Being the body of Christ starts with (gasp!) talking to each other

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“For the body is not one member, but many…Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it”

I heard a simple yet profound insight into this passage in Corinthians recently…ready?

In order to be a body…the various parts have to be physically present.

Mind blown.

In this age of texting, tweets and messaging…when an email seems like a deeply personal conversation…and a phone call downright intimate—we’ve got some work to do.

The Body of Christ

Learning how to communicate effectively in our relationships is a skill that every single one of us needs to work on. But even before we get to that, we need to be conscious in building those relationships to begin with. And especially within the body of Christ.

After all, how can we fulfill these instructions unless we are with people… unless we know people?

“But encourage one another day after day”

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds”

Talk to People

It might sound overly simplistic, but folks…we’ve got to talk to each other.

I attend a small church, and have known most of the people in it all my life. But that doesn’t mean I know them…you know? We did an activity in our adult class a few weeks ago that I think you might enjoy trying at your church.

It was super simple, really. Each person in the class got a copy of the list of questions below, and we went around the room and took turns answering them.

Instead of trying to go through them all, we got to pick which questions we answered. (I always find myself thinking in question/answer activities, “Man, I wish I got that question instead of the dumb one I ended up with.” — this prevents that, because I get to pick which questions I answer) And besides that, being able to choose let’s people decide which information they are comfortable sharing.

Each person having a list of questions also helped anyone who might have felt stress over the unknown and having to think on their feet to come up with a response.

Here are the questions:

-Are there any household chores you secretly enjoy? Which ones — and why?

-Are there any laws or social rules that completely baffle you?

-Are you a starter or a finisher?

-Do you have any irrational fears?
-Has a teacher ever changed your life? How so?
-If a mysterious benefactor wrote you a check for $5,000 and said, “Help me solve a problem — any problem!” … what would you do with him or her?
-If you could have tea with one fictional character, who would it be?
-If you had an extra $100 to spend on yourself every week, what would you do?
-Is there something that people consistently ask you for help with? What is it?
-What was your very first job?

-What was your worst haircut / hairstyle of all time?

-What’s something you’ve tried, that you’ll never, ever try again?
-What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?

-What’s the last book that you couldn’t put down?
-Would you rather be a lonely genius, or a sociable idiot?

-Would you rather have a live-in massage therapist, or a live-in chef?

-Would you rather have an extra $200 a day, or an extra 2 hours a day?

-What are you most grateful for, right now, in this moment?

A number of the answers included stories, and we laughed… a lot (it’s amazing how many people have had a hair style they regret!).

The Challenge

At the end of class, a challenge was issued:

Sometime before Christmas (4 months from now) spend time with someone (or a family) you don’t usually spend time with. Invite them over for a meal, plan a fun activity to do, go out to eat…anything away from church.

Make a commitment to do the above once per month until Christmas (4 times)

Did we all walk away intimately knowing one another? No. But I did find out who let his wife convince him to dye his hair red and how many people are afraid of snakes. And that’s how conversations, friendships, relationships are built.

That’s how the body of Christ is built.