We have a problem today. Our body is missing parts. We have hands and feet, eyes and ears, arms and legs that are missing from this body.
(Eph 5:25 NKJV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
The Church is a BODY. It is a body that has parts and members.
The Church is a FAMILY. It is a place of family values.
The Church is a HOSPITAL. We find healing there.
The Church is a TEMPLE. We worship there (Heb. 2:12).
The Church is a HOUSE. God lives there (1 Tim 3:15).
The Church is a LIGHTHOUSE. It is a place from which the light shines.
The Church is a SCHOOLHOUSE. It is a place where we can learn and grow.
I. THE BODY HAS MEMBERS
As I said, we have a problem today. Our body is missing parts. We have hands and feet, eyes and ears, arms and legs that are missing from this body.
(1 Cor 12:14 NKJV) For in fact the body is not one member but many.
We understand the analogy of the body with its parts to that of the church, how that each has many members yet being part of a whole.
I want to draw that out and make real life application.
THE BODY NEEDS EACH OF ITS MEMBERS.
We often think of hands that work, feet that take the Gospel, etc. when we think of the body. There are many other parts.
SHOULDER
KNEES
The human body does not exist to meet the needs of the hand. The hand exists to meet the needs of the body and in doing so gets its own needs met. The Church (Body of Christ) does not exist to meet our needs. We exist to carry out the work of the Body and in doing so our own needs are met.
You will all be saddened to learn of the death of one of our church’s most valuable members -- Someone Else. Someone’s passing created a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years, and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than the normal person’s share of the work. Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results. Someone Else can work with that group. Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one name was on everyone’s lips, "Let Someone Else do it". It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the largest givers in the church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed that Someone Else would make up the difference. Someone Else was a wonderful person, sometimes appearing super-human, but a person can only do so much. Were the truth known, everyone expected too much of Someone Else. Now Someone Else is gone. We wonder what we are going to do. Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else did? Remember, we can’t depend on Someone Else anymore.
It is tragic to think of the members that for some unknown reason are absent from this body. Think of what could be done if all the body parts were working together.
EACH OF THE MEMBERS NEEDS THE BODY.
Imagine an arm or leg or other body part that was detached/amputated from the body.
What would happen? It would die.
So is the Christian that is not a part of a body.
“The Christian who is not committed to a group of other believers for praying, sharing, and serving, so that he is known, as he knows others, is not an obedient Christian. He is not in the will of God. However vocal he may be in his theology, he is not obeying the Lord.” Dr. Ray Ortland
Benefits of being members of the body.
It identifies you as a genuine believer. In every other organization, you join, ie Boy Scouts.
It provides a spiritual family to support and encourage you in your walk with Christ.
It gives you a place to discover and use your gifts. Can a hand function that is detached? Roving Christians – members don’t change bodies at will.
It places them under the spiritual protection of godly leaders.
It gives the accountability needed for spiritual growth.
MY NEEDS AREN’T BEING MET
"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want"
~Zig Ziglar
The body needs more than just members to be alive.
II. THE BODY MUST HAVE GOD’S SPIRIT
What does it take to make a body alive? Animals are alive, but not alive to God.’
IT TAKES THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
(Gen 1:26-27 NKJV) Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;..." {27} So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Man is a spiritual being different from the animals. God is a Spirit.
With that in mind….
(Gen 2:7 NKJV) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (“soul” KJV)
We are never told that God did this for the rest of His creation. This was something different. This is what made man “in the image of God.” This made man alive in a different way from all of creation.
THIS IS WHAT MAKES A BODY ALIVE TO GOD.
WHAT THEN MAKES THE CHURCH ALIVE?
On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God was breathed into the Church. It was an unborn fetus prior to this point.
(Mat 18:20 NKJV) "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
When we gather together, God’s Spirit is to be present.
We must allow God’s Spirit to work in our hearts…to lead us where He wants us to go…to guide us as we worship Him.
HOW WILL WE KNOW IF GOD’S SPIRIT IS PRESENT?
(Gal 5:22 NKJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
GOD’S SPIRIT WILL GIVE US LIBERTY, JOY, UNITY, PURPOSE, AND LIFE.
(Psa 133:1-2 NKJV) Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! {2} It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.
When you combine members with the Spirit, you have unity.
III. THE BODY MUST WORK TOGETHER read BE UNIFIED
One day it occurred to the members of the body that they were doing all the work and that the belly was having all the food. So they held a meeting and after a long discussion decided to strike work until the belly consented to take its proper share of the work. So for a day or two the hands refused to take the food, the mouth refused to receive it and the teeth had no work to do. But after a day or two members began to find that they themselves were not in very active condition. The hands could hardly move, the mouth was all parched and dry, while the legs were unable to support the rest. Thus they found that even the belly in its dull quiet way was doing necessary work for the body and that all must work together or the body would go to pieces.
-- Aesop
Illustration: Use two volunteers.
