“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been made to drink into one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:13
In one of the great passages of Scripture, the effects of which has resounded throughout history to this very day, and will, beyond this day, is a declaration by John the Baptist with regard to Christ. He said, “I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (John 3:16) Why is this statement so monumentally significant? It has to do with the body of Christ, the beginning of the church of God. As God the Father baptized us by the Spirit into Christ, into His death, burial, and resurrection, so Christ, having received of the Father the gift of the Spirit of God in a very special way, for a very specific purpose, baptizes every believer into His body, thus forming a spiritual body through which His glory is revealed in every member on this earth. Every believer is a member of that body, with a specific calling, first of all to communion with the Head, or Lord of the church, the Lord Jesus, and the Father by the Spirit, but also to a communion with every other believer. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesian believers, states this fact of our relationship with God, and fellow members in the body, by declaring: “For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.” (5:30) Having been placed into the body of Christ at the new birth, and this by the Spirit, who has done so as He has chosen, with the corresponding calling, gifts, and capacities, every member is a member of the other. It is as the members live in union with Christ, keeping the unity of the Spirit, living by faith in Christ’s oneness, abiding in Him, that they have fellowship with God, and with one another, a fellowship that is not of this world, but confirmed by the Lord’s presence. It is there in that place in mind and heart, that the blessing of God is manifestly bestowed. Christ’s peace, love, and joy, are known. There is the confirmation of His presence by His power, as the word is preached, taught, and shared. The same Spirit that anointed Christ for His ministry, is that Spirit that was given to Him by the Father, to create the body of Christ, so that His laws would be written upon new hearts, and His very life should be revealed in and through every individual. What then is a key for living in this life, this fellowship, this oneness, and yet individualness?
In Christ’s discourse called the Sermon on the Mount, He lays out before us a very crucial matter, which is essential if we would know personal fellowship with the Father, and with the Son. It not only deals with the matter of service, even the giving of alms, giving back to God that which He has given to us, but primarily with the matter of prayer. Essential in the matter of prayer is aloneness with God. Why is this so? God did not send His Son to die on Calvary for a “block” of people, but for every individual whose name He knows, and who he calls to Himself according to their name. God saves the individual sinner for the primary purpose of having fellowship with him. The primary response of the believer to the overtures, and work of God in his life, is not to try to do great works, but to come to KNOW the God who has called him. The depth of this communion will be determined in great part by the aloneness of the individual in his personal seeking after God. It is to this person who prays to the Father, not to be seen of men, that the reward of His presence is given.
Dear Father, Strengthen our seeking hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.