Immerse Yourself

We live in unusual times. (Or, should I say, fractured times.) Many of us have become isolated. Current and past circumstances have put distance between ourselves and others. We are no longer in contact with people we used to fellowship with. This has left many of us with an increasing emptiness.  

So, what is the solution?

One of the great truths of Scripture is that God uses the family to carry out his plans. In Genesis, when God began the family of man, he created them “male and female” and commanded them to populate the earth. God wanted man to subdue the earth through the family. Redemption shows the importance of the family again. When God sought to reclaim man, he did it through the new birth. Man must be born into God’s family.

God also uses the family to overcome any emptiness in our hearts. Through his own family, God provides the love our hearts need. When Paul prayed for the Ephesians to “know this love that surpasses knowledge” (See Ephesians 3:14-19) he started by recognizing the family nature of God. He wrote, “I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name”. Paul saw God as the great Father over his family. He went on to pray that “together with all the Lord’s holy people” they would come to know God’s love. The word “together” in the Greek means ‘to be in union with’. Paul was showing the Ephesians that they receive God’s love through others as they take part in his family. 

For us to receive the love God has for us through other believers, we must immerse ourselves in the body of Christ. Paul alluded to this in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth.

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 all made to drink into one Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV

Paul’s desire for the Corinthian church was that they be in union with each other. Regardless of their different backgrounds, he wanted them to become a single group. He told them they were baptized into one body.

We know from water baptism that the word baptize means ‘to immerse’. Paul used the word to show the nature of our relationship with other believers. We’re to immerse ourselves in the body of Christ. We shouldn’t surround ourselves with the world, but with other Christians.

We should immerse ourselves in the body of Christ.

Unfortunately, many believers today are estranged from other believers. Because of the pandemic, they attend church only occasionally and so have lost contact with other Christians. They now live on the edge of the camp, no longer immersing themselves in the body of Christ. When believers do this, they won’t experience the love God has for them through his family.

One way we can reengage with the body of Christ is to practice hospitality. When we fellowship with other believers by inviting them to our home or sharing a meal with them, we develop relationships. The relationships we form are the foundation of family life in the body of Christ.

We benefit from these relationships by gaining an understanding of each other’s needs and attributes. This understanding will give us insight in how to “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

To the early Christians, hospitality was an important part of their faith. In their letters, the Apostles encouraged believers to practice it. The Apostles wanted the body of Christ to get to know each other.

Practicing hospitality connects us to others.

Make an effort to connect with other believers by immersing yourself in the body of Christ through church attendance, fellowship, and showing hospitality. Human relationships are best made in person, not online.

Adapted from the Book:

Enemies of God In Our Minds

Copyright © 2021 Curtis A. Guyer All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

*All scripture quotes, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Biblica®, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.