Healthy Church Bodies Pt 1 Series

“HEALTHY BODIES” pt 1

We spent some time pondering three life pursuits drawn from Hebrews 10. Due to the fact that we have confident access to God’s presence through the blood of Christ our Savior, the intercession of Christ our High Priest and the cleansing of Christ our sanctifier, Hebrews calls us to three foundational life pursuits.

• Let us continually and confidently draw near to God in full assurance of faith.

• Let us continually and steadfastly hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering.

• Let us continually and thoughtfully encourage one another to love and good deeds.

The Bible addresses these pursuits numerous times and each one warrants further exploration. I have felt led however to focus on the last one dealing with the call to regularly gather to together for the purpose of encouraging one another to love and live like Jesus. Such encouragement is not just a good idea but necessary. It is necessary because we live in a spiritually hostile environment. It is necessary because we all struggle with ingrained tendencies to wander from the path.

But encourage one another every day, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

You all strengthen the drooping hands and weak knees! Make straight paths for your feet so that if any part is lame, it will be healed rather than injured more seriously. Pursue the goal of peace along with everyone—and holiness as well, because no one will see the Lord without it. Make sure that no one misses out on God's grace. Make sure that no root of bitterness grows up that might cause trouble and pollute many people. Make sure that no one becomes sexually immoral or ungodly like Esau. He sold his inheritance as the oldest son for one meal. Hebrews 12:12-16

These things can only happen in the context of regular interaction. We, especially in the Northwest, are an independent spirit. We strive to live independent of others. Our pride resists help from other people. We can do it on our own. The reality is we cannot function well on our own. We need God’s help. We need the encouragement of other people. A predator first tries to disconnect the weak from the protection of the herd.

Over the next few weeks, I invite you to join me in a deeper exploration of and appreciation for the meaningful God-ordained interaction between followers of Jesus Christ.

It is one of the core values and purposes of our church.

• Continually cultivate deeper communion with God. (Love God)

• Persistently pursue more meaningful connection with each other. (Love People)

• Resolutely resist evil and restore righteousness in our life and community. (Be holy)

• Reach and teach people for Christ.

God used many figures and symbols to communicate essential truths regarding the church.

TEMPLE OR BUILDING

FAMILY

PRIESTHOOD

BRIDE

BRANCH

ARMY

CHURCH

BODY

One of the most expressive of these is a body. The nature and function of the human body beautifully expresses the nature and function of the church. By the way, the term usually translated church comes from the Greek words “called” and “out”. It referred to an assembly of people with a united purpose.

“Ek” (out) “kaleo” (to call)

Notice the similarity to the concept of encouragement “para” (along side) and “kaleo” (to call).

The theological study of the church is called Ecclesiology. (Study of the called out ones)

The study of the church is an extensive one. Numerous books have been dedicated to understanding what the Bible teaches concerning the church. It is not my intention to attempt a thorough examination of the church. My focus through the summer will be to explore the implications of the church functioning like a body and the specific commands related to how we are to interact with each other. Many of those commands include the words “one another” or “each other”. These focus on the need for reciprocal interaction. The command to “love your neighbor” focuses on only one side of the relationship. The command to “love one another” emphasizes the need for a mutual interaction. The employment of the term “body” concerning the church strikingly expresses the nature and function God designed for His followers.

Today, I will introduce the three essential elements that characterize both the human body and the body of Christ. Through the summer I will offer some greater detail and application of these three essential concepts through an exploration of the numerous related “one another” passages sprinkled throughout the New Testament. The three essential functions can be easily observed in 1 Corinthians 12. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians included answers to some questions. One of the questions related to spiritual gifts and the body of Christ. Chapter 12, 13 and 14 comprise Paul’s answer.