Body Life

I was thinking about the blessing of the church community. Sundays are such a wonderful day of fellowship with people in your local body. My pastor refers to them as your "nuclear family."  These are usually the people with whom you accomplish the "one another" commands.  Within this body you have all levels of intimacy. Some people you may talk to every day. Some you may be related in a biological way.  For example, sisters may attend the same local church or parents and their adult children.  Some people you may only see and talk to on Sunday.  But these aren't the only believers in your life.

Today I had supper with my stepmother. She's a believer and in lieu of my Dad's confinement to a facility, she and I have spent more time together. I appreciate her encouragement.  On the way home from her house my BSF leader called. BSF has about four or five hundred women meeting in one church.  They are for the most part believers.  We don't even talk about what church we attend but gather to study the Word of the Lord and to fellowship with one another. I'm sure a myriad of local churches are represented among the larger class.

 Our church has a short term missions team in the Ukraine for eight days. They are meeting brothers and sisters in the Lord around the world.  They left bearing some gifts but more importantly they are teaching, preaching, serving and encouraging these Ukrainian believers in various ways.  What an opportunity for them. In fact, for the size of our church I am amazed at how many short term missions teams serve each year. I understand that another team will be heading to South Korea for three weeks sometime this summer. We have had teams go to Uganda and recently sent a family there on a more permanent basis.  We all need to be a member of a local body but how blessed we are for the entire body of Jesus Christ.