Vital signs- Friday, May 21st, 2021

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

(1 Corinthians 12:12)

It is important that we understand that while Jesus Christ and the Church are not identical, they are inseparable. We cannot forsake the Church; we must remain faithful in fellowship.

This passage describes the Church as a body, with Christ as the head. As our bodies inhabit our humanity, the Church inhabits Jesus Christ. The body serves the life of the person who lives inside of it; likewise, we are Jesus’ hands and feet.

Jesus is the invisible part of the visible Church, and the Church is the visible part of the invisible Christ.

The formation of the Church Body begins when the members are spiritually born again and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we are bound together as a single body in fellowship. We share a common life, unified by the Holy Spirit dwelling in each of us. We belong to one another, casting aside isolation as well as any competition with one another.

• How does it change your view of the Church to remember that the Church is part of Jesus and Jesus is part of the Church?

• How does it change your view of your relationships in the Church when you remember that the Holy Spirit,and not just the efforts of people or chance, brought you together?

What are some ways you might grow in fellowship with other believers this week? Act on this!