On the first Sunday of October some will celebrate World Communion Day.  Yet, the ordinance of communion depicts one of the many differences among Christendom.

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Not all churches celebrate communion the same way.  Some use a single cup and some provide a small plastic cup for everyone.  Some use a loaf of bread and others small wafers.  Some pass the elements while some have people come forward.  And that is just methodology.   Theological differences exist among churches in the ordinance of communion as well as how often communion should be served.

At minimum, communion provides a remembrance of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.  Let’s get to the bottom line of communion, the work of Jesus on the cross, and find our commonality in Him.  When we do, communion equals communion, not just with God but also with one another.

With all the liberal and immoral influences in the world around us, we Christians need to lay aside our differences and come together with one voice in Christ to be that salt and light so desperately needed.  We can do that when we remember that it is who we are “in Him,” because of what He did on the cross, that really matters.

What is the criteria for determining if a church is considered a friendly church?

Helpful Parking Lot Attendants?

What about members who give you the right of way or let you back out of your parking spot without an attendant having to tell them to?

Greeters at the Door?

What about an awareness of people’s presence throughout their visit, not just when they arrive … like people making eye contact and saying “hello” as they walk the halls rather than look right through you?

Welcome Center?

What about members who are not on the hospitality committee coming up to a visitor and helping them find their way?

Designated Time to Greet One Another in the Service?

What about members greeting people outside of their normal circle of friends before and after the service without having to be told to greet one another?

A Coffee Hour or Coffee Shop?

What about a body who is able to stay and mingle without the coffee incentive?

Hospitality Rooms & Fellowship Halls to Meet and Greet?

What about churches who make it hard for people not making their way to these rooms to slip out the door unnoticed …. without at least a few people greeting them before they leave?

Kiosk Stations?

What about going to people and personally inviting them to get involved rather than expecting them to always take the first step?

Now, nothing is wrong in and of themselves with parking lot attendants, greeters, welcome centers, designated greeting times, coffee hours/shops, hospitality rooms or kiosks.  These acts of hospitality can be quite helpful.  But, they should not be a substitute for real body life and for spontaneous acts of friendship that come from the heart and are not merely a program.

If I had to give a Scripture verse defining why I do what I do as director of Ministry Tools Resource Center, I would choose Ephesians 4:16.  It has long been the passion of my heart to see the Body of Christ line up with God’s purpose and objective for the Church and to get there following His design.

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

This verse sums it up:

1)  The Church’s Identity:  the Body of Christ (“from him the whole body”)

The church is a living organism made up of many different parts under the leadership of the Head, Jesus Christ.  Out of this diversity comes unity.  We are one in Him.

—So, I had to develop a section just on Body Life.

2)  The Church’s Objective:   ”grows and builds itself up”

The Church should be growing numerically through new converts and qualitatively with one another  –reaching out but also building one another up …. both, not either/or.

—So, I knew ministry training had to include outreach ministry but also shepherding, prayer, worship, teaching, and more.

3)  The Church’s Purpose:  “in love”

Love, the greatest commandment according to Jesus, unites us (Col.2:2) and so over all the different virtues we can and should exhibit in our lives we must “put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Col. 3:14).  We “live a life of love, just as Christ loved us” (Eph. 5:1-2).  We “do everything in love” (1 Cor. 16:14).  We “serve one another in love” (Gal. 5:13) and “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).  Above all, we are to “love each other deeply” (1 Peter. 4:8) and  “increase and overflow” in that love (1 Thess. 3:12).

—So, I wanted a section devoted solely to the Church’s Purpose to love God and love people out of which the church ministries would flow.

4)  The Church’s Design:  “as each part does its work”

The Church was made to best function as an interdependent unit.  All parts are needed (1 Cor. 12:21-26).  Every believer has something to contribute (1 Cor. 12:7).

—So, with everybody doing their part as the means through which this all happens, I had to make teaching on Spiritual Gifts a core value around which the site would be built.

 Here are some other articles on the MinTools.com site on Ephesians 4:16.  Isn’t it amazing how much can come out of just one verse?

God’s Bueprint for Church Growth: An Exposition of Eph. 4:16

God’s Body Building Plan

I told you — this one verse says it all.  Now, may the Church be the Church!