their errors, but we must accept them, pray for them, seeking any way that we can be used to help them.

When there were only two brothers on the earth they could not get along, but one killed the other. Today almost all unity is based on the selfish need for one another. When that need is no longer there, division and fighting is usually inevitable. However, this need will never cease to be in the church. Selfishness is not the highest motive by any means, but it can at least help maintain enough unity until we mature in love and the higher motives. We must understand that whenever we hurt another member of the body of Christ, we are hurting ourselves as well. Whenever one member is hurt in any way we too are hurt, and we therefore must begin to protect and defend one another in the faith.

If we have the Holy Spirit then we have the One who is called "the Helper" (see John 14:26). If we are taking on His nature it should become our nature to help one another. Why not begin to pray for the denomination, church, or even individual Christians that we may have the most problems with? Why not ask the Lord to show us practical ways that we can begin to help them? As the Scripture affirms, what is accomplished if we only love those who are lovable to us? Let us try to grow in love by loving those that may not be as lovable to us, and then excel in love by loving and helping, those who have even offended us. Pursuing love in this way is the path to finding our true identity in Christ.

MorningStar Ministries

Having the Mind of Christ

But we have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16).

Note here that the apostle said "we" have the mind of Christ, not "I." No one person can have the whole mind of Christ, but each of us has been given a part. Therefore we must come together in unity to have His complete mind. The degree to which we are connected in fellowship with the rest of His church is the degree that we will have His whole council. Unity is not an ideal, it is essential if we are to have the whole truth or walk in the whole council of God. This is why Jesus prayed for His people to be "perfected in unity" (John 17:23).

Several years ago it became popular to recognize and try to get free of what has been called "codependence." This is an unhealthy attachment to another person, or group, in which our own personality is swallowed up in the identity of another. This can be done with a spouse, friend, boss, parent, child, or groups such as clubs, associations, etc. We can also have an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship with the church. Cults are usually composed of co-dependent people who are seeking their own identity through the group. Domineering leaders, who are decisive and seem to know where they are going, attract weak, codependent people.

The point has been rightly made that to get free from our tendency toward co-dependency, we must go through a period of independence when we can really find out who we are. This is true, but we must not stop there. The highest attainment is not independence, but inter-dependence. In fact, we cannot fully know our own identities until we are properly related to other people.

Co-dependence is not true unity; it is dominance of the weak by the strong. We each need to have a period in our lives when we seek our own gifts and callings and become secure in who we are and what we have been called to do. Only then is true unity possible. Unity is not the melding together of people so that personal identity is lost; it is the recognition and working together of the different and unique parts of the body so that it functions as a unit.

For my body to function properly, my heart cannot ever try to become a lung. My heart needs the lungs, kidneys, liver, and blood vessels to function correctly, but it must not ever try to be anything but a heart. I can have five of the healthiest hearts in the world, but if they are not attached to at least one good lung, then those hearts are going to die. The Lord has composed His body, the church, in the same way. It is supposed to be many different, unique parts that know their identities, but also know their place in the whole.

I have asked a number of large groups of Christians in churches and conferences how many knew their calling or ministry in the body of Christ. Most of the time the response is less than 5 percent. The highest it has ever been is about 20 percent. How well could you live if only 5 percent of your body was functioning, or even 20 percent? This is the state of the body of Christ. We are in need of unity, but we must first go through the stage where each member of the body comes to know their place and purpose in the body.

I have contended for years that there is a need for different denominations and movements within the church. Because the members of the body have not graduated from the "independence" stage of maturity in which identity is fundamentally established, we need to stay there until it is. However, we have been there for centuries now. It is time to get the job completed and press on toward the ultimate fulfillment that can only be found in inter-dependence with the rest of the church.

A heart "knows" that it is a heart and not a lung because it recognizes the place of the lung, and works together with it. Even though we need to go through the independent stage, we will not fully know who we are and our place until we are firmly established in inter-dependence. All true New Testament ministry is a team of different parts that function together as a unit. Barnabas had to go and find Saul (who later became Paul), and then both of them had to get in the right place (Antioch) before they could be released into their own ultimate callings as apostles. In the same way, we too must seek out those who we are called to be joined with in the Lord before we can be released into our ultimate purpose.

I have heard an alarming number of Christians say that they love the Lord but they just do not like the church. As John wrote, this is not possible. We do not really love the Lord if we do not love His people. The Lord Himself said that as we treat the least of His people it is counted as the way that we treat Him. We do not have to love the state that the church is in, but we must love His church. If we do not, we will never be useful in helping her attain her purpose, which can only be accomplished as we come into unity.

The Scriptures are clear that the church will attain unity before the end comes. The Lord's Prayer will be answered and we will be perfected in unity. Let us all determine that we will be a part of helping this come to pass, and not a stumbling block to it.

MorningStar Ministries