Pastors Blog

It is important for the Body of Christ to be reminded that all though we are one in Christ the body is made up of many members. 

 

 

 

The Scripture is teaching us that there is diversity in unity. I believe that the key words in the above Scripture are, "one another" the simple truth is that we need God and we need one another. Paul would tell the church at Ephesus that we are being built together for a dwelling place for God in the Spirit. We must not only relate to God, but we must learn to relate to one another. I am convinced that true spiritual growth can only take place in the context of relationship with God and with His Body, the Church. In other words, spiritual growth is a group project. In a day when people try to diminish the importance of the local church, I am convinced that we need to stress the importance of the local church and our need for experiencing life together. Our destinies will only be realized as we realize that we need God and we need His people and His people need us.

 

There is a word for experiencing life together. The word is Symbiosis and it means simply living together. Symbiosis is how organisms relate to one another. Symbiosis can be defined as any interdependant or mutually beneficial relationship between two persons, or groups, or organisms. It is the way organisms live together and how they relate to each other. A symbiotic life can be expressed in different ways, but for this article, I want to mention three and encourage us to evaluate our relationship with the Body of Christ and how we experience Body life.

 

The first symbiotic relationship I want to discuss is mutualism. Mutualism is defined as those persistent relationships from which both parties or organisms benefit. In this relationship each one mutually reap benefits from the other. This is the proper way for us to experience relationship in the Body of Christ. It is a life of mutual giving and receiving, sowing and reaping, a life where everyone is blessed and benefits from the relationship. Many say I don't need the church, but I beg to differ. The gifts in you are to be benficial to the other members of the body and their gifts are to benefit your spiritual growth and development.  Paul describes mutualism in his letter to the Ephesians where in chapter 4:16 he states, "from whom the whole body, joined together and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."  Together we can grow! To try to go it alone would be detrimental and could end up being destructive. I am not alone, I have God, and I have my local church family and in this atmosphere growth is assured.

 

The second form of symbiotic life is called commensalism. Commensalism simply means to share a table or share a meal. In this relationship one party benefits and the other is not harmed or affected in any way, positively or negatively.  It is where one organism receives nourishment from the other without damaging or benefiting the host.  One is benefited and the other is unharmed. The one who benefits doesn't add value nor is it detrimental to the other. It just receives giving nothing of value back. It is possible to be in a local church and live in this symbiotic lifestyle of commensalism. Where people may come to church and receive nourishment, encouragement, and life, but gives nothing back. Doesn't harm the assembly but neither is there any positive or negative contribution made for the overall benefit of the assembly. Their motto could be, "what's in it for me and my family" and "how is this church going to meet my needs" with little or no regard of being instrumental in meeting the needs of others.

 

The third form of symbiotic life is called parasitism and I believe that we all know what this means. In this relationship one benefits to the harm of the other. It is actually living off the life of another and inflicting injury and in extreme cases can even cause death. It is not enough to benefit from the relationship it has to actually harm the host. It can be charaterized as selfish and uncaring about the welfare of others. And yet there are those who have fed from the body, received benefits from the body only to turn and inflict pain and injury through divisiveness and disloyalty. Actually caring not at all concerning the carnage it leaves behind as long as it survives.

 

May God convict us of our need for Him and one another. May we exist in a symbiotic life of mutualism and really grasp the meaning of the words one another and learn to give and receive from one another in love that we may grow up into Him. May we refuse not to benefit from others and only think of ourselves. May we refuse to feed and then cause injury. May we be the Body of Christ!

 

Because of Christ

Roy Ellis