Are You Well Connected?

When you make a telephone call or use your computer to get on the Internet, you hope for a good connection. When you travel, you hope for good connecting flights. Likewise, good connections are vital in the church. Christians share a "partnership in the gospel" (Philippians 1:5). Just as an ear or a hand can't fulfill its intended function if it's disconnected from the rest of the body, "in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others" (Romans 12:5).

Different generations need to connect. Youth ministries and senior adult programs are fine, but when do these different age-groups get together? Other than the family, where else but in the church can people of all ages share life's journey from birth to the grave? And since so many extended families live miles apart, where can young children be exposed to godly grandparent figures? Where can young couples be consistently exposed to role models of healthy marriages? Where can girls find mature women who will teach them about godliness and motherhood (Titus 2:3-5)? Where will boys discover mentors who will encourage them to grow as Christian men?

Different ethnic groups need to connect. We've come to accept it as normal that there are "black" churches, "white" churches, "Latino" churches and the like. But Christ died for a church where "there is no Greek or Jew . . . barbarian, Scythian, slave or free" (Colossians 3:11). In Heaven there awaits an uncountable throng of believers "from every nation, tribe, people and language" standing before God's throne in worship (Revelation 7:9, 10). The more we serve side by side with Christians from other races, the more we will appreciate the fullness of God's love.

Different congregations need to connect. Cultural differences, congregational rivalries, and a spirit of ultra-independence prevent us from partnering together for the good of God's kingdom. My two brothers and I don't look, think, or act exactly alike, but we have the same parents and we share the same core values instilled in us when we were young. Since Christians share the same Father and believe in the same core principles of biblical faith, we need to learn from one another, rejoice in what we have in common, and respect each other as brothers and sisters even when we disagree.

Different personalities need to connect. Would you have wanted to belong to this church? It was quite small—usually numbering about a dozen. Some of its members were short-tempered and quarrelsome—often arguing about who should be in charge. The group included a zealous political activist, a thoughtful skeptic who often voiced his doubts, an unscrupulous bookkeeper who stole from the church treasury, a tax agent many suspected of corruption, and some fishermen known for their stormy personalities. Most of the time, the group had no comfortable building in which to meet, and their programs were nothing fancy—mainly just teaching, evangelism, and ministry to the sick. Some members of this "church" were famous (Peter, John). Others we know very little about (James "the less"). Yet, this was Jesus' chosen team—quite diverse, but connected by their common loyalty to him.

The Lord calls us to "spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24) and grow together in a community where the main thing we have in common is our faith in him and our desire to do his will. If we're connected to Christ (the head), then we're connected to the rest of the body as well. What God has joined together . . .