The Body of Christ - in Sydney and Worldwide

St. Philip's Church in Sydney reminds me a great deal of Grace Community Church. Alison's home church is an Anglican Church. The relaxed liturgy at St. Philip's has much the same feel as the services that I have attended at Church of the Apostles in Raleigh (special Thanksgiving and Good Friday services, though not a Sunday morning service). It was, as you can imagine, quite a blessing to be with brothers and sisters in Christ who love our Lord so much, and who love my dear wife, Alison, so very much, as well. Even as I enjoyed the sweet fellowship with new saints, my heart was drawn in spirit and prayer to the services at Grace Community Church that would begin some 14 hours later. The powerful preaching on the Sermon on the Mount and the friendly spirit of so many believers at St. Philips that held us for an hour after services (morning tea, you know - quite right) filled and warmed my heart on a cold Sunday morning.

It is always a joy to worship with brothers and sisters in different parts of the world. We have the common fellowship around Jesus that binds us together before we even meet one another. It is always heartening to see that the truth of Scripture that is so important to one's life (beliefs, thoughts, philosophy, worldview, etc.) are equally important to Christ-followers anywhere in the world you may find them. Sadly, I often find the level of commitment to be greater in other parts of the world than I do in the U. S. Of course, that could be a perception based on limited knowledge.

It is easy to love and enjoy new brothers and sisters in Christ, especially when you meet them in different parts of the world. The challenge is to love those same brothers and sisters 15 to 20 years later when you have lived life together all that time. Such reality is a picture of the truth found in Scripture that we are never commanded to create unity, because it is already built into the body of Christ. We are, however, strongly commanded to keep and protect unity because it can be such a fragile thing. It is surprising (or, not so, really) how much the NT speaks to this very issue, whether directly or indirectly. It is the point Peter is making in 1 Peter 4:8 when he says that we are to "love one another earnestly, because love covers a multitude of sins."

The Lord is the same everywhere. We know that, don't we? The believers in Sydney are beautiful - but, I have found them to be so, as well, in Prague, Budapest, Beijing, Chengdu, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Rome, and many other places around the world and in the States. Why? Because our Savior is beautiful! Thus, the body of Christ is beautiful, as well, and the Lord loves us deeply, regardless of where we reside.