Recently, my family and I went from full-time ministry to just attending a local church.
Yesterday was week two.

The first week we attended we felt like we hadn’t gone to church because we hadn’t served.
Yesterday, as I drove to church — I marveled that any Christian could “just” attend church on Sundays.

I don’t want to just attend church – I want to be intimately and frequently engaged in the life and the body of Christ — serving, learning, leading, fellowshipping, praying and worshipping with people who love Jesus.

In the past few years, most of my waking hours were spent either at church or a church event, or people from church were at my house. I experienced deep fellowship, worship and intimacy in and around the person of Jesus Christ almost daily.

How could one choose to live without that? I see no other way to live than to live as part of the Body of Christ.

A friend of mine recently converted to the Orthodox Christian faith.
Although we disagree on some points — one point in particular we do agree on is this:
Christianity shouldn’t be casual.

If your Christianity is casual — you will quickly become a casualty.

We must be engaged wholeheartedly in the life and the ministry of the local body.

Because the body of Christ  — specifically the people who make up the body — are the conduits through which God works and moves.

Time alone with God is wonderful. In His Word and in prayer. So often, there is such a beautiful intimacy between me and the Lord — as quite literally He speaks.

But that intimacy is completed in the body of Christ.

As I have said many time in teaching God’s word — you are a vital part of the Body of Christ whether you like it or not.

Whether we like it or not — we are linked together.

And if we are not linked together — who we are as Christians, our gifts —  atrophy; we miss out, and we will fail to experience the “abundant life” that Jesus promised us. And the body of Christ misses out as well — on the gifts and life that is in you through Christ.

Could it be — that you are disconnected from the Lord’s church? His body?
Could it be the stagnation in your Christian walk is directly related to your lack of involvement with His body?

Jesus’ promise for you and for me:

I have come that you might have life, and life more abundantly.    John 10:10

I for one — want that abundance of life — and an overflow of the Spirit as He works in me, and in you.