But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior
member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same
care for one another. (1 Corinthians 12:24-25 NRSV)
Individual member of the church are Christ's building blocks. We build on a foundation that
others have laid. James Watt was the "inventor" of the steam engine. Right? Wrong. Peter
Drucker in one of his books notes that Thomas Newcomen in 1712 built the first steam engine
which actually performed useful work. It pumped the water out of an English coal mine. Watt's
steam engine was simply more refined--"state of the art" we would say today. The true inventor of
the combustion engine, however, and with it what we call modern technology, was neither Watt
nor Newcomen. It was the great Anglo-Irish chemist Robert Boyle, who did so in a "flash of
genius." Only, Boyle's engine did not work and could not have worked. For Boyle used the
explosion of gunpowder to drive the piston, and this so fouled the cylinder that it had to be taken
apart and cleaned after each stoke. Boyle's idea, however, enabled first Denis Papin (who had
been Boyle's assistant in building the gunpowder engine), then Newcomen, and finally Watt, to
develop a working combustion engine. Boyle had the idea, and the others built on that foundation.
That is the nature of all knowledge. It is also the nature of the church. We are the building blocks
in God's temple. God uses us, if we will let Him, to build something beautiful and lasting. None of
us may be stars, but we are all building blocks for God's kingdom.
Lefty Gomez was a talented baseball player. When he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of
Fame, a reporter walked up to him and asked, "Lefty, what was your secret?" Lefty smiled, his
eyes began to sparkle, and he replied, "Two things. Clean living and a fast infield." Lefty was
acknowledging that he alone wasn't responsible for all his victories. He had teammates who were
helping him.
One thing is clear from Paul's words. It is a serious matter when seeds of dissension are sown in a
congregation. We have a world to save in the name of Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for allowing me to be a building block for your church,
and inspire me always to be a faithful building block for your kingdom. Amen.
Written by: Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA
Monday, April 27, 1998