Complete In Community -- April 13, 2009

Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11

Becoming complete is just another way of telling us to be like Jesus. He was perfect (mature/complete) in every way. The word “complete” is translated from the Greek word καταρτίζω. It is transliterated katartizo (kat·ar·tid·zo) and carries with it the idea of being mended like a net or being straightened as in setting a broken bone. It also means to be prepared and joined together. It applies to the individual and to the group. That is our call to pursue in this life. We are chasing Jesus so that we can be more like Him than ever before. Individually we are chasing Jesus’ heart, ethics, and His way of relating with others. As a group, we are seeking to come together in unity on those issues.

Paul, by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, lays out the plan for completeness to manifest for individuals and the community of believers. He tells us we need to be of good comfort, which deals with our speech. Our speech is to be kindly teaching and sharing our understanding of God. Then we can work out a community view we can all agree with and achieve one mind. This leads us to peaceful living with each other and allows the love and peace of God to abide in our community.

We can’t become complete (like Jesus) without each other. We have to stay and work things out at almost any cost short of heresy and blasphemy or severe injury to people. If we really want the love of God to be present in our lives we have to be prepared and joined together like a net. Only then can we reach others for Jesus.

Becoming Complete in Him with You,

Pastor Jason