Neighbor Groups: Empower Communities Sampel

One Body, Many Parts If we look back at our beginning, we see that God graciously empowered us. He created humans in His image, and He gave them a mission—to rule over creation. Isn’t it incredible that God invites us to partner with Him in such a significant way? He doesn’t need us, yet He allows and empowers us to play a role in His Kingdom work. Even as humanity continued to derail God’s plans, He never stopped giving us second chances. And we see this idea of empowerment continue through generations, leading up to an analogy Paul gives about the Church in 1 Corinthians. Out of all the analogies he could use, Paul says that we are the Body of Christ. Just think about that for a second. We are a physical representation of who God is to the world around us. And we all play an important role. We need one another to flourish and to reach our full potential. On our own, we serve a purpose, but together, we advance a Kingdom mission. That’s why this idea of community empowerment is so vital. We can’t override or overrule other people’s place in the Body. But we also can’t ignore our own responsibility in the Body. > … God has placed 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? … If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 1 Corinthians 12:18-19, 26 NIV Take a second to think about your physical body. When there’s a problem, you have to address it from the inside out. You can’t put on a bandage and expect healing if you don’t even know what’s wrong. Similarly, when we encounter a problem in our communities because of our broken world, we can’t assume we know how to fix it. We need to consult the part of the Body that’s suffering to gain a better understanding of what’s happening. And it’s not just about fixing someone else’s problem. If one part of the Body suffers, we all suffer, so helping others isn’t just about helping them. It’s helping us. There are times when we use our role and influence in the Body to support and serve others. And then there are times when we need to accept support from others because we’re hurting. All of it—the giving and receiving, the healing and the hurting—helps us get to know God and build our personal faith. Pray: God, thank You for empowering us and inviting us to play such a significant role in taking care of creation. Help me identify my place in the Body of Christ and use my role to serve others. In Jesus’ name, amen. Challenge: Consider how you could more fully occupy your God-given space in the Body of Christ. How could you become more empowered in that role? How could you empower others to fill their role as well?