Somebody

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ”

1 Corinthians 12,12 (NIV)

The Bible reveals to us that all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ form one body: the body of Christ.

The head of that body is Jesus Christ Himself. Each one of us is a member of that One body. We all have the same Spirit in us: the Holy Spirit of God.

From the beginning, if we look at creation for example in Genesis, it is evident that God is a God of order, a God of plan and purpose. Everything was designed in a particular way for a particular reason.

In this same regard, in the plan of redeeming mankind from the power of sin and death, in order to restore man and, even better than ever, in order to make him one with God, God, the Father chose that His Son would be the foundation, the cornerstone, the center point of this plan. In Christ (The Anointed/chosen One of God), Jesus, is the salvation of mankind.

This new era of a ‘saved generation' is what would form the kingdom of God. A kingdom that is not political, but a kingdom that is boundless: where God truly reigns.

The plan was not for Jesus to be on the earth forever. Rather, the plan was to make all who believe in Him to be like Him. The new birth that happens at salvation, when a person receives Jesus as Lord and Savior, permits Holy Spirit to dwell within the person. And therefore, enabling them to be like Jesus.

“He [Christ] makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Ephesians 4,16 (NLT)

In the wonderful design of enforcing this counsel of God concerning redemption, while on earth, Jesus chose twelve men. The twelve, he called them apostles. They were to ‘oversee the expansion of this kingdom’.

After crucifixion and resurrection, before ascending to heaven, Jesus told Peter: “Feed my lambs”. “Tend my sheep”. “Feed my sheep” (John 21,15-17). Jesus Himself said that He is the good shepherd of the sheep. Now He was assigning Peter to care for His sheep. “As my Father sent me so do I send you”, Jesus said (John 20,21). Authority was from the Father to Jesus and now Jesus gave that authority to the disciples.

Spiritual authority is a real thing and it’s an important thing. The right to act in the name of Jesus is given.

Every Christian effectively exercises authority according to the revelation they have of Jesus. An understanding of who Jesus is, what He has done, who He has made them to be and what He has assigned them to do.

“Take care and be on guard for yourselves and for the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd (tend, feed, guide) the church of God which He bought with His own blood. I know that after I am gone, [false teachers like] ferocious wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; even from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse and distorted things, to draw away the disciples after themselves [as their followers]”. Acts 20,28-30 (AMP)

Salvation begins as a personal experience but it does not end there.

Just like a child is born; they are an individual, but they are born into the world, into a family for care, protection and maturation.

Every believer is born into a family called the church of Jesus Christ.

Let's look at some examples of this in the Scriptures.

Saul, who was later called Paul, had an encounter with the Lord Jesus Himself. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9,4). Few moments later, Jesus sent a disciple named Ananias to Saul. “So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” (Acts 9,11-12)

Saul was not left alone.

Same story with Cornelius. His longing for God prompted a vision that would bring the apostle Peter to preach to Him the good news. An angel of the Lord said to Cornelius: "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do." (Acts 10,4-6)

A third story is the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip, a disciple.

“Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”

So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.” 

Long story short, the Ethiopian eunuch believed in Jesus (Acts 8,26-40). Yes, he prayed and read the scriptures. But God saw his limitations and sent Philip.

These three stories (among many) confirm that; as believers, we need one another.

God sent somebody to you and God is sending you to somebody. In the name of Jesus.