Corporate and Individual

By Pastor Mike

“In him (Christ) the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:21-22

I love the way this scripture emphasizes both the corporate and individual nature of the church. Ephesians 2:21 focuses on the collective nature of all God’s people (vs. 19) forming one “holy temple in the Lord”. The very next sentence, Ephesians 2:22, attention is given to the work of the Holy Spirit in the individual Christ-follower who is being “built together to become a dwelling” for God. Genuine Christ-followers throughout the ages together form one holy temple and yet, a single Christ-follower has the capacity to bring glory to God by using his or her body honorably as a temple of the Holy Spirit (verse 22 and 1 Corinthians 6:19).

In this truth we find both great humility and great significance. Humility, because “it’s not about me!” I am part of something much bigger. Hebrews 12:1 states that we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses.” Understanding that I am but a small part of the whole drives me to “fix my eyes on Jesus” who alone is the “chief cornerstone”. (Ephesians 2:20) Significance, because what I do does matter. Because of Christ, you and I have the capacity to affect our world for good. Ephesians 2:10 says it like this, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

This has always been God’s design. Consider the covenant revealed to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. God’s covenant desire was for a “great nation” (Genesis 12:2), for a people not merely a collection of persons. And yet God used the faith of an individual, Abraham (Hebrews 11), to set the whole plan in motion.

Spend some time today praying the prayer the Apostle Paul prayed for Philemon over you. (Philemon 1:6) Corporately, what are ways in which you can be “active in sharing your faith”? Are there things you would consider doing for Christ if you had a more “full understanding of every good thing” you have in Christ Jesus? Individually, how would this more full understanding influence your life? Family? Community? Our church?

Read Ephesians 2:1-22.