“But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the part with less honor so that
there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each
other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts
celebrate with it. You are the body of Christ and parts of each other” (1 Corinthians 12:24-27).
there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each
other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts
celebrate with it. You are the body of Christ and parts of each other” (1 Corinthians 12:24-27).
“WE REALLY DO NEED EACH OTHER” by Reuben Welch
Let me just tell you this true thing before I stop writing. At school a few years ago, there
was a summer school course in “Group And Interpersonal Relations.” About a dozen people took
the class, & at the end of it they decided they wanted to do something together, as a kind of closing
to the class, you know. They had come to know each other, & to share each other, & really be
personal to each other, & break down walls, & so forth. So, they decided to get together & take a hike up to Henninger Flats.
was a summer school course in “Group And Interpersonal Relations.” About a dozen people took
the class, & at the end of it they decided they wanted to do something together, as a kind of closing
to the class, you know. They had come to know each other, & to share each other, & really be
personal to each other, & break down walls, & so forth. So, they decided to get together & take a hike up to Henninger Flats.
Now, Henninger Flats is about 3 miles up the side of the mountain, behind the campus. And it takes
about an hour & a ½ for anyone to make the hike. So they set the day, & made the sandwiches, & made the chocolate, & brought the cold drinks, & the backpacks, & they got all gathered up for the safari. And they started up the mountain … together.
But it wasn’t long until the strong, stalwart ones were up in front, & the other ones were
back in the middle, & way back at the end of the line was a girl named Jane … who was, you might
say, out of shape. At the front was Don … a big, strong, former paratrooper. He & some others …
the strong ones were up in front, & the weak ones were back in the back. And way in the back was
Jane.
And Don said … it was he who told me the story … he looked back a couple of switchbacks
& saw Jane. And the Lord told him that he had just better go back & walk with her. (That’s kind of hard on him because he has a need to be 1st.) But he went down & started walking with Jane. And
the people in the level above called down, “Come on up; it’s great up here.”
And Jane yelled, “I don’t think I can make it.” And they hollered, “Yeah, you can. Try
harder. Come on up.” And every time they called to her down went her own sense of worth. Down
went her own sense of value … “I can’t make it.” “Oh yeah, you can. Come on.” So, the strong went
on ahead. And the weak hung behind. And there was Jane. And she never made it to the top.
Now look what you have. You have a group: We know each other. We like each other. We
want to do this together. Let’s go to Henninger Flats together. But before long, you have divided the
strong & the weak, the haves & the have-nots, & the ables & the unables. So what started out as a group has now become a fragmented collection. And so the strong say, “You can do it.” And the weak say, “No, I can’t.” And so the strong say, “Try harder” … which is a big help. That’s a big
help. And she didn’t make it. Thankfully, that’s not the last chapter.
They must have learned their lessons because they decided that was no way to end the
fellowship of that class. And they got together & decided to do it again. But they made some new
rules … it was everybody go, or nobody go. And they were all going … together. So, they set the
day, And made the sandwiches And made the chocolate And brought the cold drinks And the
backpacks And they got all gathered up for the safari And they started up the mountain.
It took them 4 hours to make it to the top. And the water was all gone And the cold drinks
were all gone And the sandwiches were all gone And the chocolate was all gone And the backpacks
were empty But they all made it … together.
Let me share with you the thing that this real life parable has been saying to me. We have
got to go together. Christian fellowship is no place for get in or get out. It’s get in … get in. And if
you need to slow down … you slow down. That’s why it’s good for us to read Scripture and sing
hymns together. And slow folks have to speed up and the fast folks have to slow down And we have
to do it together.
got to go together. Christian fellowship is no place for get in or get out. It’s get in … get in. And if
you need to slow down … you slow down. That’s why it’s good for us to read Scripture and sing
hymns together. And slow folks have to speed up and the fast folks have to slow down And we have
to do it together.
I know, don’t you, that it is God’s intention that we go together as a body. It doesn’t help
much for those who have made it to say to us weaklings … “Try harder. See, I’ve done it, so you can
make it.”
You know something … we’re all just people who need each other. We’re all learning. And
we’ve all got a long journey ahead of us. We’ve got to go together. And if it takes us until Jesus
comes, we better stay together. We better help each other. And I dare say that by the time we get
there all the sandwiches will be gone, and all the chocolate will be gone, and all the water will be
gone and all the backpacks will be empty.
But no matter how long it takes us, we’ve got to go together…because that’s how it is in the
Body of Christ. It’s all of us, in love, in care, in support In mutuality…WE REALLY DO NEED
EACH OTHER.