Did I catch your attention with the title? Good! Now that I have you, think with me about a Scripture. The Apostle Paul is encouraging the Ephesians to whom he is writing. He is describing how God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers to equip the saints for ministry, and to build up the Body of Christ. He says in this way they would attain unity and the knowledge to move onto maturity in their thinking and faith. He admonishes them to no longer be like children who are deceived by different messages. He says, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:16).
He uses the analogy of a joint in the human body, comparing it to how the Body of Christ is held together. My friends, tendons and ligaments that hold joints together are very, very strong. Take your hand and place it on the back of your ankle and feel that thick cord-like structure that is your Achilles tendon. It is almost unbreakable – almost, but not quite. That’s why when it does tear, it is excruciating. It is strong and it is meant to hold together. But when something tears it, it is one of the most painful injuries. This is the way it is in the Body of Christ – we are meant to hold together – to stay together in unity. When someone or something tears that bond, the pain can be severe. Some people have said “church hurt” is some of the worst kind of hurt. As believers in Christ, we should, as much as it depends on us, never be a part of something that causes division in the Body, of which Christ is the Head (Romans 12:18). “…walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-4).
Life By The Way 