1 Corinthians 12:11-13 

¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. ¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Life in Canada

Immigrants may enjoy their life and some can be frustrated in Canada.

From the time you arrived, how do you describe your life in Canada? Are you enjoying your life in Canada? Or, are you frustrated that you’re now in Canada?

Before you immigrated to Canada, what did you expect? Did you expect to be employed in a particular job that you preferred? Well, work experience in Canada is often required from immigrants to be employed in Canada. But how do you get Canada work experience if you’re not employed first? Volunteer works!

Immigrants may volunteer at any institution that may offer volunteer works. And volunteer work experience in Canada can be used as work experience in Canada. Work experiences in Canada as volunteer is very admirable effort.

But, why do Canadian companies require Canada work experiences from job applicants? They may probably want to be sure that their employees can communicate in English. If employers and employees can communicate and understand each other’s language, that would be more productive, right?

Anyway, frustration about life is prevalent, even as Christian and among church attendees. Who assume that they have privileges because they attend a church? Now, there are former members who for many years stopped attending church. For whatever personal reason, they never informed the church that they will return or not. Are they still members of this church? What is your idea?

It is written in The Maples Evangelical Church Constitution, Article V, Section 7. “Cancellation of Church Membership” Church membership may be terminated by: 1. A formal request for transfer to another church; 2. Discipline as decided by the congregation; 3. Death; 4: Continuous absence for at least six (6) months without valid reason(s) for not attending church’s activities.

There are former church members who cannot return to Canada because of health issues but they still send their offering to this church from time to time. Such is an example of their personal decision of wanting to be church members.

So why do attending the church is very important matter to be aware of?

Well, active members of the church are privileged to use the building facilities for personal and family activities like wedding, anniversary or birthday celebration. If you are an active church member and you may use the parking lot for driving practices for novice drivers anytime you wish, without asking permission.

There are other legal matters associated with membership. It’s time to accept your nomination, if you wish to know more about legal church obligations. There are former Board of Trustees who reject their nomination, maybe because of work demands, disappointment, or they just discern that leadership is not their calling. Maybe, they want to give opportunities for others to step up as leaders.

Each member can be spiritually productive in ministry participation, and church leadership is an opportunity to be productive spiritually. What is the point of participation as ministry leader or in other ministry services in the church?

Reflect on what Christ declares in John 15:16, ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Church ministry participation is like practicum, internship, apprenticeship or on-the-job training where we practically apply what we learn from the Scripture. Church ministry involvement practically exhibits that we are members of the body of Christ, the church, and we have received the same Holy Spirit from God.

1.  The Same Spirit

¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Previously, we learn that the same Holy Spirit of God distributes different kinds of spiritual gifts; he also assigns us to different kinds of services. The Holy Spirit won’t just randomly give spiritual gift to believers. He determines the kind of service he wants each believer to participate effectively and efficiently productive.

Why do Christians need to be spiritually productive? Is it not enough for us to have faith in Jesus Christ? Well, if you sincerely believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, faith in him is enough for you to be saved from eternal torture. But how can we practically know that we have genuine faith in Christ? And how can we personally know that we did not deceive ourselves?

Together, let us reflect on what our Lord Jesus Christ declares about our personal relationship with him in John 15:1-2. ¹I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Imagine: Jesus Christ and his disciples walking next to a vineyard on their way to the garden of Gethsemane. Since it was springtime, vineyard gardeners may have been pruning branches of the vine. Branches that are not productive should be removed, and branches that are productive should be pruned.

Christ declared that he is the True Vine, and his Father is the gardener. God the Father cut off unproductive branches, and he prunes productive branches. And who are the branches of Christ the True Vine?

Seriously reflect on what Jesus Christ our Lord declares in John 15:5-8,

⁵I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸This is to my

Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Bearing spiritual fruit is practical proof that we are disciples of Jesus Christ.

What is the difference between believer and disciple? A believer can be a disciple but there are believers who’ve not grown spiritually mature into Disciples of Christ. Disciples are growing spiritually mature. Disciples are making disciples. Both believers and disciples are spiritual branches of Jesus Christ, the True Vine but God determines and prunes branches that are productive in his kingdom.

And the Holy Spirit of God gives spiritual gift that we use to be productive. When he prompts us and we participate in the ministry, we ask whatever we wish, and it will be done for us. Personally, have you already proven it to be true?

Together, let us reflect on what it prescribes in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22,

¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²²reject every kind of evil.

The Holy Spirit is like a fire that lights the transformational work of Christ in our life for acquaintances to see. How can anyone quench the Spirit? It says, “Do not treat prophecies with contempt.” How does it quench the Holy Spirit of God?

New Testament prophecy is a spiritual gift of communicating, revealing, and declaring the purposes of divine truth from God. Admonishing, preaching, or rebuking wickedness, comforting the afflicted, revealing hidden things and also foretelling future events are also considered as prophesying.

Preachers are modern day prophets. We are advised not just blindly follow but test them all; we hold on to what’s good, and reject all kinds of evil. Ministry participation becomes practical training to discern what’s good and reject evil. Be prayerful! Disappointment may possibly happen in church ministry involvement.

Christ is the head of the church, the body of Christ, and we are parts of the body of Christ. He distributes different kinds of spiritual gifts for us to function in different kinds of services as he determines it. Frustration in the church may happen, but remember that we belong to the same body of Christ, his church.

2.  The Same Body

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 

Each part of the body has different function. Each part can be trained to be efficient in activities you want to participate. If you play billiard, tennis, basketball, volleyball or gymnastics you should train your hands and feet. If you play chess, boggle and scrabble, you train your brain and also lower back for sitting longer time. If you go long driving, hiking, biking or fishing, you train to be patient.

Even in baking, cooking, knitting, gardening or just washing dishes, it also requires coordination of some part of the body to be proficient. The same is true with both office work and manual labor works. We need training in every activity.

And, we have to make sure that each part of our body functions really well.

We are part of the body of Christ, the church, and Christ is the head of the church. Let us reflect on what it declares about Christ in Colossians 1:15-20.

¹⁵The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

As personal reflection, we ask ourselves: Do Christ have supremacy in all things that we do? Christ shed his blood on the cross and washed away all our sins so that we become blameless before God. Have you sensed it if the Holy Spirit produced joy, peace, patience when you participate in the ministry? Do you have patience teaching Sunday school? Do you have joy leading or singing?

If you have prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit but still feel like you just cannot endure teaching children for whatever reason, try other ministries until you discover the ministry you enjoy even with difficult challenges. Personally, how do you interpret what it declares in Ephesians 4:11-13? ¹¹So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Modern day apostle pertains to missionaries sent out to start churches. Preachers are modern day prophets. Evangelists are called to share the gospel of Christ. Pastors and teachers take care of the church spiritual growth. Jesus Christ our Lord assigned these offices to equip each part of the church for work of services, why? Serving is designed for our spiritual growth, to be built up.

And, attending church should progress to involvement in church ministries. Why? Our goal is to reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Unity in the church practically proves that we’ve got the same baptism in Christ.

3.  The Same Baptism

¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 

The term “Baptize” or “Baptizo” in Greek literally translated as immerse, submerge or dip under. We are baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body. Christ gave us the same Holy Spirit, and we are immersed and submerged in his body, the church. The Holy Spirit baptized believers to form the body of Christ, the church. Inclusion to the body of Christ is formalized by church membership.

Being immersed or submerged in the body of Christ practically assure us much more that we are adopted into the family of God. And as part of the body of Christ, the church, ministry participation serves as pragmatic manifestation of the transformational work of his Spirit in our life as individual Christians. Harmonious unity in the church practically proves the active work of the Holy Spirit among us.

How do you interpret when it says, “We were all given the one Spirit to drink?” When playing basketball or go biking and you become thirsty, you drink. The water you drink becomes part of your body, your system. It refreshes you.

The Lord Jesus declared in John 7:38-39, ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. 

In this world, we experience temporary gratification from material things or pleasure that this world offers. But afterwards, we still sense some sort of craving.  We crave for food and drinks; we crave for materialism; we crave for adventure; we crave for fame; we crave for power; we crave about winning.

Politics

Politics pragmatically shows that craving for power and fame is human nature. There are young people who joined the political arena, but there are still older people who are actively involved in politics. In comparison, the Lord Jesus Christ tried to his best to evade being involved in politics.

Together, let us reflect on what it narrated in John 6:14-15, ¹⁴After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Here is an example that Jesus Christ never tried to force anyone to accept him as Lord and Savior. People wanted him to be their leader but the Lord wants believers to be baptized and immersed by the Holy Spirit of God, why?

Jesus Christ is the author of life. He knows very well life in its fullness we can ever experience in this world and in the next life. He declared in John 16:13,

¹³The Spirit of truth will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

Pray and ask to receive the Holy Spirit of God for you to know how you may live life in its fullness that Christ offers to all believers. The Holy Spirit of Christ guarantees that we are included as adopted children of God. Therefore, discover and practice your spiritual gift for you to personally sense your baptism and immersion by the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit produces fruit of love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness in your life, you cannot help but to praise and thank God. Being with Christ our heart is filled with praise and gratitude.

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus Christ!

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