Re:Verse passage – Romans 8:15-17, Ephesians 5:22-32 (day six)
“Father, may they be one, as we are one…”-Jesus, John 17:21
In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul introduced the human body as a metaphor for the church. In Romans 8 and Ephesians 5, although indirectly, Paul describes the church as a family, and as a bride respectively. These metaphors suggest that God perceives his church not only as a group of individuals, but as one. This requires we adjust our own perspective, learning to think about our own identity in the same way God does. We are so enamored with the self (reinforced by our culture with a steady gushing current of self-centering, self-exalting ideologies), that it is really challenging to see our interconnectedness, and what that means as the church.
That’s why we encourage you to really consider what it means to be Better Together. This is not just a noble catchphrase, but describes the core of our identity that we have together in Jesus. If we miss this; if we don’t pursue it, then we won’t fully experience the kind of fruitfulness and good work Jesus prayed for.
