Sermon Central
-
Covering The Body Of Christ
Contributed by Elvis Chinguwa on Nov 24, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: This is an compelling sermon appealling to all christians to cover up for the shame the church (body of christ)is suffering just as Joseph of Arimateha covered the body of Christ!
Covering the shame of Christ
When Jesus was crucified, the soldiers gambled for his clothes (they were royal). So he was left NAKED. Those that passed by looked at his body at thought what they wanted commented the way they saw him. People talked you know, just as they talk today. They just passed by , others left it alone naked! Others felt pity, some ran away. Oh my God! Somebody raise your hands to God and ask him to help you deal with the shame of Christ.
My bible says a man called Joseph of Arimathea who waited for the Kingdom of God went to Pilate and asked for the Body Of Christ! I pray that we have man like that in the Church today who are not ashamed to be identified with the Kingdom of God. When the bible speaks of the Body of Christ it means the CHURCH (Romans 12), somebody say Amen! Now he asked for the body of Christ! To cover the shame that it was naked. My bible says he bought expensive linen and covered it. Then he sacrificed his dear grave and put the body of Christ in it. Joseph of Arimathea covered the shame of Christ!
What is to cover the shame of Christ?
As I said earlier, the body of Christ is the Church. There are so many shames in the church today. The world is making a mockery of the church. Pity if you make the same mockery with Islam you are DEAD! Funny because those that are in the forefront shaming the church are the children of God. You hear a Pentecostal believer damning a Baptist or a Roman Catholic. Baptist believer does not want to acknowledge the Pastor in a Pentecostal church. People are busy mocking the body of Christ. God is tired of hearing Christians segregating each other on denominational lines, so and so is a false teacher and that one is a false prophet. Christianity is lacking direction because of the confusion caused by the members of the body of Christ, where is Joseph of Arimathea?
People don’t acknowledge the Men of God, Pastors are mocked day in day out, let me tell you this you are the same with the soldiers that gambled for Jesus’ garment! You are making Christ naked! The whole world now knows the church’s privacy because of you! You are arming the devil to attack the pastors, prophets and evangelists! Cover them up! Stand for your Pastors! Give them surprise gifts, appreciate them, and show them love! Stand up for the servants of God, stand up for other denominations, and don’t help the devil fight the Kingdom of God. My bible says Joseph also waited for the Kingdom of God, don’t fight it WAIT for it!!
Some are fighting each other in the same church, there are clubs and groups in the church, and one has to subscribe to a certain group of a certain class. This class is superior to that class, oh my! In the church of Christ?? Where did the second greatest commandment go? That you love one another! Fight for each other, defend each other in faith, stand up for each other. Hey! The church is not a fashion show contest, no wonder Jesus beat the old parishioners all systems out, people are competing in church! They hate each other, and hurt each other in the process. I’m a Catholic; I’ve nothing to do with the Lutheran next door. Is that Christianity? Those are Baptists I heard the Sun/Herald is running a story on them. Their way of doing things is wayward; it was just a matter of time! It’s a matter of time for you too! Where is the spirit of comfort? Where is the spirit of compassion? Where is your fellowship, where you help each other grow! Where are the revivals? Not meany tiny revivals for small denominations but revivals for all children of God! The world is asking, “What manner of Christianity is this we are seeing these days?” Don’t laugh at your fellow Christians, brethren must be helped, cover up for their mistakes, their mistakes is a shame on the body of Christ, it needs somebody to cover it up! Cover it with the best linen!
Some are busy laughing at the body of Christ while it is trying to achieve salvation and redemption to the world! The church needs evangelists and pastors, but these are mocked day in day out! Nowadays young people are ashamed to study for Pastoral work, they don’t even want to sing in the choir! They are busy imitating Maria Carey, Faith Evans and Tupac! World music! Its time to work and wait for the Kingdom of God like Joseph of Arimathea. There is a curse in laughing at the nakedness of Christ.
