Church-Believers Are Connected

"So in Christ we are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."(Romans 12:5)

a. We are connected through faith.
"There is one body and one Spirit-Just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord,
one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
(Ephesians 4:4-6)

b. We are connected through meeting together.
"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching."(Hebrew 10:25)

c. We are connected through loving one another.
"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."(John 13:35)

d. We are connected through service.
"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be
pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up."(Ephesians 4:11-12)

Church-United to Christ

"So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." (Romans 12:5)

1. Our redemption is in Christ.
"and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:24)

2. There is no condemnation in Christ.
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ." (Romans 8:1)

3. We have eternal life in Christ.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
(Romans 6:23)

4. We have love in Christ.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Chris? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine
or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Romans 12:5)

Body of Christ-Personal Application

The body of Christ is the church.1 Corinthians 12:27 says,"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." We are the body of Christ who have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Therefore, each Christian is a part of the body of Christ. The body of Christ, like our human body, is comprised of many parts. There are limbs, organs, cells, bones, and various members which make up the whole body. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 says, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body....." As a part of the church, we should build up and enhance the body of Christ:

1. We are called to promote truth and unity in the body. "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." (Ephesians 4:25)
2. We are called to serve in the body. "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness."(Romans 12:6-8)
3. We are called to worship God in the body. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."(Romans 12:1)
4. We are called to connect to each other in humility. "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." (Romans 12:3)

By God's grace, be a contributing member of the body of Christ right now. John Piper's comment is inspiring, he said, "It is an amazing calling and an amazing identity: being the body of Christ and individually members of one another. There is more to be discovered about yourself in Christ than you ever dreamed. And Christ will be more and more honored by every discovery you make."

Connection

Paul draws our attention to the human body as the metaphor of the body of Christ. The body is very diverse, but it is the picture of perfect connection. Paul said, "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one in Christ, and individually member one of another." (Romans 12:4-5) In respond to Paul's teaching on the body of Christ which is the church, our faith that unites us to Christ also unites us to the body of Christ, the church. In this world of virtual relationship, connection managed via facebook, MSN and twitter etc., I wonder if we are losing our fellowship and connection to each other. And yet God designed us to live in community rather than just individual. I believe that the life of the church is an important supplement to the online relationship. The next time you are at church, at least challenge yourself to greet two or three person, and such action will bring comfort and peace to others. Connection with Christ means connection with each other. I sincerely believe that life is better in connection.

Our heart is restless

St.Augustine said,"our heart is restless until we rest in you." For Augustine, the heart is a metaphor for all that is deepest, truest and personal in one's self. The heart signifies the affective aspect of faith in God. As a young man, Augustine pursued a long and painful search for truth that he hoped would provide him with rest. In his conversion at the age of 33, he felt his innermost heart lovingly spoken to by the word of God. He wrote,"The words of your scripture knocked at the door of my heart.""You have pierced out hearts with the arrow of your love, and our minds were pierced with the arrows of your words." From the spirituality of St. Augustine, we learn three things about how to have rest in God.
1. Constant attention to the word of God. "Faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."(Romans 10:17) Each time we hear or read God's word, we are feeding our faith in God.
2. Faith in God and rest in heart. Realized that every believer has been given a measure of faith by God (Roman 12:3), we just have to use our faith. The more we use it, the more our faith grow.
3 Stay in touch with the people of faith. Augustine greatly valued relationship with others. He was a man of wisdom and of faith. People like to connect to Augustine because he reached out to people and blessed them. He was in turn beloved and appreciated by them. "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffer harm." (Proverb 13:20)
"And the peace of God, which transcend all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

Online missionary

Internet ministry is reaching people with the gospel online. Millions of people indicate their decision for Christ and initiate follow up for more information, guidance and discipleship through website. I am greatly encouraged by the Internet ministry and to be a part of the great commission through online. To see millions of people coming to Christ and I am able to connect to people through twitter, facebook and blog is a humble experience for me. It is my privilege to serve as an online missionary.To share Christ by using the Internet and other emerging technologies to convey the Gospel of Jesus Christ across the globe. You can be a missionary without leaving your home. Online missionary can offer online prayer, guidance and discipleship through online ministry. Today when people look for information, they look to the Internet. Online missionary brings the mission field to the doorsteps of anyone with access to the Internet.Online missionary, you can be one.

Parenting out of fear

Parenting is grace, who can do it well? Mission impossible. It is all by the grace of God we live as parents. Parenting is transformation. We make a lot of mistakes and wrong decisions in parenting, but thanks God that He transforms our mistakes and decisions to shape the parents and our children's character. Parenting is scary, when my girl moved from childhood to teen, suddenly things change, lots of scary new developments like staying overnight at friend's house, shopping with friends, party and request for freedom. I forgot to parent my daughter based on what she was, sometime I made her feel that she was untrustworthy. I suddenly realized that she was growing into a woman-a mature woman. she is not perfect, but she tried really hard to do the right things for her faith in God. I found out the root of the problem, I was parenting out of fear."Letting go" in parenting will make you feels a bit of uncomfortable, but God's Word is my strength. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) "There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear." (1 John 4:18)