'Body of Christ' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” vs. 6 Jeremiah 23:3-6 It’s unlikely that Jeremiah was thinking of anyone other than a new king as he preached to the Israelites, but he did have a definite idea about what this king should be like. It would be someone from the house of David, a righteous ruler who would…
Daily Devotions
For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints–” vss. 3-4 2 Corinthians 8:3-6 A part of Paul’s work as a missionary in the early church included what we might call “advocacy.” A famine was causing severe hardship for the believers in and around Jerusalem, and Paul believed that the congregations in Greece had a responsibility to provide…
Daily Devotions
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” vs. 18 Romans 12:16-21 One of the problems in a diverse community, as the Body of Christ is intended to be, is learning how to live with people who are different from ourselves. We have different ethnic and religious backgrounds, different perspectives on gender issues, different political preferences – in fact, we likely think differently about every matter under the sun. So there will be…
Daily Devotions
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.” vss. 9, 12-13 Romans 12:9-15 Life in community is not complicated, and after showering the Romans with theological background, Paul outlines some basic principles for dealing with brothers and sisters in Christ and offers his readers guidance that has stood the test of time. Any…
Daily Devotions
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.” vs. 12 1 Corinthians 12:11-13 It seems that Paul had no difficulty believing in the resurrection. All he had to do was consider that little congregation in Corinth that was so dear to him. In them he saw Christ, the same risen Lord Jesus Christ who had called him into ministry on…
Daily Devotions
And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” vs. 11 John 17:6-11 We know that a sense of unity is integral to any successful marriage. Not only is it scriptural, but references to the importance of “two becoming one” are also heard at secular or…
Daily Devotions
Maundy Thursday For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” vs. 26 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, has enormous significance for the entire Christian community and is celebrated weekly in congregations all around the world. While practices differ and we have argued for centuries about the significance of the ritual, it is, for most believers, the central feature of worship. And as Paul indicates…
Daily Devotions
Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it….” vs. 5 Isaiah 42:1-9 The prophets of Israel understood that the Creator God who had brought all things into existence had given the breath of life to all people. This breath, which could also be called “spirit,” is what animates humans…
Daily Devotions
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.” vs. 16 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Followers of Jesus love to explore his humanity–they read books about the historical Jesus and have debates about what he was really like. Some go on tours to the Holy Land to follow in his footsteps and see the places where…
Daily Devotions
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?” vs. 12 1 Corinthians 15:12-14 As part of his proclamation in the early congregations Paul regularly spoke of his personal encounter with the Risen Christ. In that transformative moment he was called to become an apostle and to stop persecuting Christians. So when he ran into believers who claimed that there was no resurrection of the dead…
Daily Devotions
Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’” vs. 6 Jeremiah 1: 6-10 When Moses had been called by the Lord to go speak to the Pharaoh about the plight of the Hebrews, he claimed that he wasn’t eloquent and couldn’t do it. His argument didn’t work–he went anyway! Jeremiah, likely aware of the Moses story, pleaded his own youth and inexperience, and got an identical response from…
Daily Devotions
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts.” vss. 29-31a 1 Corinthians 12:27-31a As Paul describes the Church, using the human body as a metaphor, he tells the Corinthians that together we are the Body of Christ, and individually members of it. Within that one body each one has been equipped by the Spirit for…