1 Corinthians 12:27
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
Today's Prayer Focus
- For the membership class Aug 21-22, for new members to gain a vision for their part in the life of the body at LBC.
- For the continued spiritual health of the body; for growth in spiritual maturity and in connecting visitors from the community to our church.
- For mutual love and care, in times of both suffering and rejoicing.
- For future care needs to be met, especially through community groups, our deacons, our elders, and friends.
"One Body, One Spirit, Many Members"
Mike Tilley
1 Corinthians 12:12-26 presents a beautiful vision for the church as the “body of Christ.” That vision dispels three modern myths about church:
Myth #1: The church is a spectator sport, or a consumer enterprise. When we see ourselves as part of the mystical body of Christ, we see church as a participation sport, where each person offers their care and their gifts, and receives from the other parts of the body.
Myth #2: I’m not needed. It’s easy to compare ourselves with others and think that our personality or our gifts are not valuable. In the body of Christ, each person has spiritual gifts, and the seemingly “weaker” parts of the body are actually more needed.
Myth #3: I don’t need others. This is the peril of thinking that we can do fine on our own, or apart from the other members of the body. But all those relationships, the easy ones and the difficult ones, are part of God’s wonderful plan for our soul.
Looking forward to the fall, let’s pray that our church body will have just the right balance of healthy food for our souls, exercise in serving & caring for one another, and the joy of seeing each person flourish as part of the beautiful body of Christ.
Mike Tilley is the senior pastor of Lake Baldwin Church, and has lived in Orlando since 1994. He and his wife, Molly, worked with a core group from the Baldwin Park community to plant Lake Baldwin Church in 2006. Mike loves teaching the Bible in a way that relates to real life. In his spare time, Mike enjoys good movies, long dinner with friends, snow skiing, hanging out with his kids and two granddaughters, and travel.