BY REV. DORAL PULLEY, Today’s Church Tampa Bay
“That they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us (John 17:21).”
Jesus realized his oneness with God and his oneness with good. He knew that there was no separation between God and him. He boldly declared, “I and my Father are one (John 10:30).”
You have that same unity with God, and nothing can separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:35-39). God abides in you, and you abide in God (John 15:7). You have full and complete access to all that God is and all the good that the universe has for you.
Jesus prayed that his disciples recognize their oneness with God, good, and one another. The body is an image that describes your unity with all (Ephesians 4:4). Just as your physical body is one organism made up of many parts, the Body of Christ is people who are connected by the Holy Spirit. Although there are different gifts and different functions, there is one body.
Your physical body functions with interdependence on other bodily systems to create perfect health. God placed each person in the Body because each person is a gift and has something unique to offer one another. Spending quality time with others allows you to benefit from the gifts that they are and for them to benefit from the gift that you are. The time that saints spend together is called fellowship. The key to fellowship is treating people the way we desire to be treated (Luke 6:31).
The root of the word, fellowship, is fellow, which means that to have fellowship, there must be unity and equality. We must be fellows. Unity means that you see yourself as one with all people. Equality means that you see other individuals as your equal. Therefore, whatever you do to your fellow members of the Body of Christ, you do to yourself and ultimately to Christ (I Corinthians 12:26).
Using your understanding of fellowship with the saints and positive people, spend or schedule some quality time today with other positive people outside of your family and friends. Despite COVID-19, there are still ways to fellowship with others in a manner that is safe for all.
Rev. Doral Pulley is the senior pastor of Today’s Church Tampa Bay, 940 5th Ave. S, St. Petersburg (Staybridge Suites) and 5107 North Central Ave., Tampa.
