THE BODY OF CHRIST (1 of 4)
(Part one of a four part series)
Imagine that you
are sitting in a vast auditorium along with many other people. At the front of the auditorium there is a
large stage where a symphony orchestra is going through its warm-up routine. Each individual is making sure that his/her
instrument is ready to sound its very best.
The musicians on stringed instruments are making sure that each string
is tuned to pitch, those on reed instruments are moistening their reeds so that
each note will sound clean and pure, the musicians on brass are warming up the
valves and the slides on their horns – along with their lips – to make sure
that everything is working smoothly, and the percussionists are tightening
their drum heads and checking the pitch of the kettles.
When the orchestra
has finished going through their ritual, the conductor makes his
appearance. Every eye is fixed on him as
he steps up to his stand and faces the musicians. He smiles at them as he looks into each face,
and he may speak a few quiet words of encouragement to ease the nervous energy
that each one feels. When he is ready,
he lifts his baton and starts a silent count as he moves the baton slightly to
set the pace and the downbeat for the piece to begin. In perfect unison the instruments sound out,
each one complementing and harmonizing with the others. Each instrument is unique in its sound,
design, and the way in which it is played; but together they create a chorus
that blends perfectly together, captivating the soul and enlivening the
imagination. No one instrument tries to
play louder than the others in order to take the preeminence, but each one is
content to play the part that is written for it, knowing that it will fit
perfectly with the others.
Now imagine that we
are not talking about an orchestra at all, but about the Church of Jesus
Christ. The conductor is the Lord Jesus,
the members of the orchestra are the individual believers in Christ’s body, and
the instruments are the spiritual gifts that each member possesses. The musical piece or score from which every member
is playing can be likened to the Word of God.
It is essential that each member of the “orchestra” pay attention to the
Conductor because it is He Who sets the speed of the piece and the timing of
when the different instruments come in.
Without his leading there can be no true unity. Everyone must be performing in unison with
everyone else and following the same song sheet in order to make the greatest
impact and truly move the listeners.
Without such unity everyone is just “tooting their own horn” with
no concern for the rest of the band.
All that is created then is just a cacophony of sound that is not
pleasant or inspiring. The unity of the
spirit in the body of Christ is one of the most important things to consider
regarding the church.
In his letter to
the Philippian church the Apostle Paul wrote, “If there be therefore any consolation
in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the
Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be
likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or
vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than
themselves. Look not every man
on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” (Philippians 2:1-5). The phrase “of one accord” in this
verse comes from the Greek word “Homothumadon.” “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the
Bible” gives us this meaning of the word: “A unique Greek word, used 10
of its 12 New Testament occurrences in the Book of Acts, helps us understand
the uniqueness of the Christian community.
Homothumadon is a compound of two words meaning to ‘rush along’ and ‘in
unison’. The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which,
while different, harmonize in pitch and tone.
As the instruments of a great concert under the direction of a concert
master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the lives of members of Christ’s
church.” Paul says if we are to have
any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, or any fellowship in the
Spirit, then we must be likeminded and have the same love toward one
another. How much can the church
accomplish when we learn to be of one accord and can “rush along in
unison”? It was said of the first
century believers that they had, “turned the world upside down” (Acts
17:6). This present day Church can also
have that kind of impact on the world, but it comes at a cost.
We mustn’t do
anything through rivalry or conceit, but, instead, consider others more
important than ourselves. It is a
characteristic of the flesh to want to talk about ourselves and our
accomplishments in order to let others know just how spiritual we are. It takes the Holy Spirit in our lives to
reprove and correct us so that we are willing to leave such vain glory
behind. When we are directed to
share what the Lord has done in our lives, our emphasis should be on the Lord
much more than on “I” or “me.”
The Apostle John
speaks of his and the other disciples’ first-hand experience with the Son of
God. He writes that they had heard
Christ, the Word of Life, with their own ears; they had seen the Lord with
their own eyes; and they had touched Him with their hands (1 John 1:1, 2). John then writes, “That which we have seen
and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and
truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that
your joy may be full.” (1 John 1:3, 4). This intimate, first hand relationship with
the Lord then is the basis of all true fellowship. It is also the source of all true joy. The LIFE being manifested to each of
us individually gives us something life-giving to share with others, and others
with us. This is true fellowship. It is something co-experienced and
co-shared. John then reveals to us how
we can maintain this fellowship when he writes, “This then is the message
which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in
Him is no darkness at all. If we say
that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the
truth…” (1 John 1:5, 6) All that
the Holy Spirit reveals to us of our old, carnal nature we must receive and
amend. If we turn away from this light
that God is shedding on our path, then we are walking in darkness and avoiding
the light. Light and darkness can have
no fellowship; therefore when we choose to walk in darkness, then we can no
longer have fellowship with God Who is the source of all light. Neither can we have fellowship with others
who are walking in the light. “Can
two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). John continues, “But if we walk in the
light, as He [God] is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” All that is necessary for us to do is to turn back to the Light and
acknowledge our sin. When we do this
then the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from ALL sin. When we make a practice of this, we will find
that our fellowship with God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ will
be enriched and uninterrupted.
In the 133rd
Psalm, David writes, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren
to dwell together in unity!” (Psalms 133:1). He then illustrates this unity with a couple
of word pictures. First of all, he says
that it is like the precious ointment, or oil, that was poured on Aaron’s head
when he was consecrated as priest to the Lord.
It was poured in sufficient enough volume that it ran down his head,
onto his beard, and all the way to the hem of his garment (Psalms 133:2). From head to toe Aaron was anointed. Although the oil was only poured on the head,
yet it reached every member of his body.
The oil represents the supply of the Spirit of God in the lives of
believers. It is the anointing that
consecrates and empowers us to do God’s will.
It is not given to just a select few of God’s servants, but because the
head (Christ) was first anointed, then that anointing flows from our Lord down
to every member of the body of Christ.
No one is exempt – no one is left out!
If you are under the Head (Christ), then you receive the anointing as it
runs down to every member of the body.
In Matthew 9:20-22, a woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years came
up behind Jesus and touched just the hem of His robe and was healed
instantly. She believed that even
touching a seemingly insignificant part of the Lord’s body would have enough
virtue to make her whole. Because Jesus
was anointed, every part of Him was anointed.
This is true also of the Church, Christ’s body. Because the Head is anointed, then all
of the body is likewise anointed. There
is as much virtue in the most insignificant appearing Christian as there is in
some great preacher or evangelist. In an orchestral piece there is often more
honor given to a triangle, woodblock, or other seldom heard instrument than to
the better known ones.
In the second word
picture in Psalm 133:3 David likens the unity of the brethren to the dew which
it says falls on Mt. Hermon in the Holy Land.
In this illustration the dew represents the anointing of the Spirit of
God, and the mountain represents the Church.
Though it is a very large mountain, yet the dew covers and reaches every
part of it. In the same way, the anointing
reaches every part of the church. Just
as the dew is a gentle, nurturing influence on every growing thing, so also is
the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit in the life of every Christian. If all of us would learn to just drink in the
Spirit that God has sent to us, then we would be full of divine life, love, and
unity. Consequently, we will be able to
minister the same to our brothers and sisters in the church. The goal that the Lord would have us reach
toward is, “That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God,
even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6).
The Apostle Paul
compares the Church to the human body when he writes, “For by one Spirit are
we all baptized into one body…and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”(1
Corinthians 12:13). God by His Spirit
has placed us all together into one body, and He has given all of us access to
drink freely of that Spirit. Jesus said,
“If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath
said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John
7:37, 38). Scripture then adds this: “But
this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should
receive…” (v. 39). Our natural body
is connected by the nervous system to our head and receives instructions and
direction from the brain. Each believer
in the body of Christ also receives instructions and direction from their
spiritual Head which is Christ. Like the
central nervous system connects every single part of the body to the brain, the
Holy Spirit connects every single believer to Christ. If every believer would learn to walk in the
Spirit (or play from the same song sheet), the church would impact the world in
tremendous ways. The world would know
that we are Christ’s disciples not by the way we dress, or by our doctrine, or
where we go to church, but by the love we have for one another (John 13:35).
A careful reading
of 1 Corinthians 12:14-24 reveals some startling truths. First, the body is not one member, but many
(v. 14). Second, God has set each member
in the body as it pleases Him (v. 18).
Third, just because I am not a more prominent or desired member of the
body does not nullify the importance of my role in the body (read the second
point again) (vs. 15-17). Fourth, the
body is interconnected and interdependent so that one member cannot say to
another that there is no need for them (vs. 19-24). We need every member to be healthy and
functioning! Without even one, the body
is crippled. Isaiah saw the decay of the
body of Christ in the last days when he wrote, “From the sole of the foot
even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises,
and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither
mollified with ointment.” (Isaiah 1:6).
Fifth, understanding the diversity and dynamic connection we have to one
another is the key to eliminating the divisions and petty factionalism that
tears so many churches apart today. Just
because I don’t entirely agree with you doesn’t mean that you and I aren’t part
of the same body and need one another to be healthy. “That there should be no schism in the
body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.”
(v. 25). When I wound another member of
the body, I wound myself.
What has happened
to the modern church today was also happening back in the 1st
century, and Paul warned the saints at Corinth about it in no uncertain
terms. He beseeched the believers in
Corinth to strive to preserve the unity of the faith. “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there
be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same
mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10). Paul was troubled because he had heard that
there were contentions developing within the Corinthian church, and he wanted
to address them quickly before they got out of hand. There were those in the church who said that
they sided with Paul on certain issues, while others were said to be siding
with Apollos, and others with Cephas.
There were even those who said, “I am of Christ” trying to assume the
spiritual high ground over their brethren.
Paul slashed through all the “rightness” of these debates by saying
simply, “Is Christ divided?” (v. 13).
Their divisions made as much sense to Paul as taking a knife and
severing off one’s arm or leg, or worse, dividing their body in two by cutting
it down the middle.
Paul told the
Corinthians exactly how the Lord felt about their behavior. He told them that what they were doing was
proof that they were carnal and walking in the flesh and not the Spirit. “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas
there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal,
and walk as men? For while one saith, I
am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?”
(1 Corinthians 3:3, 4). It should be
easy for us to recognize similar behaviors happening in the Church today. We have become so divided by our factions
that many can no longer fellowship together let alone minister to one
another. According to information
gathered from the Handbook of Denominations in the United States
(Abingdon, 1994), there are more than 200 distinct Christian denominations in
the United States alone. One group says,
“I am of Luther,” while another says “I am of Wesley,” and still others say “I
am of Calvin.” Methodists, Baptists,
Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Catholics, Pentecostals, Holiness,
Church of Christ: all affirming faith in Christ Jesus, but unable to fellowship
with one another because of their doctrines.
Within these major branches there are also many splits and
factions. The church has been so divided
that there are now dozens of different factions in most cities, many of which
have split from others. In my local
county alone, which has a population of almost 65,000, there are over 83
separate churches. We must ask ourselves
the same question that Paul asked: “Is Christ divided?” The answer to that question is a resounding “no.”
“There is one body.”
(Ephesians 4:4). It is man that divides
the body of Christ – God never does. The
Father does not recognize all of the labels that we use to set ourselves apart
from other believers.
The thing that the
Church is lacking today is love. Not the
“philial” type love that one might have for friends or family, but the “agape”
type of love that is self sacrificing.
In 1 Corinthians 13 the English translators used the word “charity”
for the Greek word “agape,” and its meaning is to give of oneself to
those who are incapable of returning such love.
Charity isn’t giving your cast off clothes to the poor, or offering a
small portion of your income to those less fortunate – it is about giving ourselves
away and putting ourselves last.
Charity must really cost us something. John tells us in his first letter to the
church, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and
every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for
God is love. Herein is love, not
that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Beloved, if God so
loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (1 John 4:7,8,10,11) This “agape” love is best illustrated
by the sacrifice of the Son of God on the cross for each of us.
It is no
coincidence that 1 Corinthians chapter 13, which speaks entirely on the subject
of charity, is sandwiched between chapters 12 and 14 which both address the
operational dynamics of the body of Christ.
This tells me that the Church can’t even function properly until we
learn to apply chapter 13 to our worship and fellowship. I can speak with angelic tongues, prophecy,
have all knowledge, and have all faith; yet, if I don’t have charity, I am
nothing in God’s estimation (vs. 1, 2).
I can even give away all that I have, and give myself to be martyred,
and it will profit me nothing if I am not doing it out of true charity (v.
3). Paul then lists all the things that
define true charity: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth
not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself
unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” (1
Corinthians 13:4-7). We would do well
to review this chapter on a regular basis and measure our actions and attitudes
against this holy standard.
We are instructed
in Ephesians 4 to walk worthy of the vocation [or calling] that we have
received from God (v. 1). “With all
lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace...Till we all come in the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (vs. 2, 3,
13). Paul was well aware of the
differences that exist between believers, but he knew that if we passionately
pursued the unity of the Spirit, then the Spirit (working through the God-given
ministries in the Church) would ultimately bring us into the unity of the
faith, and perfect us together in Christ.
I love how the operation of the ministry is described in verses 15 and
16 of this chapter. “But
speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the
head, even Christ: from Whom the whole body 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.”
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