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Helpful ones and unhelpful ones. Helpful to the body that is. What is helpful to the body? Anything that helps it grow to be more like Christ  (after all it is his body). So how would we know what that was? We wouldn’t know unless Jesus, the Lord of the church, had told us.

And he told us that the most important thing was to love each other as he has loved us. Paul told us to “be of the same mind, have the same love, be in full accord and of one mind.”  To have the same mind that Jesus had: not look to our own interests but to the interests of others. (Phil 2)

He told us to speak the truth of the gospel to each other, in love. (Eph 4) To let the word of Christ live richly in our fellowship, as we encourage, rebuke and teach each other. (Col 3).

Although Jesus has appointed “elders” in his church along with pastors and teachers, the work of building up the body of Christ falls on all the believers.

And sometimes the most powerful leaders are those who pray and encourage, who read and exhort, who have a clear idea of the goal and keep urging the rest of us towards Christ.

Perhaps the church is full of leaders. Are you a leader? Are you calling out to the others of us, “Come on, let’s keep going to be like Christ. Let’s keep going to make disciples. Let’s pray for and support this or that effort to win people for Christ.” If you are that kind of leader, you are a great blessing to Christ’s church.

Dale

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