In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
Ephesians 2:21
We’ve lived all over the place, buying a number of houses in different parts of the country. While we’ve had significant work done on different houses, we only built one house.
After signing the contract, we’d drive to the site just to see what was going on. Week after week we watched it rise from a vacant lot into our future home. We’d walk through the framed walls, looking at the wires and pipes that would soon be hidden once and for all. Eventually, the outside of the house was completed so that the walls, cabinets, and flooring could be installed.
When it was finished, we had our official walkthrough and went to the closing. After signing lots of papers and instantly becoming very, very poor, we moved in. It was ours. And like a new car, it not only had an excitement, it also had that new smell. An aroma that reinforced that it was new, and it was ours.
Our house was built over time by a lot of different people. It wasn’t a prefab house that they just dropped onto a foundation. But it was something that took time to come together. It wasn’t just something that was thrown together either. It required different kinds of people, with different kinds of skills, using lots of different tools and materials.
During construction, you can see the building going up. At first there are tractors and bulldozers pushing dirt around. Then there’s a hole in the ground. Then the foundation is poured. Then the walls go up followed by the roof.
God says that the same is true with his people. They are part of the whole. Yes, they are individuals, but at the same time, they are part of something bigger. They keep their identity and role, but they rest on someone else while supporting someone else at the same time.
His people are more than individuals, with individual gifts, talents, and roles. They make up something larger. More substantial. More important.
They are also closely joined together. There are no significant gaps between different pieces. Studs in the walls fit tightly together in the walls. Sheet rock is screwed into the studs, so they don’t move. Water connections for sinks and toilets are tight, preventing leaks.
As buildings are being built, different parts connect with and support each other. You don’t have roof shingles without tar paper. You don’t have the tar paper without the plywood. You don’t have plywood without trusses. You don’t have trusses without walls. You don’t have walls without a foundation.
If you are a follower of Jesus, there are certain things you have a choice in. But there are other things you have no option with. When it comes to being part of God family, there is no un-checking a box to opt out.
You have a place in something much bigger than yourself. You have a role to play. God gave you gifts to use for his glory and the good of people. Those gifts were not given just to entertain yourself. They were not given to collect dust as they sit on the shelf.
But it doesn’t stop there. You are also to fit together well with other believers in Christ. We are to tightly fit together. We are to support one another without gaps that do nothing but weaken each other and the whole building.
This building that we are a part of isn’t just some run-of-the-mill structure. It’s set apart from everyday purposes and use. We as individual pieces, and the building as a whole, are set aside for God’s special use. Like the Holy of Holies was special and only used for specific, holy purposes, so are we and the building we help make up.
Sort of makes you feel special, doesn’t it? If it doesn’t, then I would ask that you think about the possibility that either you don’t understand your relationship with God in and through Jesus, or you don’t have one.
In Jesus, we’ve been joined together to accomplish something that none of us can do on our own. It is true that without him we can do nothing[1]. But it is also true that we are only a part of the body of Christ[2]. We are told to love one another as a way for the world to see Jesus[3].
I understand that you may have been hurt by people in a church. The leadership may have even turned against you. Perhaps even abused you. But that doesn’t unplug or separate you from Jesus and his forever family.
We are joined together, so we need to do everything we can to connect with and support the other parts around us.
Noodling Questions
How joined to God are you?
Describe where you fit in God’s plan. What role do you play?
What can you do to be a better fit, better equipped for God’s plan?
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