Church A Place to BECOME -Part 2

The View From Above: Thoughts to Help With Everyday Life

August 19, 2026

Guest Contributor: Pastor Harold Warner — Part 4

Church: A Place to BECOME — Part II

Please, put your hard hat back on because we’re stepping back onto God’s house under construction—the church.

The longer I am a Christian, the more aware I am that I cannot live the Christian life in isolation.

The life of God comes through the Head, which is Christ—but much of His grace also flows to us through other members of His Body.

Scripture Focus

1 Corinthians 12:21

“The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’”

We need one another.

A Lesson From the Honeybee

There is a widely reported phenomenon among honeybees called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

This occurs when worker bees suddenly disappear, leaving the queen behind. There are multiple causes, and while the phenomenon has declined significantly, it remains a concern.

Its implications extend far beyond honey production because many crops depend upon pollinators.

The lesson for the church is obvious:

Without belonging and the interdependence of the Lord’s church, our fruitfulness is seriously impacted and minimized.

And what is the premier crop?

LOVE.

The Identifying Mark of a Disciple

Just days before His crucifixion, Jesus met with His disciples and prioritized what He called a “new commandment.”

Scripture Focus

John 13:34–35

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This wasn’t a casual suggestion.

Love was to be the identifying and confirming feature of a disciple of Jesus Christ.

John later makes this explicit:

1 John 3:14

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.”

Forget poetry, pop music, and even abstract theology for a moment.

God uses His church—and our belonging to one another—to teach us to love.

This is what “becoming” looks like.

This is what growing toward the stature of Christ looks like.

But There’s a Rub

If you value and connect yourself to any group of people, eventually you’re going to get hurt.

It’s called life.

Learning to live out your faith and fulfill Christ’s mission alongside other fallen human beings means there will be times when you’re disappointed, let down, hurt, and even wounded.

I can show you my scars.

I’m not minimizing those experiences, nor am I approving of abusive leadership.

My point is that God can use these very experiences to teach us how to grow in love.

Not love merely as a feeling.

Not love as the lyrics of a song.

Love as a verb defined by God.

Scripture Focus

Ephesians 4:16

*“He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work,