On June 19, the Wall Street Journal featured an article on Boeing’s building of its new plane, the 787 Dreamliner.

“Unlike previous airplanes,” it read, “the Dreamliner is made largely of futuristic composites, which can’t be held together with traditional aluminum rivets. Instead, the major sections are bolted together with specially coated bolts that fit into brackets at each joint. Each bolt must be individually made on a lathe ….”

The 787’s main segments are being manufactured in various parts of the world and then transported to Boeing’s cavernous final assembly bay in Everett, Wash.—the flight deck being made in the United States, forward fuselage in Japan, horizontal stabilizers in Italy, moveable leading/trailing edges for the wings in Australia, wing box in Japan.

While reading these facts, I couldn’t help thinking about God’s one true Church; although we are in so many countries at this time, we must be fitly framed together also.

Ephesians 4:16 states that the body should be “fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

“Fitly joined together” means to render close-jointed together, organize compactly. “Compacted” is from the Hebrew sumbibazo (this is the only place where the word is translated “compacted” in the New Testament) and means to drive together, to force, to unite in association or affection (mentally).

Everyone of us is important in doing the Work, so we need to be like-minded and speak the same thing, relying on each other and working together to fulfill our commission as outlined in Revelation 10:11.

Boeing’s Dreamliner will not become a reality until it is joined together. The Wall Street Journal stated, “A titanium fastener one inch in diameter could support the weight of 50 Toyota Camrys.”

Such is the cohesive bond that God’s Church must have.

Ephesians 4:4-6 say, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” In these three verses, the word one is used seven times, implying the need for perfect oneness in God’s Church. Seven is used in the Bible to signify completion.

The Boeing Company will build its plane, but it will never leave the Earth’s atmosphere. We as God’s Church will “fly” to the stars, into the universe.

To help us focus on being cohesive, there are several points we should consider.

Have a constructive attitude.

Keep focused on headquarters and what Christ is doing. Read Philippians 4:8.

Cooperate: As members of the same team, we all need to work together in harmony to achieve the same goal.

Welcome responsibility. Look for opportunities to help and serve individual brethren and the Church as a whole.

Don’t worry about who gets the credit. What counts is the job being done. Seek the welfare of the Body and avoid at all costs being selfish.

Fellowship with the brethren whenever you can. Fellowship is one of the greatest keys to strengthening unity in the Church.

Time for our flight is drawing closer. Be sure that you are fitly joined and compacted in the Body of Christ.

Be a titanium pillar spiritually. Remember that a cohesive bond unites and strengthens God’s Work.

Think on these things.