Scriptural Reference:
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. "
1 Corinthians 12:27

"so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another."
Romans 12:5

"Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread."
1 Corinthians 10:17

"Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him
you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit."
Ephesians 2:20-22

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet
together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the
Day drawing near."
Hebrews 10:24-25

Reflection: We will begin with a scenario for you to consider.

The Church building you are in begins to burn. In this scenario you can take three things with you
as you leave the Church building. It doesn't matter how big or heavy the item is. So just decide
what three things in the Church are the most important to you and write it down on a piece of paper.
Suddenly you are only able to take two of the three things you have chosen to save. Drop or cross
out one item out of the three things you have chosen. And continue with the scenario. Now you need
to drop one more item and only take one. So go ahead and cross one item and leave the Church with
the one thing you have chosen as the most important item to save. So cross off the second item.
What are you left with and what does it mean to you?

So what does your choices tell about your priorities? What would you have done if nothing could have been saved? And by the way, did anybody save the congregation? Or was there a mad frantic rush to the exit? In past group training sessions I have seen several outcomes. Some chose items that reflected the history of the Church. Some chose items that were related to their faith such as the Church Bible. While others chose items that somehow connected the Church to the community around it. Each of these choices spoke loudly about what each person believed what was the most important. Sadly few thought of saving the congregation.

The problem with many congregations is that people have come to identify with the physical and have forgotten the spiritual. The tendency to give emotional value to objects such as the Church Bible, the Church Cross or any other object associated with the ritual of worship has tended to take the place of the message that we ourselves are the body and the Church of Jesus the Christ. People will, as expressed in the above scenario, tend to try and save the objects they worship with over and before the fellow congregation. Verse such as 1 Corinthians 12:27, Romans 12:5, as well as Ephesians 2:20-22 teach us that we each are building blocks of the spiritual Church. Putting it simply, In him we are each being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.". Our bodies are, as stated in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body."

With this as our primary concern and not the tangible physical objects that can be replaced; we should see the answer to the above scenario completely differently. We should see how saving each other is more important. How being alive to continue to share the Gospel message would be far more important than saving some relic that could never speak as loudly as we can. And to do this we need to keep in mind Hebrews 10:24-25. Where we are encouraged to rouse each other. To keep encouraging each other to be alive in the Spirit and to breathe the Gospel in all that we do. It will be by remembering what is most important that we will be able to survive a fire without losing ourselves to temporal objects.

Prayer:
Precious Lord,
I pray that I will hold fast,
The Spirit that unites us,
The Gospel that teaches us,
The Lord that redeems us,

In all that I do may I,
Care for this body,
The temple of your Spirit,
The witness of your Grace,
Your light to the lost.

I pray you will continue to,
Guide my words and thoughts,
Prepare me to speak boldly,
Stay close to fellow Christians,
And look forward to your return.

In your loving name ,
Jesus the Christ,
I steadfastly pray.
Amen