Last October, Gene and I moved away from a small, rural community where we had been living for eleven years. We had developed literally hundreds of wonderful working relationships and not a few very close friendships, primarily with our Christian brothers and sisters. Picture us now in the southern tip of the city of Los Angeles with a population of over 4 million people. L.A. County has over 10 million. When we arrived, we had connections here with seven of our family in the city and six dear friends just outside the county.
Making New Connections
Maybe you can imagine the loss we felt as we pulled away in our little car with only a few clothes and a bit of food for the road. But our heavenly Father helped us put the past behind us quickly, and look forward to the adventure of finding new friends, loving believers we hadn’t met yet, and building connections with all kinds of people who needed to see God’s love for them in our lives.
As it turned out once we landed in California, we could still get in touch with those we loved using today’s communication technologies. But honestly? You can’t live life in all its fullness on the phone or the internet. I gradually figured this out as I was looking for a job. Let me explain.
My Online ID
Finding a job is a lot of work today, and I estimate that 80% of it is online. The first order of business was to present myself digitally to millions of people I had never met. So I joined a “social networking site for the business community.” That led me to ask myself two questions, 1) who am I? and 2) what part of that do I want to put up on this site? I filled out the resumé and profile templates, tossed on a photo and voilà—me, in a nutshell. Only it wasn’t me.
I reviewed the whole thing with the most objective viewpoint I could muster, and I looked like a vaguely interesting, upper-middle-aged woman, looking for a mildly challenging, middle-of-the-road office job. The trouble was that the most me-defining attribute was completely missing. I am a member in particular in the body of Christ.
My True ID
I Corinthians 12:12,18,27:
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
This is the calling of callings, the job of all jobs—to serve the Lord in the body of Christ as each of us is uniquely called to do. This truth cannot be adequately represented on a business networking site on the internet. But that’s the business I am in no matter where I work on earth. I could be a high school teacher, a server in a restaurant, a shoe salesperson; I can always serve the Lord in any earthly vocation.
Our True Calling
Colossians 3:22-24:
Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
In whatsoever we do—whether it’s on the job, serving a meal to our family, enjoying fellowship with other believers, or in solitary prayer to God—we serve the Lord Christ. The Word of God gives us our job description, the qualifications required, and all the instruction we need to do the good works God has called us to do.
Ephesians 2:10:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
II Timothy 3:16,17:
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Walking by the Spirit
As an individual believer, I accomplish these good works as I walk by the spirit. And that same holy spirit is at work within you as you walk in the good works that God has called you to do. With Christ as the head of the body, our works together will continue to increase the building up of the body of Christ in love.
Ephesians 4:14-16 [J.B. Phillips New Testament]:
We are not meant to remain as children at the mercy of every chance wind of teaching and the jockeying of men who are expert in the craft presentation of lies. But we are meant to hold firmly to the truth in love, and to grow up in every way into Christ, the head. For it is from the head that the whole body, as a harmonious structure knit together by the joints with which it is provided, grows by the proper functioning of individual parts to its full maturity in love.
All of us in the body of Christ can work together according to the same Word of God and walking by the same spirit of God within us. All of us have the ability to manifest all nine evidences or manifestations of holy spirit, each with its particular profit to us.
I Corinthians 12:7:
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
Members in Particular
Yet each of us is a member in particular, but all working together as God works in us.
I Corinthians 12:4-6:
Now there are diversities of gifts [from God to us], but the same Spirit.
And there are differences of administrations [ways of serving], but the same Lord.
And there are diversities of operations [energizings], but it is the same God which worketh [energizes] all in all.
How is it that I contribute in different ways of serving than you? Why do you have great strengths to give in ways that I find more difficult? Verse 11 further explains.
I Corinthians 12:11:
But all these [the nine manifestations] worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing [distributing] to every man severally [his own] as he [the man] will [deliberately purposes after careful consideration].
By my deliberate decision, I have developed certain of the various potential spiritual abilities that became available to me when I received God’s gift of holy spirit. As a young person, I wanted to learn it all at once. But, like a newborn baby, I couldn’t just hop out of the crib, walk into the kitchen, and cook a steak dinner for the family. It’s a learning adventure as we grow up.
Living, Learning, Growing Up
We do this all the time in the natural realm. As a senior in high school, I needed to make plans for my future. I carefully surveyed the different careers, considered my own aptitude for different kinds of work, visited different universities, consulted teachers, parents, and advisors. I endured a battery of vocational tests.
As it turned out, I pursued seven different courses of study at six different colleges, was employed in very diverse kinds of jobs in different parts of the world, and met all kinds of people. I learned more about myself and the world than I expected I could in a hundred years. I had to whittle down my job resumé for the networking site from eight pages to one.
Many times it seemed more challenging than I could bear. But I have no regrets only thankfulness to God for leading me through it all, and I am stronger for it. How can I say that? Because throughout this time, I decided above all to pursue learning and experience in spiritual matters first; my greatest desire was to grow in my relationship with my heavenly Father as He worked in me to serve in love in the body of Christ in my unique way.
Our Spiritual Job Resumé
How would our spiritual job resumé read? Mine might say, “…given to hospitality,” or “…not easily offended, ready to forgive.” In Acts 6, they chose seven men whose resumé would have included, “…of honest report, full of holy spirit and wisdom.” Yours might say, “…adept at ministering gifts of healing,” or maybe “…extensive knowledge and expertise in teaching Biblical principles regarding marriage.”
It’s a lifelong adventure with God as each of us learns more about our true identity in Christ. Let’s continue to grow in our unique ways of serving the Lord as members in particular in the body of Christ.
