If the things of this world fell apart, would your world fall apart?
What if all we had left in the world was our brothers and sisters in Christ?
In our modern context we have a lot to rely on: our government, our public services, grocers, communication systems, electricity, medical industry, and even our financial stability. It is easy for us to currently say that we trust Jesus—whilst we sit in our climate-controlled houses, being entertained and “informed” through our technology, and not worrying about where our next meal will come from. But what if all these things went away? Would we know what to do? Who we could trust? How to simply survive? Who would be there with us? Would we each have something to contribute to our own community in such a situation? This all seemed so implausible a year ago, but in this ever-changing world in which we live in, it does not seem nearly so far fetched now.
I think, as we look at the world we are living in, that we need not be complacent. We need to solidify our Christian worldview; need to understand our place in the body of believers and seek to fulfill our part. There may come a day—in the very near future—where we find out how truly connected we are. I know we are all familiar with Romans 12. Chapter 12 begins by teaching us about the importance of living as living sacrifices, not conforming to this world, and then goes on to talk about each Christian being a vital part of the body: each member being a part of the same body but with distinct functions. We are truly one unit, and we are heavily exhorted in Romans 12, in 1 Corinthians 12, and in Ephesians 4, to be (to live) as members of one body. I encourage you to read these chapters. I believe they paint a different picture of the church than what we see with most people who attend church. I believe that is largely because we could get away with it before. We live in a society that makes it easy to be divided.
I really want to challenge you to read these scriptures and ask yourself if you are an active part of the body of Christ. Are we living in a true community? If all those amenities went away would we be sustained and help sustain the body? If the things of this world fell apart, would your world fall apart? Is it the comforts of the world that make us feel whole and secure? If all those things were stripped away would we lose our identity? Or is our identity found in Jesus Christ? And is our community established in the church?