If you Pull a dollar bill out of your wallet, or a coin from your pocket or change purse, and if you look carefully you will find the Latin words E Pluribus Unum. It is the motto found on the Great Seal of the United States. It was originally chosen in 1776 by a committee of the Continental Congress consisting of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, but not adopted officially by Congress until six years later (in 1782). The phrase E Pluribus Unum, of course, means “out of many, one” and refers to the idea that the United States is one nation consisting of several different states. Out of many, one nation. From the many – from the original 13 independent colonies – one united nation. Though our country has grown from the original 13 states to the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and other territories today, the vision remains the same: From the many states, and from different races, backgrounds and nations of origin, one united nation.
Paul could very well have used this motto in 1 Corinthians 12 in his description of the church as the body of Christ. He uses the physical human body as a metaphor for the church, an analogy to explain how the church is designed to function in the purpose of God.
Several times in this passage Paul makes the point that though it is made up of many constituent parts and consists of many members, they are all part of one body. Notice what he says beginning in verse 12: This body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized in one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many (vv. 12-14).
A little later, in verse 20, he says: As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
And again, in verse 27, to emphasize his point: Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. In the body of Christ, as in the human body, there are many parts, but only one body. There are many parts in the body. The body has not one but many members. But there is just one body. And in the body of Christ, as in the human body, every member matters. Every part of the body has a particular role to play. Each member of the body has a job to do. A function to perform. A purpose to fulfill.
There are three main points about life in the body of Christ that I want you to see from this passage.
1. WE NEED EACH OTHER.
Notice what Paul says in verse 21:The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!”And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” Nor, as Paul says in verse 15, would the foot cease to be part of the body if it said: “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body.”
The bottom line is this: In the body of Christ, we need each other, not only for the health of the body as a whole, but to enable each individual member to operate at full potential. It is true in the human body. And it is true in the church, the body of Christ. We need each other. And we belong to each other.
We understand that no one can rightly say: “I’m useless. I have nothing to offer.” And no part of the body can say, with superiority or an attitude of self sufficiency, to another part of the body: “I don’t need you.” The stronger or more spiritually mature members do not – and must not – say to those who are weaker or less mature: “We don’t need you. We don’t want you. Good-bye.”
Every member of the body matters. Every part of the body has an important
contribution to make, even those parts that seem to be weaker or less honored.
In order to be the church God wants us to be and to function the way God wants us to function, we need each other. I need you, and you need each other.
Maybe you’ve heard the old story about a visit Dwight L. Moody made to a prominent Chicago businessman. The man said to Moody: “I believe I can be just as good a Christian without the church as I can be with it.” Moody said nothing in response. Instead, he went over to the fireplace where a fire was blazing to give heat against the winter cold. He removed a single burning coal and placed it on the fireside. The two men sat in silence as the hot coal died out.“I see,” said the other man. “I’ll be in church on Sunday.”
Some people believe they don’t need the church, they don’t need to come to church, they don’t need to be part of the church in order to live as a follower of Christ. They think they can go it alone in the Christian life. They think they can be “lone ranger Christians.”
We belong to each other in the body of Christ. We need each other. When you cut off from one another, the fire of our faith and love can grow dim. But when we recognize our interdependence and work together we can do remarkable things in the power of Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13).
II. . WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER.
Even though this is intuitively obvious, it needs to be said – and understood. We differ from one another for good reason. A body that is all eyes or all ears or just a giant foot isn’t a body. Each member of the body of Christ, is unique, distinctive, irreplaceable, and unrepeatable. There has never been a member of Christ’s body just exactly like you. Or me. And there is a particular role in the body that God has uniquely designed each of us to perform. The body of Christ, thank God, is not made up of cookie-cutter Christians!
Can you imagine how boring it would be if we were all alike? And how impractical it would be if we were all eyes, or hands, or elbows? There is marvelous diversity in the human body and in the body of Christ. God did not make us “one size fits all.”
We all differ from one another. We have been designed by God to complement one another – that is “complement” with an “e.” We were designed by God to fit well together. To work well together. To play on each other’s gifts and strengths. With each member doing his/her part for the healthy functioning of the whole.
Herman Ostry is a farmer in Nebraska. His barn floor was under more than two feet ofwater because of a flooding creek. So he invited some of his friends over to a barn raising. His plan was to move the entire 17,000- pound barn to a new foundation on higher ground 143 feet away. His son devised a system of putting steel tubing, and nailed, bolted and welded it on the inside and the outside of the barn. Then he attached hundreds of handles. After one practice lift, 344 of Herman Ostry’s closest friends and neighbors slowly walked the barn up a slight incline, each of them supporting less than 50 pounds. In just three minutes, the barn was on its new foundation. That is a picture of what the body of Christ can do, every member matters.
We have also been designed by God to compliment one another – with an “i.” That is, God designed us and desires us to affirm and encourage one another. To pat one another on the back. To build one another up in love. To appreciate one another and the distinctive contribution each member of the body makes.
We are not all the same. That is by God’s design. God has a place and a plan and a purpose for every member of the body. And I’m convinced the body of Christ will reach its full potential in God’s service –For the glory of God. For the common good (1Corinthians 12:7). And for the spread of the good news of the kingdom of God.
The beauty of the body of Christ is that we're all different, and our strengths and gifts are designed to serve each other—and others outside of our group. A single mom can be served by a couple that can watch her kids and let her go Christmas shopping. A person who has the gift of hospitality can host a small group at their house. An encouraging person can send the "I'm thinking of you" card after hearing about the loss of a loved one. The parents who have older children can say to the young parents, "Oh, no need to worry about that; it's just a phase."
One of the great things about basketball is that it’s a team sport. No one player can be successful on their own without the help and support of their teammates and coaches. If one player went and played against five, he/she would never win no matter how talented he/she was. While being part of a team is one of the great things about basketball, or any other team sport, it can also be one of the most frustrating. If you have a collection of individuals rather than a team, it is hard to be successful and it won’t ever be much fun, because even if you are talented enough to win, with a true team, the victories always taste sweeter.
3. WE ARE CALLED TO CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER IN THE BODY.
In verses 25 and 26, Paul says there is to be no division, no dissension, no schism in the body, but every part should have respect and concern for one another. Every part of the body should care for one another.
When one part of the body is hurting or in pain, the whole body feels it. And when one member is honored or has a reason to celebrate, the whole body shares its joy. As Paul says in Romans 12:15, we are to “rejoice with those who rejoice” and to “mourn with those who mourn.”
The way we care for one another is by knowing one another and by entering into each other’s joys and sorrows. By sharing our hopes and disappointments, our hurts and heartaches, our victories and our struggles. We come alongside one another to support one another and to spur one another on. We love one another. We serve one another.
Mamie made frequent trips to the branch post office. One day she confronted a long line of people who were waiting for service from the postal clerks. Mamie only needed stamps, so a helpful observer asked, “Why don’t you use the stamp machine? You can get all the stamps you need and you won’t have to stand in line.” Mamie said, “I know, but the machine can’t ask me about my arthritis.” People still need human contact.
As CHRISTIAN, We honor one another above ourselves. We bear with one another. We pray for one another. We comfort one another. We encourage one another. We share with one another. We forgive one another. We bear one another’s burdens. And in so doing, we fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
This is a story about four people named Everbody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everbody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
Let me ask you:
• Have you found your distinctive role, your ministry function in the body?
• Have you looked for it?Have you prayed about it?
• Have you asked God to show you where and how you fit best in the body?
PRAYER: Father, it’s time for the church to be the church. It’s time for the revolution of love and fellowship and community. Please begin in our hearts today. With all my heart, Lord, I believe that our church will start fulfilling God’s purposes in community and that in that, we’ll see a new reformation in the church and a new spiritual awakening in our nation.. Dear God, forgive me for the times I’ve felt I didn’t need other people in my life. I want to be a part of what you’re doing on earth through your family, the church. I want to experience real community. In your name, I pray. Amen.
