Stand Apart, Together, Book Review Example

Ordinary people form the Body of Christ, yet, when asked to describe the ideal Christian leader, many people select a Ken or Barbie figure with a cookie-cutter background. The Body of Christ is perfectly flawed. In an imperfect world, a real example is a true one: the weaknesses which a leader attempts to overcome through Christ and which a leader attempts to overcome through Christ and the continuing struggle with sin. Only one perfect human lived, and His mentorship exists in the New Testament, in what Maxwell calls the “red lettering”. A successful Christian leader practices what they literally preach, and the hardest-won spiritual gains provide the greatest strengths to the Body of Christ. The idea of perfection as personal solidarity with other people takes away from individual spiritual development and obscures a life with God at the center.

In the twelfth chapter of the first book of Corinthians, verses 12 to 31, discusses the disparate parts of the Body and their various functions, explaining that Christian and pagan and slave and freeman, all belong. Verse 31 reveals more: “If the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.” In other words, the rejection or ignorance of one’s purpose does not diminish the place which God sets out for each person.

Insecurity provides a great entrance for sin. After traumatic experiences with extended family, I personally struggled with a sense of identity, of belonging, and of a merciful God who could look on while crimes, abuses, or cruelties happened. The knowledge of these things led me- in my youth- to rebel against His purpose for me. With time and acceptance, the history which I once felt separated me from God’s grace became the history which developed a need to serve others. Maxwell reiterates what is written in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Every person finds a way which is true to who they are, the true path from which they can stand strong and speak up.

References

Maxwell, J.C. (2004) Reflections on Model the Way. In J. M. Kouzes & B. Z. Posner. Christian Reflections on the Leadership Challenge (pp. 53-68). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Print.