ACTIVATE

ACTIVATE

1 Corinthians 12:18 NIV

“ but in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be”

We know this verse very well but I want to point out something that maybe you haven’t seen before.  Notice that the word does not say “when you find a good church” or “after you are saved” then He places you.  It says God HAS placed the parts in the body.  Let’s look at another verse.

Jeremiah 1:5 ESV

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

God reveals to Jeremiah that He had plans for him before he was even born. So let’s put this together.  God has planned our purpose before we were born and He has placed us in the body as He sees fit.  So this means that before I got planted in Beyond Church I was already my given part.  Let’s say for the sake of this story that I am a thumb.  I was a thumb before I was born and I was a thumb before I began going to beyond church.  However, I was not operating as a thumb because I had not been activated yet.  If I didn’t know I was a thumb and I didn’t know I was attached to a hand then I would be paralyzed.  Unable to move or perform at my potential, or inactive.

In the Tommy Hicks vision the pastor talks about the sleeping giant, which is the church.  I always pictured this giant as sleeping because it didn’t understand it’s full power, but at a night of prayer He showed me a different perspective. 

He wasn’t sleeping but paralyzed.  He was paralyzed because each part did not have the revelation of their role or had not even received Christ yet.  He has placed us in our spot, that means that in order for the giant to stand up we must activate all parts.  We need each other.

The church is to be glorious and mighty and world changing, but without each part it will be lacking in some way.  Each empty seat in church and each person we walk by and ignore the Holy Spirit’s pull, out of fear, could be your connecting part.  The part that fully activates your call.  This should give us a higher sense of urgency to reach those who are lost.  Those whom God has placed in your heart to establish a relationship with.  In order for the church to reach it’s full potential we need each part to honor their place, and each other’s place, in the body. We need each person to know that their part is not “unfair” or “unimportant” but vital to the call on the church.

LET’S ACTIVATE THE BODY.  LET’S MOVE FORWARD AND BECOME THE GLORIOUS CHURCH HE HAS CREATED US TO BE.