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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for July 29, 2009
“Church Is Not Some Place You Go”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Church is not some place you go.
It’s not a little weekend sliver of your life.
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“I’m going to church.”
“You go to church? I didn’t know that. Why?”
“I don’t know. I was raised in church and I still like it. It helps keep my head screwed on straight. And it’s nice to just have a little peace once in a while.”
See, when we think about church, we think about going to church.
Then we mature a little bit and we think about joining a church, by which we mean that non-profit organization that meets in that building over there.
What I’m saying is, we think about church as a time-on, time-off kind of thing. It’s like we clock in and clock out, I’m on the church clock, now I’m off the church clock.
But the church is not like a theatre you go to, then leave. It’s not like the Rotary or the Lion’s Club.
When you become a Christian, you become a member of the body of Christ.
That’s what the church is, according to several passages including Ephesians 1 which says, “…the church, which is His body…”
So the church is the body, and Jesus is the head. Colossians 1:18 says Jesus “…is the head of the body, the church…”
Ephesians 5:23 says, “…Christ is the head of the church, His body…”
Now this is something we can all relate to! We all have a body.
Now think about this. The parts of your body don’t clock in and clock out. It’s not a part-time gig.
The same is true for the parts of the body of Christ. If you are a Christian, then you are part of the body of Christ, and that is a full-time, 24/7 position. There is never a time when you are not part of the body.
And there are advantages to being part of the body of Christ.
Think if you were a kidney. Would it be better to be the kidney of a health nut or the kidney of a drug addict? The health nut, of course, because that person would feed and care for you properly.
Well that’s what Christ does for His body, the church. Ephesians 5 says He feeds and cares for it, “…for we are members of His body.”
Colossians 2:19 says God causes the body to grow. The New King James says it “grows with the increase that is from God.”
And now listen to this. First Corinthians 12:12 says, “The body is a unit…”
Have you ever seen a baseball player make a great catch? His whole body must work together as a unit to make that catch. They eyes have to watch the ball. The feet and legs have to run to it. The inner ears have to keep his balance. The arm has to stretch out and the hand has to squeeze.
The body, as a unit, made that catch.
Back to First Corinthians 12. It says, “The body is a unit…made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”
So here we are, full-time members of the body of Christ, no clocking in and out. We are different parts, but we make up one unit. And we need to work together, in unity.
First Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
So here is your question today. Are you working properly as a full-time part of the body?
Remember, you are not part of the body sometimes. No, you are a part of the body always.
Romans 12:5 says, “…so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
So we each belong to one another as parts of the same body. Ephesians 4 indicates that we are to serve one another, and this builds up the body.
Verse 16 says the body “grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
So the question is, are you doing your work? Are you holding up your end of the deal?
The body of Christ, the church, grows more healthy, it grows bigger and stronger, as each part does its share of the work.
So remember, church is not some place you go, then leave. You don’t clock in and out.
No, the church is the body of Christ, and you are a full-time member of that body.
And the question is, are you doing your work as your part of the body of Christ?
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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