Individuals in the Body of Christ

Recently, I've set in meetings about accomplishing expansion of the Kingdom of God through planting new churches. There is always interesting discussion about defining when you have a church. We've come up with some pretty good lists, but there is still an element that may be unanswerable.

It has to do with individual commitment. I realize this is always a problem because we are dealing with people, and each one is an individual that expresses himself/herself differently. Yet, there is one thing that keeps coming up - a "hunger," "deep desire," "need," "desperation," or someting that says one wants ongoing, sincere, 24/7 relationship with the Lord and is commited to it.

This cannot be measured by attendance at meetings, money given, or amount of activity. It truly is something of the heart that is found in the depth of true "friends" that are willing to lay down their lives for one another (John 15).