The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
I Corinthians 12:12-13
The Apostle Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians to arguably the unhealthiest church body in the New Testament. There was gross sexual immorality, church members suing each other in open court, drunkenness at Communion! On top of it all, the church was rife with divisions, each claiming their own leader for their pet projects and agendas. "I’m of Peter, I’m of Apollos, I’m of Paul, I’m of Christ.” (I Cor. 1:12)
If St. Paul were an athletic trainer, and the church in Corinth were one of his clients, he might ask, “What kind of body are you building there in Corinth? You’re out of shape!" You need to attend to the unhealthy habits that you’ve acquired in your life together or you will have some serious problems in the performance of your body.
Paul’s advice applies to us as well. We’re all building a body of sorts, aren’t we? One decision, one dumbbell, one donut at a time, we build our bodies. In the same way, we build the body of Christ here at Regent University every day. The only question is, “How effective are we?” Do we work with other "muscle" groups in our body or fight against them? Do we see differences in background, ethnicity or denomination as an opportunity to learn or to laugh? Do we compete for scarce resources or complete one another for the sake of a common mission? As athletes for Christ, I pray we daily drink from the Spirit who makes us one body! ~ Submitted by Dr. Richard Kidd, Director of Campus Ministries
