The Bishop’s Message

Bishop Ray Willis
Conference Superintendent
[email protected]

God has spoken to our Conference powerfully about the power of “Joints” and “Connections”. We are beginning to understand the real significance of two powerful verses….   

Eph 4:16 
“from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”   

Col 2:19
“and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.”

There are many instances in the New Testament that the writers use the natural body as a metaphor for the Body of Christ. In these two verses the metaphor is about the “joints”. I am convinced that we have never quite understood the significance of that point. Let me draw your attention to some facts about joints…

1.      The joints give the body flexibility and mobility.A body is effective as long as the joints are healthy. If it becomes disjointed, it loses its functionality. The Body of Christ is not experiencing its optimal functionality because there are far too many joints that have been dislocated. The Body becomes powerful as we reconnect neglected relationships.

2.      There is more power in joints than in muscle.You can’t develop powerful muscle without healthy joints. When we look at a body we are infatuated with muscle. When God looks at a body He is infatuated with joints. If we see a body builder we say “look at the muscle on that guy.” If God sees a body builder he says “look at the joints on that guy.” For the church to develop the kind of power it needs, we all must value the places where we are joined.

3.      You are strongest where you are joined.There is not much muscle in your fingers; they are mostly ligaments and joints. But your fingers can hold a weight that your legs can hardly get off of the floor. Protect the places where you are joined. Protect your relationships. “A three stranded cord is not easily broken!”

4.      For joints to work properly they must be lubricated.The oil of the anointing is what holds your relationships in place and makes them functional. Dry joints are painful and dysfunctional.

In summary, both of the scriptures I referenced earlier refer to a supply that reaches the body through the joints. That supply comes from the Head and we all know who that is. If we become dislocated we interrupt that supply and the body suffers. It is imperative for the body that you protect the joints in your life. Value your relationships. See them as providing something to you rather than subtracting from you. There is nothing about connecting to something bigger than you that makes you weaker. Your strength is in your connections!