Have you ever heard someone say they don’t do church, but have a personal faith in Jesus?

One of the easiest ways to drift spiritually is to begin thinking of faith as something entirely private.

That way of thinking is common today. Many people have lost faith in institutions. So, people speak about having a “personal faith” or a “private relationship with God.” And while faith is certainly personal, it was never meant to be isolated.

Paul reminds the Corinthians of that by using the image of a body.

“For just as the body is one and has many members… so it is with Christ.”

A body is not a collection of disconnected parts gathered in the same place. It is a living unity. Each member belongs to the others because all belong to the same body.

Paul says this is now true of the Church.

And then he explains how that happened:

“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”

Notice what joins Christians together. Not personality. Not background. Not shared interests or preferences. Baptism.

God Himself has brought people into Christ and, in doing so, joined them to one another.

That means the Church is more than an organization or a gathering of like-minded individuals. It is a living body created by God through His Spirit.

This matters because there are times when Christians feel disconnected or alone in their faith. Sometimes that comes through suffering. Sometimes through discouragement. Sometimes through the mistaken belief that needing others is a sign of weakness or that Christianity in the “institution” of the church is not authentic.

But the body of Christ was never designed for isolation.

God gives His gifts through His people. He encourages through conversations, prayers, acts of care, and the shared hearing of His Word. He strengthens through the gathered Church where believers receive Christ’s gifts in Word and Sacrament together. I often tell people, you may at times feel like you don’t need church today, I think you still do, but even still, someone else may need you in church today. They may need your smile, your prayer, your singing, or something else.

The Lord’s Supper reflects the reality of the unity of God’s people. Paul later speaks of the Church sharing “one bread” because believers are joined together in Christ. Communion is not merely an individual moment between you and God. It is participation in the body of Christ together. It unites God’s people into the one body of the church.

Of course, life in the Church is not always easy. People disappoint one another. Congregations are filled with sinners. Pastors fail. Yet Paul still calls this broken, imperfect gathering the body of Christ because its unity does not come from human perfection. It comes from Christ Himself.

So today, remember that your faith is not something you carry alone.

You have been baptized into Christ.
And being joined to Him means being joined to His people.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for bringing me into the body of Christ through Baptism. Forgive me for the times I isolate myself or forget the gifts You provide through Your Church.

Strengthen and encourage me through Your people, Your Word, and Your Sacraments. Help me also to serve and care for others as a member of Christ’s body.

Keep Your Church united in the faith and centered always on Christ our Lord.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.