Receiving & Giving

Being a Christian by oneself may be possible, but I'm not ready to try it. God works in so many great ways through His people, the Body of Christ. Saint Paul spent his whole Christian ministry developing churches, that is, Christian communities. His conversion of Gentile and Jew, his dedication to the brethren and his willingness to die for Christ certainly left us with some history to ponder.

St. Paul was not just a giver in his ministry for the Lord. His ministry for the Lord began with the kind of experience that few ever have. He received the Love of Christ by being blinded on his way to Damascus to arrest believers in Christ. The Holy Spirit then moved in Ananias of Damascus some three days later to seek out Paul and lay hands on him and pray for the restoration of Paul’s sight. Paul was then baptized (Acts 9:13-19).

While Paul did give much in the name of the Lord, he received much strength from those communities that he had converted. They gave him the strength to continue in God’s mission for him. Paul was dodging bullets all through his ministry and somehow was able to stay alive and active even when in prison until his work for the Lord was complete.

The Church, the Body of Christ is not perfect by any means. The idea is that we come together to seek perfection as shown to us by God through His Son our Savior Jesus Christ. His example has survived all challengers and challenges for more than 2000 years. And how did this happen? It happened through the inspired Body of Christ, the Church and its many members. We are variety, but inspired by the one Spirit.                                                                                                                       

In 2-Kings 2:1-18, we are told in part, "When they had crossed [the Jordan], Elijah said to Elisha, 'Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.' Elisha said, 'Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.'"

Have you ever known someone whose spirit impacted you the way that Elijah's spirit impacted Elisha? In our lives, that kind of person comes along every now and then. They aren't perfect but they have a spirit about them that pulls others to them. They are not judgmental and are always ready to spend time listening or helping. Everyone recognizes that the person's life is dedicated to the Lord. In a spiritual sense they are role models.

In Christ Jesus we have a model. We don't have to inherit a double share of His spirit. We will do well to inherit a piece of a share. In our seeking God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we must model for each other. There are times when we need encouragement and support in our walk with Christ. There are times when we need to encourage and support a brother or sister in their walk. The important thing is that we are there for each other as God's messengers.

To succeed in this we must be ready to go out on a limb. We must be willing to approach a brother or sister at the moment they seem to be unapproachable. Our ears must be tuned to hear their cry -- a cry that is usually disguised. We must be able to recognize depression when we see it. Depression is the great silent cry.

We must remind one another of the love of God. Our need for control in our lives is eliminated through God’s love for us. We must accept the role as God's healer as well as being healed ourselves. Not one of us is without need, but all of us can be a blessing to a brother or sister.

Like the tide’s ebb and flow, we must let our ministry and our need to be ministered to so move. God will guide us when we need to be attentive to the needs of others. He will help us to submit when He is healing us through a brother or sister. We should know that it is this sense of giving and receiving that is His will for His children. Thanks be to God.