The Body is a Unit

The Moravian - June 2005

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:3-5

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:15-16

Unity. This was my constant prayer as I prepared for a week-long medical mission trip with the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA). Having lived in Honduras and received several short-term mission teams, I had seen first-hand the powerful witness that unity in the Spirit brings, as well as the destruction that is wrought by discord. I prayed constantly for over six months that God would cause our team to “supernaturally gel” so that we could be effective in our ministry. What follows is but a glimpse of the powerful and awe-inspiring ways that God answered such prayers.

Don José was a 67-year-old man who had waited 22 years for surgery as bilateral hernias (holes in the abdominal wall of muscle) grew larger and larger. In faith he held onto a piece of sterile surgical mesh for over a year, even when everyone told him to sell it; he was too old, and no one would operate on him. Tears of joy flowed down his face, before and after the surgery to repair his body. Don José will use his story to tell others of the immense love that Jesus has for him and for each one of us.

I wish I had space to tell of the three year-old with the faith of a giant; of God using a dislocated shoulder to bring back one of His children; how the construction team’s lunch breaks became worship services; or how God challenged each of us to make that radical commitment to Him, to sign a blank contract without any of our own input, reservations, or stipulations. We spent an incredibly fulfilling week living, working, and loving as the body of Christ here on Earth. Thirty-seven team members from the United States, 12 pastors from different Honduran churches, Honduran medical support staff, church members, and constructions workers — all were blessed and bonded by the love of Christ. Doctors saw patients, lay members hauled blocks and mixed concrete, and first-grade teachers taught Bible lessons to Honduran schoolchildren. Pastors witnessed to patients and all team members prayed with and for patients as the Spirit led. The churches and loved ones we left behind prayed fervently, and many gave sacrificially so that the mission would be a success… that God would be glorified and His gospel proclaimed in La Esperanza, Honduras. This is how the church should be, each one working and using the gifts God gives us to bless others and bring glory to His Name. Praise God for His mighty work!!!

Heather Harris is a second-year student at the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Missions Representative for New Hope Community Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.