I Need You

I need you. I am praying for you today because I need you. I need you to be everything Jesus has intended for you to be in him. That is how he designed things to be, that I would need you and you would need me. We call it the Church. Scriptures refer to it as a Body and it is a spiritual thing. We are members and as members we are dependent on each other to be everything we need to be for the glory of Jesus. I need you.

Most of us have a lousy understanding of the Body. Some market it as a commodity to a people they see as customers. Their desire is growth that they manage through various tools of manipulation. That is not Jesus' design and it leads to a distortion that prevents you from understanding how much I need you.

The Body is an amazing living spiritual thing that provides a setting for gifted followers of Jesus Christ to serve as they have been called to serve. I say "gifted" but not in the manner in which you may understand. Gifted, as in possessing a gift or gifts from the Spirit to enable us to serve in the calling we have received. Each of our callings fit together with other believers. No one serves in isolation but our calling and gifts fit together with others to enable us to serve in an overwhelming spiritual manner that brings all glory to Jesus. Read 1 Corinthians 12 for yourself.

The thing is, Jesus also put in place trainers within this body. These are men and women who have been set aside as servants to the members of the Body. The Body does not revolve around these trainers but each member grows up into the head, which is Jesus. Trainers are only there to help people understand their purpose, calling, gifts and to help us understand that we work together, in unity, because we have been designed to need each other. If they take the focus off of Jesus then they have failed in their responsibilities. If they cause disunity and fail to train us to need each other then they have failed. Read this:

He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. (Ephesians 4:11)

He, being Jesus, called these people to be trainers. They are not special, only chosen to be set aside. In order to fulfill their responsibility they must be fully possessed by the Spirit, focused on Jesus to be equipped for this work. And their purpose:

His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. (v. 12-13)

His purpose in setting aside these people was to use them for the equipping of his people, for the work of serving, building up, to the point of obtaining unity of faith and knowledge in Jesus. Amazing, isn't it? And what is Yahweh's goal?

God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ. (v. 13b)

Maturity. That is Yahweh's goal for us, what all of us are suppose to be moving into. The whole chapter is well worth further study to put this in context but the important thing to understand is that we need these trainers who help us understand that we need each other. They aren't suppose to be our focus, more like the trainers in a gym, there to help us improve. They know stuff we have yet to learn. They are the least, the servants, those who lay down their lives to serve us, and for this we honour them, because it costs them everything. Or it should if they understand who they are in the Body. Not everyone in the position has been called but if you look close enough I think you will find the authentic trainers.

Bottom line: I need you. I am designed to fit with you, so our gifts work together, and in the process we grow together, maturing and reaching the fullness of Jesus. So be well my friend, seek the Lord with all your heart, be dependent on him and allow the Spirit to possess you fully. Be strong in the Lord, because I need you.