I was blown away today by the body of Christ! We have come to experience in a new way the love of fellow believers. Joh_13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I really don’t know how to communicate this except to tell you the story. I will start out by asking if you have ever had a pen pal? I have had one, when I was younger it did not last very long! May be a letter or two each way but that was it. We have a new Pen-Pal we have never met before she attended our church while we were away… They/ she picked up a prayer card of ours and has committed to pray for us and would like to support us financially, Incredible! With our pen- pal we are hearing their story! Within a short matter of time since our first correspondence they have shared part of their story! It is one of great Pain and struggle, and one where they were forced to rely on the Lord. It is this “virtue” for lack of a better term, which makes us, “kindred spirits” as our pen- pal put it. There is a deep connection with those we are getting to know because we share the same Spirit.
Eph_3:14-19 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith–that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
These are incredible verses! Such knowledge is good for us. I do want to take a close look at “with all the Saints!” I have not seen any decent commentary on this phrase because there is so much going in this passage! But the idea that this type of knowledge is not singularly attained needs some consideration! In so many ways we need the body to Christ to experience the love of Christ! Think about it like this, many of us know the Standards set forth in 1 Cor 13 about how to love one another, and how to love our Spouses in Eph 5, where it sets the impeccable standard for husbands to love there wives as Christ loves Church. I have to ask myself do I really do that? I cannot, in and of myself but if I allow Christ to love through me my wife may experience that type of Love. If we as believers allow Christ to love through us we can love each other as laid out in 1 Cor 13.The body of Christ is the way God shows his love to believers, in the same way the body of Christ is the instrument God uses to show his love to those that have no opportunity to hear the gospel.