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Point of Reference
by Fred Price
Paul encouraged all true believers to, “…live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (For) There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all,…” Ephesians 4:1-6 His expectation being that God would, “…give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another then; just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:5,6 Above preference, beyond experience, regardless of ability, in spite of slights, “Do all things in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:4; which will create a unifying bond nothing on earth can break.
Paul again addresses this issue when he notes, “There are different kinds of gifts (and gifted people), but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. (And) to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 He then continues by ingeniously comparing the multiple functions within the church to the complex workings of the human body; illustrating how it all works together for the common good or suffers collectively at the breakdown of just one part. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body… If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’… (or) if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ (they) would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.” (Denying people the excuse of saying they just don’t fit in or can’t do anything as well as others. You can and will if you want to!)
He continues by asking, “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? (We would be artificially limiting ourselves and handicapping our ability to function properly.) But in fact, God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?” On the other hand, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ (Disallowing the exclusion of some by those with an overblown sense of self-worth.) On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,… so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, each part rejoices with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:16-27 In his letter to the Romans, Paul re-iterates this lesson by pointing out that, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We (all) have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” Which should be used and accepted accordingly. Romans 12:4-6 For, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:16
Indeed, if we could but learn to see ourselves from the proper perspective, there would be no problem of acceptance nor lack of motivation to serve. In describing our Savior as the image of the invisible God through whom and for whom all creation was brought into being, Paul declares, “He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have supremacy.” Colossians 1:15-18
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Fred Price - married (50 years), father of two grown children, grandfather of six.
Fred retired earlier this year after 42 years as a factory worker. He has always had a heart for young people and the challenges they face today. Over the years Fred has taught Discipleship Groups for High School and college students.
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