Today's Final Word came comes from Jim Caple, Pastor of Church for the Beach. Jim is a long time friend of Bill Stanley and they served together several years ago in Indialantic. Jim along with his wife Beth and their 3 kids live and serve their church in Indian Harbor Beach and meet weekly at Doubles Beachside.
Bringing Hearts Together
God used a tragic situation this past weekend to bring the hearts of at least two local churches together. Last Friday morning, while out of town to speak at a Men’s Retreat, I received a phone call from Bill at Nomad Community Church, with an urgent prayer request about his friends and fellow Nomader's. After praying, I immediately sent out a mass text message to our church family. Others in our church family were also made aware of the situation from other personal connections between our two churches. Prayers were prayed, groans were made, and tears were shed in the homes and prayer closets throughout that day and coming weekend. As we gathered as local church bodies on Sunday morning, we prayed corporately for baby Jackson and his family. Over those three days, God drew our hearts together, as the Church, in prayer. We knew it would take a miracle for baby Jackson to recover here on earth and we knew God was able to accomplish this miraculous intervention.
Unfortunately, that was not His will. Little baby Jackson went to be in the presence of Jesus on Monday morning instead. As I reflected on the miracle that Jesus’ Church - His Bride - His Body asked of Him, I saw another miracle at work through this event. The hearts of two local churches came together in unity through prayer for a family in crisis. In today’s modern church - this is a profound happening, but it shouldn’t be. 1Corinthians 12:24b-26 says that “God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” So many times, we look at this passage only in regards to the local church and forget that God has a plan for His Church. His plan is that all who confess Jesus as Savior and Lord have become a part of His Body that is called to function together through the Church. 1 Corinthians 12:27, goes on to say, “now you are the Body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
It is time for the Church to come together in suffering, in honor, in joy, prayer, in devotion, in love, and in unity so that there is no division in the Body as we all have equal concern for each other - the Church. Why? For the sake of those who are not yet a part of the Kingdom. In John 13:35, Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Let the church love the Church and all its members so that all men will “know" we are His disciples.
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