1 Corinthians 12:12-13
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
In this passage, Paul specifically talked about unity in Christ. Even though we're all different body parts, we all belong to the same body. The word "one" is particularly prevalent in this passage because in Christ we are one. No one can call Jesus the Lord without being touched by the Holy Spirit; therefore, whoever calls Jesus the Lord must honor Jesus with their lives, and thus they must be one in Christ. No matter which denomination you belong to - Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, local church, Pentecostal, or some Charismatic church, we're all one in Christ. Never let denomination, spiritual gifts or experience draw boundaries between you and other believers. There will be no denominations in heaven, because we strictly speaking all belong to the same church, the one church that began on the Pentecost and lasted till today. We belong to the same body and serve the same Lord.
We belong to the same body and, as verse 13 says, we are all given one Spirit to drink because we're all baptized by one Spirit. What is the baptism by Holy Spirit? The Bible talks about water baptism and spiritual baptism. Water baptism lets us die, bury and resurrect with the Lord, and it makes us belong to Jesus Christ under His name. Spiritual baptism, on the other hand, refers to the baptism by the Holy Spirit during the Pentecost. The most important thing is not personal experience during the Pentecost, but rather the establishment of church on earth, which leads unity among believers to become one body of Christ.
May the Lord help us to see that baptism by Holy Spirit joins all believers together, so that we may become one even though we belong to different races, cultures, upbringings and social classes. In the last few years I've had the opportunities to visit churches in many different places, either on short-term mission trips or praise and worship festivals. God opened my eyes to see His people in every corner of the world, and no matter where I was and how serious were the language barrier and communication issues, as soon as we cry out "hallelujah" our hearts and souls are united. May the Lord help us, let us not be divided by culture, language, race or different perspectives on faith, but to recognize that we all belong to the same body and we ought to glorify the holy name of Jesus Christ together.
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, we once again give thanks to you, because even though we are all different, we are still one in Christ. May the Lord once again put the truth of unity deep down in our hearts so that we will no longer be divided from others, and let us recognize that we must be united with fellow believers in Christ. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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