How are we a church body?
What does it mean when we say we are members of West Covina Christian Church? What does it mean to be a church body? I Corinthians 12:12 talks about how the church is made up of many parts but is one body. Surely one way of being a church body is by coming together to pray, worship, hear God's Word, share testimony of what God is doing, serve one another, break bread (eat!) together, and fellowship with each other. And I think at WCCC we do this pretty well, especially the EATING part. But what happens at a time like this when we physically can't be together?
I think times of limited freedom, isolation, and crisis can be very clarifying. At this time, the government has defined what are "essential" services for our society. When I think of the church, I wonder what is the essence of being one church body, being of one heart and one mind as it says in Acts 4:32 and Philippians 2:2. I think of several core things:
We have in common that we seek the Lord Jesus in our lives. That means drawing near to Him daily, for He is the Head of the church, and meditating on His Word…allowing Him to shape us. We don't let the world or the culture or our fears and anxieties shape us. We are one in Christ when we allow Him sway over our lives wherever we are because we're agreeing together that Jesus is Lord, we are the sheep of His pasture, and He is worthy of our trust and praise.
We think to serve and pray for one another. The body is made up of many parts/members and we are all dependent on one another. We need each other and thus we seek to take care of and edify each other. In this time of restriction, this might mean taking a meal or much needed supplies to someone in need (although you may have to leave it on the doorstep). I know this is already happening within our church family. PTL! This also means calling each other, facetiming, listening to one another, and praying for each other. We abide by God's law in Galatians 6:2 which says "Bear one another's burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ.”
We continue to share God's love and impart the Good News of Jesus Christ to those outside the church. We are one when we continue God's mission of spreading the Gospel to those who don't know Him, those who do not yet possess the love, grace, and peace of Christ in their lives. As a church, we do not hunker down caring only for ourselves but we take every opportunity to point others to Jesus by our words and actions. Our friends, family, and neighbors need the Good News of Jesus at all times but may be more open to hearing these truths in this time of uncertainty. As a church, our mission statement still stands: “We exist to spread a passion for God so that He is above all else in our lives, church, and community.”
At WCCC, we will continue to stay connected as a church via the internet, recorded service, video conferences, phone calls, and even print mail. These are essential services for us. But even more than that, we are one body because we are joined by Christ and His mission. How we do these things will look a little different in each of our lives but that's the beauty of the church. God uses each member uniquely but all together we are ONE — seeking, serving, praying, and loving with one heart, one mind, in one accord, in Christ. Thank you for being a part of the body at WCCC. The Lord bless you and keep you during this time.
Pastor Darren
