Romans 12:4-5 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

One of the most fundamental human emotional needs is the need to belong, to feel accepted. The first place for that is the family, but many families are tragically ripped apart, or tragically dysfunctional. Young people from such families have an exponentially higher probability of getting involved in gangs than those from intact, healthy families, because they seek the sense of belonging they can get from a gang. However, God has a solution for those who are deprived of an intact family to belong to, and that is His family, the Church. Sadly, here too we have some dysfunctional churches, but that doesn’t negate the principle any more than dysfunctional families negate the place and importance of the family. For a church to be healthy and function properly, the principles expressed in Romans 12 need to be recognized and operative. Paul repeatedly uses the analogy of a human body to explain the functioning of the Church, not just here but famously in 1 Corinthians 12 and elsewhere. The whole point is that we aren’t to be the same as each other, any more than our liver is to be the same as our eyelid, but each is necessary for the health of the whole. In other words, we belong to each other, we belong together. Jesus prayed for our unity just before He was crucified (John 17:20-21) and Paul stresses unity repeatedly in his letters. Just as the marital relationship is to mirror that of Christ and His Bride, the church, (Ephesians 5:22-33) so the structure and functioning of the Church is to mirror that of a human body.

The whole point of belonging is stressed in Japanese society, and individuality is often sacrificed toward that aim. Growing up as a Caucasian in Japan, I often felt isolated in various ways. Thankfully I had a healthy, intact family, but that didn’t eliminate the pain of felt rejection. On the flip side of that, I have felt instantly accepted and connected in various churches around the world, because they were functioning as healthy parts of the Body of Christ. I wish I could say that was true of every church I have visited, but I have seen far too many dysfunctional churches as well. As a pastor, I certainly desire that this church fulfill the Scriptural pattern, but that requires constant work. None of it comes automatically, any more than a marriage is good automatically. It takes a lot of work, but the results are worth it! The sense of belonging is a major source of the emotional healing that many experience in coming to church. However, various forces tend to push us toward isolation, so as pastor I need to remind people and encourage them in the unity that is theirs in Christ.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the degree of health that we enjoy. I know that we have plenty of room for improvement, but keep us from overlooking the benefits we have currently simply because we don’t meet some theoretical ideal. May we grow on all levels, not just in numbers but in unity and in obedience to Your Spirit, so that we may accurately demonstrate Your kingdom to the world around us and so draw many to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!