I am and I don't.
Some years ago I addressed a body of ministers from all over the world who were gathered together in a convention hall. I was allotted 60 minutes for my presentation and a question and answer period. I spoke for 40 minutes and then allowed 20 minutes for questions. To my surprise, no one stood up to ask a question and there I was standing behind the podium with a convention hall full of ministers waiting for me to say something. I was at a loss for a few seconds and then the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask one of the ministers to come up to the podium and lead us in a time of praise to our Savior. The Holy Spirit pointed out to me the minister to call forward and to my surprise he was pastor from Africa whom I had never met and knew absolutely nothing about. He graciously came up to the podium and began leading us in a praise chorus that I had never heard before. As he led us in praise, his entire body yielded to the praise flowing from his lips, and in a matter of seconds the entire body of ministers were yielding their entire bodies to the praise flowing from their lips. We were strangers to one another, and most of the ministers were in the United States for the first time and had been here for only three days. Most of the ministers from the African nations had never been more than 100 miles from home. Yet there we were gathered together in one place having come from many different Christian beliefs, cultures, nations and continents praising our Savior as one body. The fact that we were one body was unmistakably obvious to all of us as the same Holy Spirit expressed Himself through us all and the truth of the Apostle Paul’s words regarding the body of Christ were made real to me like never before.
1 Corinthians 10:17. Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
1 Corinthians 12:13. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14. For the body is not one member, but many.
Eph. 4:1. Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
2. with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
3. being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
5. one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6. one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Col. 3:15. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. (NASB, 1995)
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