Genuine Care for Others

A couple thoughts from Ross's sermon today at the Northwoods Vineyard in Tomahawk...

Uniformity creates one thing, and that is a system or a religion. When God sees uniformity he splits the seam. God wants unity not uniformity. Why did they nail Jesus to the cross? Because he wouldn't conform.

We say, if it's different it's wrong. And then we say, "I don't need you." This is ingrained in us and it's a pervasive attitude that militates against what God wants in the local body.


1 Cor 12:21-25
21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

Jesus at his core was other-focused. Paul was trying to bring the chuch back to honoring each other and being interdependent as we focus on and represent Jesus. No one should be left out.

Ross and Andy visited a lady at St. Joe's in Marshfield with Leukemia and given two weeks to live. She was knitting outfits for the church newborns. We can all have a part!