Be a Part of the Body

Perhaps you’ve seen the TV commercial we did last year. In it, I talk about how a penny just isn’t worth much anymore. Honestly, when you see a penny lying on the ground, do you stop to pick it up? Sometimes, it’s easy to feel like that penny. We feel so small and insignificant, we wonder if anyone would find us worth their time. Then the Gospel comes along. There, we learn that Jesus measures our worth by a very different economic scale. He considers us worth not only His time, but His very life.

That’s the good news. But that’s not ALL the good news. In Baptist churches, we often stop there when we present the Gospel: It’s just Jesus and you. Jesus loves you, and if you love Jesus, you can spend eternity with Him. Isn’t that cool? But actually, it’s not just Jesus and you. When you come to know Jesus, you become part of something much bigger.

And that brings us back to the pennies. A few years ago, an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution listed some of the things pennies can accomplish when they get together:

A one cent per case increase of Coca-Cola would bring the company $45 million a year.

A one cent-per-gallon increase in the price of jet fuel increases Delta Airline's company costs by $25 million a year.

A one cent increase in the hourly wage for all the employees of Home Depot amounts to $6.5 million a year.

If Krispy Kreme increased the cost of each donut by one penny, the company would increase profits by $27 million.

At Westbury, we’re just a bunch of pennies who’ve gotten together…in the hands of God who has bigger plans than cokes or donuts. Last week, we concluded Reaching for the Prize with a sermon from Romans 12:1-2. That was also the first sermon in a new series I’ll be preaching on what it really means to be a part of the body of Christ, His church, from Romans 12. This week, we’ll look at verses 3 through 8, and ask the question: What is the most important factor (aside from God Himself) in us becoming the church we ought to be? Is it good preaching, great music, a good location, facilities, money…or something else? See you Sunday.