THE BODY OF CHRIST (PART ONE)

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, His Body.  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 leadership 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 orchestra.  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 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 [Jesus], 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 of truth.  Light and darkness can have no fellowship; therefore when we choose to walk in darkness, and persist in it, then we can no longer have fellowship with God Who is the source of all true 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 an orchestra, true harmony and unity are achieved when every eye is on the conductor and every musician is following his lead.

 

In the 133^rd 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 anointing 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 His Body – right to the hem of His garment!  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 believer.  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 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, cymbal, 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 he 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 Body of Christ.  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 given each of us, then we would be full of divine life, love, and unity.  Consequently, we would 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 also wound myself!

 

What has happened to the modern Church today was also happening back in the first 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.  He told them, “…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, putting ourselves last, and presenting ourselves as living sacrifices.  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.  He died, not just for those who loved Him, but also for those who hated Him.

 

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 onlyfunction properly when 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.”

 

“Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8).