ACCEPT THE WHOLE BODY OF CHRIST

Matthew 10:40 - He that receives you receives me, and he that receives me receives him that sent me.

God has developed certain inter-dependence throughout the Body of Christ. In other words, we have to rely on each other. You see no one person has all the anointing, all the revelation, all the gifts, or all the power. So, in order for us to get all that is available to us, we have to be able to receive from somebody else and accept somebody else's ministry, call, and anointing. Only then can we experience the totality of all that Jesus has made available for us.

Now, Jesus is the head of the entire Body, which means that Jesus and the Body are one. If we decide we are not going to receive from a part of the Body, then we are not receiving Jesus - because they are part of His Body.

In Matthew 10:40, Jesus explains it this way: He said if they receive you, then they have received Me, and Him who sent me. In other words, whatever part of the body we decide not to receive, then we are not receiving Jesus, nor the Heavenly Father for that matter.

It is important for us to understand how to receive the Body. Verse 41 says, "He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive the reward or pay, prize, gifts, and results of a prophet." Notice it says he who receives a prophet, it didn't say he who receives the prophet's ministry. In other words, you have to receive the person first before you can receive the benefit of their gift. The same is true in receiving from a pastor, a teacher or even from a righteous man. We get the reward or anointing of that person when we accept the person first.

So learning to accept other members of the body regardless of who they are and where they come from is key to getting all that God has for us. We cannot afford to shut off any part of the Body. In so doing, we would be shutting off our blessing.

I Corinthians 12:27, says that God has set some in the church, first apostles, prophets, teachers, workers of miracles, and so on. Now everybody is not an apostle, or teacher, or worker of miracles. Why not? It's because we all have a particular call and place in the Body. So, to get the full benefits from the Body of Christ, receive the effectual working of every part. Receive the whole Body.