Sudsy wrote:
...Some use Internet forums and other means to be in a community but it is not the same and I could give various reasons. Imo, this misses out on a huge part of community/body of Christ living. Scripture says that one part of the body cannot say (and be correct) that it doesn't need another part. That isn't only true in local church settings but in the entire family of God. ...
This whole thread has been helpful for me to read, as I have often felt abandoned by the body of Christ.
Even now this is painful for me to write about, as it is my current reality with which I do struggle every day: I have such a strong desire to fellowship, in person, with my brethren in Christ, but am not able to.
Recently, I have come to the same conclusions as Sudsy by way of the Holy Spirit, but with one small difference, due to my particular life experience.
I would like to address the idea in the quote above, and use it as an opportunity to turn it toward another idea that will hopefully be useful for everyone's faith walk.
As a Christian, who is chronically ill and who spends most of the time housebound, I would like to call attention to the part of the body of Christ who, like myself, are not able to attend a local church gathering because we are chronically ill. It can be very depressing to have to miss out on such a wonderful experience as local fellowship, and the Internet cannot replace face-to-face contact; however, my God is faithful.
Though it is far from a perfect solution, I am thankful to have the Internet as a means to reach out to my brethren in Christ who would otherwise not even know I existed.
There are many, many shut-ins whose part in the body of Christ remains unknown to those who are able to attend their local church gatherings. My God has not abandoned me though; in my weakness I am made aware, by way of the Holy Spirit, that God's grace is upon me. In his wisdom, Father God has decided not to heal me right now. The story of Job often comes to my mind, and I believe God has allowed this illness in order that it may help, not only my faith, but to help the faith of others as well. I rejoice when I recall how all of Job's troubles started
because of how much God loved Job, and at the end of the book Job's faith is strengthened by Father God.
I wholeheartedly agree that the whole body of Christ needs one another; we need every part.
So I find that Father God can use even the Internet to be a blessing for us and to bring glory to him. What the enemy means for our hurt, God will use it for our good. May the Lord Jesus Christ be praised forevermore! Hallelujah!
