I Corinthians 12:4-18 “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.”

Text Philippians 1:27 “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”

It is important to remember that the closer a person gets to God, the more intense the trials and tribulations of life become? Paul magnified this truth when writing to Timothy, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Timothy 3:12). Having drawn closer to the Lord, the believers at Philippi found themselves experiencing these trials. In an effort to aid them, Paul gave three simple principles in Philippians 1:27. Having seen the mandate and the motivation, we turn our attention to the manifestation of Christian living, “that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” We manifest the Christian life when we live connected. In I Corinthians 12, Paul emphasized that while we are all individuals, God has connected us by placing us all into one body so that we may work together as one. Paul reminded the Philippians that they were to be connected in their stand, spirit, and striving. The disciples did a great deal of damage to the cause of Christ by continually fighting among themselves, “for by the way they had disputed among themselves” (Mark 9:34). Speaking to them, Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). While the trials will come, you can give forth a quality testimony when you live like a citizen, live consistently, and live connected!