Equal Concern

"God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other."
1 Corinthians 12:24b&25

It sounds a little strange to talk about "the body." OF course this references the church. We are all part of the body of Christ. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of. There are two ways to look at this: If you attend a local church, you are part of that church and therefore part of that body of believers. In the broader sense, all Christians are members of the body of Christ or the church. In 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul describes in detail exactly how we are to dwell together in the church.
    "God has combined the members of the body." This means that no matter what church you attend, we are called to live together in unity. He has called us all together from every walk of life, every ethnicity, every age, both men and women. No one is excluded or treated differently than someone else. We should have equal concern, equal honor for everyone. If we don't, we are guilty of the ugly sin of prejudice. I know beyond any doubt that every one of us are viewed as equal in the sight of God. He doesn't love some more than others, or treat some better than others. We are equal.
    My concern is that we have developed a class system within the church. We may view some as less gifted than others. We elevate those who have public ministries and place them on a pedestal. Those who are eloquent speakers, those who really seem to have their lives together, we treat with utmost respect, but the "lesser" ones, we treat with less respect and honor. We need to learn that we are all equal in the sight of God and are called to live together with the same honor and respect for all.
    There should be no divisions in the body of Christ. If we practiced the call to honor each other, we would have little reason to be divided. I must admit that I tire of the divisions caused by denominations. I understand the desire for like-minded people to be together, but when it brings division between members of the overall church, there must be some corrections made. I have noticed that many of the things that separate us are small theological viewpoints. It is true that we all look at things differently. Different people may look at a diamond from different angles and see different things, but it is still the same diamond. In the church, Christ is the diamond. If we share the commonality around this central truth, we should not argue over peripheral things. I have seen churches split over insignificant matters. As much as we may sugar coat it, this is really a divorce of sorts. But in the church, there can be no irreconcilable differences.
    It's possible for us to come together. It's possible to lay down the petty differences and begin to live for Christ with passion. We can all taste and see that the Lord is good. But we must make choices. These are the last days and the church must come together to really be Jesus in the world. There is no time to waste. So let's make decisions today within our own minds and actions. Let's resolve to love one another and treat each other with honor and respect, no matter who the person is, or what they look like. Let's put away petty differences and live in the fullness of Christ. "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1 KJV) Amen!