Build Relationships In The Body Of Christ
Beloved,
Some of us are drawn to theology, but most of us are not. It is nice to know about all the facts and figures of the Bible, but it is His presence that we really want. While there is beauty in God’s word, what most people desire is simply to know Him.
The lie that we are fed almost every day in organized Christianity is that we can know Him by knowing about Him. It is as if the knowledge of God (or good) is the way that we are supposed to experience Him. However, knowing about someone is way different from actually meeting them in person.
Build relationships through God’s love
In other words, what we all desire is a “relationship” with God. There is a longing deep within us to actually connect with Him in a meaningful way. Thankfully, God is of the same mind and wants to have a personal relationship with us too.
Unfortunately, sin separated us from God. While we were yet in our sins God could not fellowship with us, because being a righteous God, He would have to judge us in our sin.
God says,
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
Ezekiel 18:4
So, basically, we could not approach God without dying. As a temporary fix, God instituted the law and allowed us, for a time, to transfer our sin onto sacrificial animals who died in our place. However, God only did this until His son, Jesus Christ, came and died in our place once and for all.
Nowadays, since Jesus paid the price for our sin, we can come before God freely. Instead of seeing our sin and being angry, God now sees His son in us. That relationship that we lost through sin in the Garden of Eden, Jesus restores through His death, burial, and resurrection.
Jesus says,
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
John 8:36
There are two main ways to build relationships
Right now, most relationships are formed through our natural reasoning. Many times we associate with people mainly through mutual benefit. If someone looks like they will help us or add value to our life in some way, we seek to be friends with them. Often times our choices are based upon physical appearance, social status, relative wealth, or simple convenience. Therefore, many of our relationships are transitory.
However, there is another way to build relationships and this is through the “love of the Spirit” in us. When we are Spirit-filled, God dwells in us in the area of our belly. Our spirits, which are located there too, unite once again with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we feel God inside of us and He speaks to us through our minds and our emotions.
Have you ever heard a Christian say, “I feel a heart for this brother?” Or perhaps you’ve heard someone say “I feel goaded to do this or that?” God is in them leading and guiding their actions through their spirits.
Spirit-led relationships formed through Divine Love
Ideally, all of our relationships within the Body of Christ should be formed by His Spirit. As we yield our minds and hearts to God, His Spirit knits us together with other members of His body. In this way, God forms relationships with people through us and we become a manifestation of His love to others.
Spirit-led relationships are the birthright of mankind. We are created for such unity in the Spirit so that YHWH can manifest His love to us through one another. Likewise, as we love other people, God receives our love through them too. This is really the basis of spiritual connections within the Body of Christ.
From friends to Divine Mates; it’s all His Divine Love
In the Body of Christ, there is room for every kind of relationship. Friends, family, and mates can all have deep and meaningful relationships by the Spirit with one another. Each time we yield to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to connect us with another believer, we strengthen His church and do His will.
The type of love needed to knit us together comes from above and is something we yield to, not manufacture. Only God’s love is strong enough to overcome our natural tendencies toward sin. We need to seek the Tabernacle Experience just like we sought Salvation and Holy Spirit baptism. Like these first two gifts, God’s divine love is a gift that He gives liberally to anyone who asks.
Build relationships authored by God
In conclusion, build relationships within the Body of Christ through yielding to God’s divine love. God wants to love each one of us, to the degree He desires, through each other. Amen.