The Body

The month in Ecuador was a time for really understanding
about THE BODY aka: THE CHURCH. I’ve been getting jealous
about some people, especially for the gifts that God has given them. Some have
a very heavy gift of prophesy, others discernment, others evangelism, and the
list goes on. I’ve been convicted of it right off the bat. God has given me
many prophecies to hold onto, enough to not be jealous of others prophecies.

Anyways, that last day in Quito, Ecuador, God sat me down
and set things straight. This is what He said, “Listen,
I gave you gifts that I want you to have. I give gifts to others as I want to.
I am not calling you to travel to villages and evangelize or prophesy over
them. I am calling you to evangelize and prophesy over the 40 kids in your children’s
village. I gave you the gifts you need to accomplish the task I have for you.
Don’t look at others gifts, because they have different tasks in front of them.”

That was some powerful stuff. After He said that, He said, “Will you take care of my children?“ I thought about it, because it meant that I had to
be happy with what God had given me. So, I agreed and was satisfied with what
God wanted for me. And right after doing it, God blessed me so much!! (Long
story, if you want it, just ask for it)

Katy, who is in Malawi with the peace corps (http://katystravelingmercies.blogspot.com)
told me about Romans 12 and how the body works. I don’t really need to explain
the Bible, it sorta speaks for itself:

Romans 12 – ³ For by the grace given me I
say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith
God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one
body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many,
form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given to
each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your
faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve;
if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is
giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to
show mercy, do it cheerfully.

So
this is what I’m learning: how the body works and that I’m not the whole body,
I’m a part of it. Sometimes I’m the foot, other times the hand, maybe the bicep
or even the lungs.

Ephesians
4 – ¹¹ So Christ himself gave the
apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works
of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in
the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining
to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.