One Body

By Javan Shashaty, Youth Pastor at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Have you ever had to work on a group project in class—the kind where the teacher actually allows you to choose the people in your group? Usually, when given the chance, you’re going to choose your friends, right? These are the people that you trust! Or, at least you think you do. 

if there’s one thing that can cause issues between friends, it’s group projects! More often than not, one person ends up doing all the work while the others try to discover how many Cheetos they can fit in their mouth at one time. But every once in a while, the whole group comes together—each person contributing—to create something awesome! 

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul describes the Church (Christians throughout the world) like an actual body. Each member has a specific function and the body is designed to work together to further a specific cause: the Great Commission—the directive from Jesus to “Make disciples of all nations” found in Matthew 28:19–20. 

Each part of this body is unique and necessary to accomplish the mission! Jesus Himself prayed for His Church in John 17. He prayed that they would be one . . . a unified movement to make the gospel known throughout the world. Now, if you think of the Church like a big group project, how much more effective would we be if, unlike those times where one person or a few people in the group do all the work while the rest of us just coast, we all contributed to the mission and work?

As you read through this plan, you’ll notice that churches and youth ministries have partnered together to contribute. This is something that has never happened before in the history of our community. God is doing a special work of unity in His Church and I am humbled that I get to be a part of it. The next seven days, you’ll experience a tangible example of what the church was meant to be: ONE. 

Now you might be reading this and thinking: “Okay, what does this have to do with me?” Well, our prayer is that you would see the unity and humility happening and seek to embody that in your own life. When you have the opportunity in your life, seek to build bridges, not walls. When you are tempted to judge another Christian or another church, seek to understand. When you have a disagreement with another believer, seek reconciliation and forgiveness. God has called every one of us to humble ourselves and fight for unity with other believers. It’s hard work, but I can assure you that it’s worth it!