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In the book of Galatians, Paul points to our union with Christ that results from His justification in our lives. This is so profound, beloved. As you study this great truth you come to recognize that it has a great impact in every area of our lives. You and I live in Christ. We share in His death and resurrection. We share in His spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). We share in His institution, the Church. This is the type of doctrine that invades every aspect of our Christian life. Oh, what joy! He is all-sufficient for our spiritual and physical needs. 2 Peter 1:2–3 tells us, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” His divine power has given and continues to give us everything pertaining to this life and the next.
Again, this is so profound. So much can be said about this great doctrine of union with Christ. But here is one concept I want you to ponder and act on: Because of your union with Christ, you are united with everyone else who is one with Christ.
Understand the impact of such truth. Because you have this union with Christ, you are united with everyone else who has put their faith in Christ Jesus for their Lord and Savior. You have a corporate relationship with all those who are in Christ. You and I are a unified brother and sister in the Lord. We are family. This is exactly what Paul says in Romans 12:4–5, “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
This has great implications. Paul will continue the thought in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” We care for each other. We lift each other up with words of encouragement and acts of kindness. We carry the burden of someone else’s hurting soul. We intercede for them. We provide for them. We have great concern for each other’s spiritual lives. All of this is done in the power of the Spirit and not in the flesh. We have Christ’s concern for each other in all areas of life. There is great joy when I hear of the “body of Christ” showing love to each other. Why? because this is from Christ. Paul says “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor…” And then he gives a list that shows us what this looks like and which should be our focus. “…not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality” (Romans 12:10–13).
Because you are united with other believers in Christ, and you fellowship and worship at a place called Magic Valley Bible Church, it is your delight and pursuit to be engaged in hospitality. This is where a lot of the “one another’s” happen: around fellowship, around food, around hospitality, around ministry, around serving, around worship, and around study. We all should be engaged in getting to know each other every week. We all need to rub shoulders with one another and let our families interact with each other. This is where we find needs and prayer requests, where we find opportunities to weep and rejoice. You can invite someone to your house. You can coordinate a picnic. You can plan for life events and have others participate. All of this is because we are the body of Christ. We are united in Christ.
As a church this summer we are encouraging fellowship and providing opportunities for it by way of two picnics. The first will be the evening of June 9. This is a great way to get to know each other. New people come into our fellowship every month and we want to have a priority of getting to know each other. Just think, earth is a small amount of time to prepare for our eternity with one another in Christ, so take advantage of the opportunities to be engaged with one another.
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