Being Intentional with the Body
by Emma Liang and Jeffrey Liu
The story began in Spring 2019. One of our friends from CCF, who we both knew to be a very passionate individual, suddenly stopped coming to CCF that term. We noticed it throughout the four months, but it wasn’t until we were reaching the end of exams that we decided to reach out to them.
Two weeks later, we finally got the chance to sit down and chat. We learned that our friend was struggling with some of their beliefs. To us, that was fair, we all go through those periods of challenge. However, our friend also talked about their struggle with loneliness and how little, if anyone, reached out to ask how they were throughout the entire term. That. Was. Brutal. We could have easily sent this person a message to check up on them, but we didn’t. We assumed that they were able to hold their own, and if they needed help, they would’ve asked. In hindsight, that mindset was just us being selfish and lazy, not wanting to expend our energies on others.
Hence, we were convicted to be more intentional this term, and hopefully for the rest of our lives. This blog post takes a look at what it means to be intentional with our brothers and sisters, why Christians should be intentional, and what steps we have taken so far in trying to be more intentional.
Jeffrey — What does being intentional mean?
When we say something is being done intentionally, we are saying that it is done with purpose. Thus, when we are intentional in our relationships, we are not being passive or disengaged with the other person, but rather we are being committed and involved. In the context of Christian relationships, being intentional translates to sustaining and developing a relationship that may have an impact on the eternal well-being of both yours and the other’s soul. It sounds scary, but in reality, it is very rewarding.
If you think like me, you might be wondering whether there’s a proper methodology as to how to be intentional. However, after some discussion with Emma, we concluded that our focus should not be on some whack how-to-build-intentional-Christian-relationships procedure, but it should focus on the heart. As such, we can look to Jesus as our perfect role-model, an example of what our hearts should be with one another.
Jesus is the Son of God, who came in flesh, to lead a ministry that would point people to God’s glory. Jesus led a relational ministry. By that I mean, God was in no way obligated to come down to Earth in the flesh, but he still did.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. — Philippians 2:5–7
From there, Jesus actively interacted and loved those around him. He healed the sick, forgave the sinners, prayed for those around him, and ultimately died for all our sins. He did all this out of obedience to the Father, and in hope that we will one day stay with him in heaven forever. He demonstrated compassion, humility, selflessness, and many other godly characteristics which should also be found in ourselves when being intentional with each other. Some examples of what this might look like includes reaching out to those who you haven’t seen in a long time, putting others’ needs before your own, and actively asking how you can pray for each other.
Therefore, for Christians, being intentional with our brothers and sisters means to proactively build and maintain our relationships in a way that reflects Christ, and who He is. Relationships that will be carried forth into eternity.
Emma — Why should we be intentional?
Despite knowing what it means to be intentional, we must also focus on why we need to be intentional. There’s more to it than just trying to avoid more feelsbad moments such as the one from our original story. We can see from this from the following scripture:
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. — Hebrews 10:24–25
Love
I could easily slap that passage here and just tell you to be intentional because the Bible says so. But then people will just view it as something they “have” to do, which usually isn’t good enough to sustain us and easily takes the joy out of it. We know our salvation isn’t work-based — so just like serving and obeying the rest of God’s commands, we aren’t intentional merely out of obligation and duty, but out of love. We love God first and foremost, which translates into our love for God’s people, and the desire to pour and invest in one another.
Living out your faith
For context, these verses belong to a set of exhortations starting from verse 19, which are in response to the truth of Christ’s person and His work on the cross. It is by Jesus’ blood that we have confidence in a restored relationship with God — a new life in Him! So as a follow up to the first point, being intentional is not only one way of demonstrating love for your fellow brothers and sisters, but it sets us apart as Jesus’ disciples, confirming the hope we believe in for the world to see.
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” — John 13:35
Urgency
And now let’s face it. We don’t know when Jesus will return, or if tomorrow is even guaranteed. Recognizing this, the Bible doesn’t tell us to spend the rest of our limited time focusing on ourselves, but all the more on others. We should especially be taking advantage of our time here in university where all our peers are conveniently gathered in one place before we have other commitments and it becomes more difficult to keep in touch. Not to say it’s impossible to be intentional after graduation, but God has led you and placed you here with a purpose — why waste the opportunity?
So we are intentional to show we love one another, to testify the assurance of our faith, and to steward our time wisely. And for me, being intentional is an act of humility, to practice sacrificing time for myself on others instead, which really, is learning to become more Christ-like.
Next Steps
So how have we, as Christians, been applying these convictions and truths to better serve our brothers and sisters?
Emma
The first step for me was honestly facing the excuses: “I have too much going on, I need to study, etc.” I’ve been that person who became too busy or so focused on school that I ended up hurting those important to me. So this term, I got real with myself by saying no to certain extra-curricular activities that I knew would be too demanding. And when working throughout the week, I’m still meeting deadlines, but this time it’s in order to make time for people — by starting with an “x” amount of time I want to spend messaging or hanging out with people first, and then leaving the residual time for assignments, not the other way around.
As an introvert, I find it quite difficult to take initiative sometimes — so what better opportunity to overcome that by having a group of people assigned to you? By serving as an SG leader this term, I wanted to put myself in a position where I’m expected to be intentional with my group, to challenge myself and have others keep me accountable (because let’s be real if I’m the only one accountable for myself, I’m doomed to fail). Being an SG leader isn’t the only option out there, but I felt it was one way of finding a regular time and consistent group of people to pour into (and it’s kinda organized for you lol).
Most importantly, no matter how solid my action plans are, it’s ultimately the power of God alone that can transform my life. Consistently praying for God to change my heart, humble myself, and open my eyes to see the needs of those around me, would be my most confident step. Although I am weak, I know my God is faithful and all-powerful to work through me (and my failures) for His Kingdom!
Jeffrey
For me, the first step was upping my prayer life to include those around me and not just myself. I once spoke to some upper years to get an idea of what their first and second years were like. They told me about how at that time, a lot of their upper years were very intentional in asking them how their walk with God was. They would go up to the frosh, ask them how they were doing, and follow it up with, “how can I pray for you?” Hearing that, I was moved, but also kinda saddened. Of the 2 years that I’ve been here in CCF, there have only been a handful amount of times where a brother or sister would ask how they could pray for me. So I decided that I wanted to be that person who cares, not only for the physical well-being but also for the spiritual well-being of my family.
I’ve started asking people what they can use some prayer for, and I write down these requests on a sticky note that is stuck on my wall at home. This also means that conversations with my brothers and sisters must be more intentional, to go deeper and engage in fellowship. My personal goal is to collect these needs and struggles and pray for people every-day, first thing in the morning along with my devotionals. I’m far from having a perfect prayer life (or being a morning person), but I do think it’s a step towards supporting the needs of the body. I hope that one day we can all be intentional with each other in CCF, and be in constant intercession for one another.
Our conclusion
We are the body of Christ. Corinthians 12:25–26 commands us to take care of one another. When one part suffers, everyone suffers. When one part is honoured, then we all rejoice! Our lives are no longer fragmented and meant to serve ourselves. Rather, we are united by and for Christ, to serve a family. By being intentional with one another, we strengthen the body by supporting its different parts, and as Stitch puts it, by leaving no one behind. So we challenge you to reflect upon your own life and Christ’s life. Be real with where you stand. Has your heart hardened to the needs of those around you? If this moment is your last, would you be satisfied with where your time went? Is there someone God has placed on your heart that you need to respond to? And as each of us pursue a life abounding in Christ-like love, not only is the body nurtured, but equipped — to overflow with God’s radical love and change the world around us.
