by Cheryl AF Okimoto
The Island Christian Guide believes in Connecting the Christian Community. We have it on our website’s masthead, it’s on the cover of our publications, and it’s even the name of our newsletter. It is the reason we do business. But what does it really mean, and why is it important.
From Genesis to Revelation, we learn how important relationships are. It is not good for man to be alone. You are your brother’s keeper. Teach your sons and daughters. Have an abundance of counselors. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. We are one body. We are the bride who gathers at the throne.
There are many messages in the bible that tell us God created us for relationships. We can easily understand relationship with family, co-workers and friends (even though it may not be easy to do!). But too often we neglect relationship with those with whom we will spend eternity, the whole body of believers.
It is too easy to stay in our own little world of family, work, and church. But that’s not what God called us to do.
The Apostle Paul makes it very clear that divisions within the body of believers, while natural and even necessary, are never to be divisive. In fact, they must be used only to improve the work capability of the greater Church.
In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul admonishes the believers for the quarrels among them. “Now I mean this, That each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (v. 12-13, NASB) Clearly, while we out of necessity attend different churches, we are never to use that as an excuse to not fellowship with other believers.
Later on in the same letter, Paul explains the concept of the body of believers. 1 Corinthians 12:12 says, “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.” A hand is a hand and only the hand can do the work it does. The eye cannot hear, the ear cannot smell, so they both need each other. So we are to work together with all believers, not just those in our fellowship or our denomination.
Until we begin to work together, God cannot bring the big revival to the islands! We dream about Hawaii as a truly Christian state, but God needs a unified body of believers to bring this about. Big or small, weak or strong, attractive or humble, every church, ministry and para-church organization has its part to do.
The Island Christian Guide’s part is to be like the central nervous system. We are here to facilitate your communication with others in the body of believers. Businesses with consumers, believers with churches, churches with ministries, churches with churches, no matter your size or function, we are here to help you connect with other believers.
We exist to “Connect the Christian Community.”
Copyright 2005 Cheryl AF Okimoto |
