Stop Slapping Your Head And Shooting Yourself In The Foot!
I Cor 12:12-27
In many of my teachings, I have sought to emphasize the Church as a family. It is a very large family and all the things that go with being a family fits in the Church. We share love and responsibilities. We share joy and sorrow. We share victories and defeats. We share the peace of being in one accord and at times, we share the tension of discord. We have births and deaths. Gloriously, from God’s perspective we are wed and never divorced! In our flesh, we do suffer the searing pain of being cut in two by divorce.
God makes two into one at marriage. That union is created painlessly in love and is made to last until death. Saw a person in two and you will have nothing but pain and death. People who lose their mates in death will tell you that they are incomplete and a part of them has died. Since until the new Heaven and Earth is created death will be a part of us God heals with a balm this natural separating of one into two. This healing is much faster than if man creates the separation. This is why the phrase "what God has joined together, let no man put asunder" is very important in the marriage ceremony. God puts the couple together and if by death, He puts them asunder He will work in the healing and the half will be made whole by bringing the remaining spouse closer to Him to whom they are married spiritually and perhaps one day by a new spouse.
If man does the putting asunder, it is an unnatural act contrary to God’s will and in essence, a suicide, or a murder. Lose a loved one to a disease, accident, or old age and the pain and anguish is not nearly as crushing as that of a suicide or murder.
We know that disease and natural causes will take us all at some time or another. We accept this and grieve with hope if we are Christians. An accident is unexpected and the shock tremendous, but we cope because accidents are a normal part of our existence and an "acceptable" or at least understandable means of death. However, suicide and murder are never acceptable and the shock is greater and there are questions and emotions that will haunt us far longer than any other cause of death.
A God of grace works even in things that are out of His will. If we have been divorced under conditions other than what the Bible allows He will still be there. While I have given a graphic analogy of the results of divorce to show its seriousness lest any be naïve or haphazard in their view of it, I do not mean to bring hopelessness to those who have experienced it. God IS a God of grace. He will be with His children. He will heal any wound if we come to Him for the healing. He can raise the dead and will bring about "beauty for ashes." (Isaiah 61:3)
I have only touched on familiar issues of family and marriage to lead us into a teaching that is a little harder for us to understand. We are more than just members of God’s family and Brides of Christ. We are ONE body! Because we fail to understand this fundamental truth, there is much pain and sickness in the Church and we are weak and ineffective. This illness leaves a myriad of souls languishing in a slow and painful death outside of the love of Christ because they see no balm for their sores in the Church. For there is no balm for the Church’s wounds of self-mutilation for the Church is ignorant and anesthetized by that ignorance therefore it seeks no balm or remedy.
I fear that I am being far too kind when I use the word ignorant for that implies that we just do not know. Yet, the New Testament is nearly 2000 years old. How could we be ignorant of the issue? Stupid means one incapable of learning and I know we are not that. Perhaps slow or dull are better terms though they are a bit more denigrating than ignorant. I pray that God will grant us illumination and wisdom as we study this truth.
1 Cor 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
To the Hebrews, the sum of the Old Testament is declared in Deut 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:" (KJV) The word one used here can mean one and only one, but it can be used to show a composite unity. Trinitarians believe that it is the composite unity being used in this verse. A composite unity is much like when we speak of one cluster of grapes and yet there are many grapes in that cluster. It was also used of a man and his wife when it was said they were to become one flesh. (Gen 2:24) I am not here to prove the Trinity tonight, but I wanted to give you some other concepts of composite unity to think of as we discuss the one body of Christ.
We know that our bodies are a composite unity. Unless we are doctors, we are not going to be able to name all the parts of the body. Few of us could even get all of the major systems named. I am sure someone has given a calculated guess as to the number of cells we have and maybe even guessed the number of atoms in each of us. It suffices to say that from the basic elements to the major systems we are composed of many members in this one body in which we live. Add the soul, a spirit, and the Godhead, if we are saved, and we are a very complex ONE human being.
When everything is in its place and is operating within its proper parameters, we are healthy and truly alive. Let us lose something or let it malfunction and we are hindered, ill, or dead. We are not happy with malfunctions and most of us would not just walk into a doctor’s office and tell him/her to just lop off or cut out anything he/she feels in the mood to lop off or cut out. Unless of course, he/she is a plastic surgeon and we are dissatisfied with the way God has allowed us to form or we believe a cultural fad or lie instead of "He has done all things well." (Mark 7:37) Then we might pay big money and risk maiming or death, but normally we prefer everything to stay where it is and to work like it was designed to work.
Christ’s body is one, yet has many members that perform various tasks. We may meet in homes, storefronts, clapboard buildings, or in buildings that are like cathedrals in every part of the world, but we are still one body. There is only one Christ and He only has one Body. Some try to pass themselves off as being another Body or a clone, if you please, but there is only one true Body of Christ. Some sects or denominations claim to be the only true Body of Christ, but they greatly err.
Christ’s Body like our body is made of individual cells united into one organism. There may be many cells in Christ’s Body from a particular sect or denomination and fewer or none from others. However, no denomination or sect places the individual cells into His Body.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
The Holy Spirit places the individual cells into the Body. He is not owned by or especially affiliated with any denomination or sect. In fact, only He is truly nondenominational. Since He works with individual hearts, He can transplant an individual into the Body of Christ in spite of denominational affiliation or lack of one.
One Spirit baptizes us into one body! There is only one Christ, one Body, and one Holy Spirit. We are either in Christ or out of Him. We are either in the Body or out of it and either the Holy Spirit has placed us in the Body and causes us to drink into that one Spirit or He did not. God is more black and white in His ways than we like to think. There is no gray area here. A leech or parasite may attach itself to the body, but it is not of the body. Many will find in that final judgement that they were leeches or parasites rather than being of the body. Pray that you in the Body!
In Paul’s day, there were only two religions - Judaism and Paganism. There were only two races - Jew and Gentile. There were only two social standings - bond or free. Nothing has really changed. There are two religions - Faith and Works. There are two races - believers and unbelievers. There are two standings - in the bondage of sin or free in Christ. Friend where are you? The one Holy Spirit can make you drink of Him and you shall be in the one Body of Christ! There is plenty of room for you! The one and only Christ died to give you a place in Him!
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
The Body of Christ can be added unto daily and never be overweight! With the addition of each individual cell, it only becomes stronger. Each cell is given one or more functions within the body and is placed in the proper organ, system, or limb where it is needed and able to fulfil its functions and gifts! The following discourse by Paul shows the foolishness of trying to be something you are not and trashing the one that is different than you.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
Can you imagine this going on in your body? You feel this stretching and pain in your foot. Looking down you see your toes desperately trying to drag your foot away. You yell at it and ask what is going on! It answers that it is ticked off because it is not the hand and it says it is leaving since it is obviously not in the right position therefore it does not belong to this body. It will go and find a body where it can be a hand.
You feel a pain on the side of your head. You go to the mirror. Your ear has developed arms and it is pushing at the side of your head trying to tear itself from you. You ask your what is going on and your ear says that it is clear to itself that it is supposed to be an eye. Since it is not an eye, it must not belong to this body and it is going off to find a body where it can be an eye.
Now if you have these conversations with your body parts, may I suggest that you make an appointment with me for some counseling? Do you see the silliness of this? Even if your ear and foot could have these feelings, they would still be part of the body though they are dissatisfied with their position or function!
Many Christians are like the foot and ear in this passage. The Spirit has made them a part of the Body at their salvation and gifts have been given them. They look around and find out that they are the foot or ear and they wanted to be hands or eyes. They are ticked off and run off to join another Church thinking they can be the hand or the eyes there. It does not matter where they go, they are still called to be feet or ears, and they will not be anything else! They will never be fulfilled until they accept the gifts and position that God has given them.
We are all part of the one Body, but if you wish to look at each congregation as a body of believers, you still have problems. If a foot runs to a body of believers that has two feet it will be a third foot that is not needed. It will not be fulfilled there even if it is finally content to be a foot. If two feet run there and that body is missing eyes they may put the feet in the eyes’ position, but they will still be blind! They will also look a bit strange with feet sticking out of their eye sockets. Somewhere there will be a body without feet and thus handicapped in their service to Christ.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
Every part is needed. One huge eye creatures only exist in science fiction or evolution, which really are the same things. Jimmy Durante and Cyrano De Bergerac were noted for their prominent noses, but neither man was just a nose! I once knew a pastor that because of a medical treatment had no sense of taste. He would tell you the meal was good by its consistency! I might lose weight, but I would definitely miss my taste buds!!! There are no needless parts of the body and something is going to be missed if one is removed!
17 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
If you are not happy with your gifts or position in the Body, you have to take it up with God, not the Pastor, Elders, or Deacons or roam about the body fussing to the other members. None of them can help you. If they do, they are fighting God’s pleasure and if they succeed in putting you in another position they hurt the Body and themselves.
In the process, you and they have actually made you into a cancer cell that is reproducing incorrectly. The white cells in the Church are going to react and there may come about sickness that only Holy Ghost chemotherapy will fix. In severe cases, there will be surgery and maybe even the death of the local congregation. The building and people may remain, but they are dead while they live. The whole town will know that it is a mausoleum not a Church.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
If we were all added to the eyes, what good would it do? The eyes need the body for transportation to see things. In fact, unless the eye is attached to the head, it is useless because there is no place to transmit the images it is receiving.
Therefore, God has made us many members in one Body. We all are needed to have a complete, healthy, and useful body! Therefore, my Brothers and Sisters rejoice that you are in Christ and in the Body! Whether you are a pancreas or a pinkie a lung or a liver rejoice, for God has placed you in that position and you are needed to do things that you do best!
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
We have dealt with the folks that feel like their place is not important or needed, but here we deal with the ones with attitude. The eye may think that since it is transmitting all kinds of wonderful pictures and information to the brain that it is the most important part of the body. It may smirk at the hand because it must touch everything to experience that thing whereas the eye just views and drinks in not only the beauty of an object, but a scene and indeed a small universe. How haughty the eye may be.
Ah, but let a speck of dirt come into the eye that it cannot flush out with its tears or let the sun be so bright that the eye must close and be in darkness or be in pain. Then the hand is mighty nice to have around. The hand can shade the eye itself or be used to place a hat or sunglasses to provide protection for the eye. Moreover, what about that speck of dust that feels like a mountain? Is it not convenient that the hands can cup themselves and bring water to the eye to flush out the dirt or brush it out of the corner that the eyelids cannot move no matter how fast they blink? The hand is not a bad thing to have around after all.
There are far too many eyes or maybe the better expression is "I"s in the Body who are haughty and disdain any that are not like them in their greatness. They expect everyone to give them a hand while they bow to their cheers. They should take care for someone may give them a hand in a way that will bow them over in tears. Christ’s hands once held a scourge though they had come to give comfort, heal and express the teachings of the Word.
The head may have some wonderful ideas, but if it shoots the feet, it will not be able to bring them about because it cannot go anywhere but to the ground. In the resulting pain, it may also forget those great ideas. Many times those who think they are the heads are just headaches. Often they are just pains in the tail that managed a way to slide up the spine. Their position may have changed but not their effect on the Body. They are just like migraines. They make you sick in the stomach when you have them and they are very difficult to get rid of or keep under control. The Body that has these needs plenty of Dr. Jesus recommended Pray All Night® to call them out by morning. You literally have to bring these folks to the Head to end the pain.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
I mentioned the pinkie earlier and along with that let’s think of the thumb. Tape either one of these fingers to the next finger and see how difficult it is to get along without them. Yet, how much attention do we pay to them unless we cut them or smack them with a hammer? They are the littlest fingers, the more feeble, and yet they are very necessary. The same can be said for the big and little toes.
Tonsils seem feeble since we yank them out the first time they are sick. Although that has slowed some since science has caught up a little with God and found that they are more necessary than they thought and now they yank them less quickly.
We need to learn from that. We have some folks that appear to be feeble in the Body of Christ and we wish we could yank them out or do without them. They are often sickly in a spiritual sense and such a bother. We think the Body would be so much better off without them. Those folks are in the Body to see if the white cells are working properly and to see if our bowels of mercies are as tender as they should be. They have their purpose and one day, we may find they were not as feeble or useless as we thought and find that we were not functioning as well as we should have been.
I remember a brother once that came to church in an outdated suit, sneakers, and a ball cap. He lisped heavily when he said the church name and stuttered when he talked. If you gave him your address, he would write you letters. Those letters would be passages he copied out of the Bible. You see he could not read or write, but he could copy. He sent me those large printed letters for years after I left that church. He was a very kind man and everyone in the church loved him, especially the children. He looked like the twin of a college football coach. Folks would call him that name and he would smile broadly. He loved sports. He talked to everyone. He saw no color, age, or class. He just loved everybody. Lord, make us that are seemingly more gifted than this man, possess the simple love that he had.
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these
we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
In high school, a female classmate of mine observed that feet were ugly and so that was why she wore ugly shoes. She was a nice girl, but that seemed strange to me especially since she went to all kinds of measures to wear other attractive clothing and did the make up thing and all that. Using her logic, she should have used no make up because if she felt her face was not as attractive as she thought it should be she should have sought to leave it unattractive or to wear makeup to make her more unattractive. Then again, this was the sixties and logic was not our battle cry though we loved Mr. Spock. Mr. Spock, not Dr. Spock, for Dr. Spock was illogical or irrational to the point he should have been committed and not published, in my humble opinion. Society is still receiving punishment for listening to him.
We are certainly not like my classmate. We seek to make the less honorable parts more honorable. By spending as much time as we do on them we are giving them lots of honor. In the old days, there were parts of the body and functions that polite society just never spoke about. Now, those parts are either shown on TV or there are commercials for the remedies of the unmentionable areas and ailments.
Though they were unmentionable and in a sense dishonored or despised, they could not be ignored. Care was taken to keep the parts covered and cleaned and if you had an ailment, you could not ignore it. You gave it all the attention it needed to get it cured. You bestowed the honor of your time and by doing that made that part more honorable.
There are parts of Christ’s Body that some people want to consider less honorable and unmentionable. They do not measure up to some folks’ concepts of respectable Christianity. These may be new additions to the Body that have some traits that Christ has not removed from them yet or their attire is not classy enough. We want to put them in the back row or maybe we could start a mission church and send them there.
Careful! Spend time mentoring them in truth and not your tradition or class pride. Those that seem less honorable may take some of your time, but they may become greater saints than you are as Christ conforms them to His image and gifts them for their place in the Body.
They may seem less comely or attractive now, but if you spend as much time on them in prayer, teaching and encouragement as you spend on beautifying your own body’s uncomely parts you may soon see the more abundant beauty of the fullness of the Spirit in them. As they grow in the beauty of holiness that never fades, the glow will hide any physical scars they may have. They will become the most beautiful parts of the Body that you have ever seen in worship. (I Chron 16:29, II Chron 20:21, Psalm 29:2, Psalm 96:9)
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
If they ever passed out awards for the best looking preacher, I would have no chance of winning unless they placed me in the wrong age category. Then in the 95-100 year old class I might have a chance of coming in third since I am only 46. However, in the words of that legendary man of the sea, "I yams what I yams and that is all that I yams!"
I live in reality. I am a short, balding, fat guy and no one will ever mistake me for Brad Pitt. Elvis in his last years, maybe, but never a Brad Pitt twin. When folks start picking on the fat kids and get into insult throwing, I say, "Hey, you think I’m ugly? Then give me $10 and say thank you for it weren’t for us ugly folks you good lookin’ ones would be nobody." I also quote a little poem. "At beauty, I am not a great star. There are others more fair by far. But my face I don’t mind it because I am behind it. It’s the people out front that I jar." Thank you. Thank you very much.
By Hollywood and trendy magazine standards, I t’ain’t pretty, but God made me and He saved me and if He likes me as I am what does it matter if others do not? If I yield to Him, He will make me have that inner beauty we spoke of earlier and the rest will not matter.
You see God is a God of balance. Remember the manna? Those who had big families or appetites collected as much as they needed. Those who had small families and appetites did the same so that no one lacked. No one could hoard except for on the sixth day to take care of the Sabbath or the worms ate the stash and it stunk. Hmm, wonder if God will do the same thing to the Y2K stashes since He told us to trust Him for daily bread regardless of the year.
He also led the early Christians to love Him and each other so much that the rich sold their excess to distribute to the poor so that no one lacked. Hmm, we have not seen that much love in the Body for a long time. The strong are supposed to take care of the weak. Therefore, ye that are comely (or think you are) were put into the Body to minister to the not so comely. He relieved you of certain needs or burdens (the comely parts have no need) to free you to serve the not so comely parts and thus giving more honor to the part that lacked or has needs by your ministry.
God has commingled or tempered the Body together in this way. Yet, looking at it deeper the comely parts have needs provided for by the uncomely parts as well. Imagine if our bodies were inside out? Wow! Talk about uncomely!! Livers, gall bladders, and intestines are not the most beautiful things in the world, but I am sure glad that I have them.
OK, the skin, hair, teeth, and fronts of the eyeballs are the prettier parts. However, they are not there just for pretty. The skin protects the body and helps hold stuff in place. The greater percentage of the body is under the skin. The skin is really a very small percentage of the whole body. Oddly enough, we spend much more time nurturing that small percentage then we do the rest of the body.
Not only does it protect, but it helps form the various orifices we need for various functions and its pores help ventilate the body as well as helping to remove toxins from the body. However, let the rest of the body have a problem and it shows up in the skin. The other parts or the interior uncomely parts provide the nourishment for the skin to function. Doctors look into your eyes to see symptoms of what is going on in the body. Your teeth will give clues and even hair samples can tell us what is really going on in the body. Therefore, while the uncomely is dependent upon the comely the comely is dependent upon the uncomely!
If we all function in our place within Christ’s Body and not worry that we are not something else or care if we are considered comely or uncomely the Body will be healthy! It will accomplish what God wants to do through it because each cell, organ, and system is obedient and active! It is full of His life and His power!
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
God set it up this way so that there would be no schisms or divisiveness in the Body. The ear is not trying to rip itself off or the eye trying to find away of getting rid of the hand. The Body is united and must be so to live.
Yet, we must face the reality that the Body is divided into various denominations and that there is even division within those denominations. The right hands yells at the left because it is not as strong as it is and the right foot thinks the left is lame.
Partly, these things go on because we have neglected this doctrine of one Body for so long and have allowed emotions and carnal heads to amputate and maim. We have shot our wounded and quibbled over petty things. I can tell you that there are more Baptist congregations than there should be because some family in the church had more control than God did and color of carpet was more important than the Great Commission.
I know this because if I would compare doctrinal statements of every Baptist church of the same stripe there would be little if any difference. So, if they did not split over doctrine it most likely was over a carnal issue and it is to our shame that we waste God’s resources and manpower because we would not avail ourselves of His resources to walk in the Spirit and in unity.
The same thing happens in other denominations. I am a Baptist, so I have more experience in those types of churches, but my friends of other persuasions have told me some tales. Carnality is no respecter of denominations.
Sometimes, the divisions are really nothing more than using different bait for different fish. If I am trying to catch flounder, I will use different bait than if I am trying to catch bass. I cannot call the one that is bass fishing and using bass bait a moron because he is not using bait for flounder unless he is in a lake where there are no bass. Then I might question his sense of direction if there is a lake full of bass five miles down the road. I should then gently offer him directions.
Some people just cannot worship unless they are in a big, gaudy building with a pipe organ, stained glass and a fifty member robed choir singing songs that were written at least one hundred years ago and many even older. Personally, I think those big buildings are a waste of money and three-piece suits and choir robes do not do a thing for me. Different fish, different bait. They would think our church too plain, our music worldly, and our members without class. They’d be wrong, but then again, different fish, different bait.
As long as they are truly in the Body of Christ, we are not divided. They are just a different organ performing a different function. They work in their place and we work in ours. The lungs don’t go on field trips to see how the liver is doing and the pancreas doesn’t vacation behind the wisdom teeth for the view. In that sense, the parts of the human body function together without even being aware of the other parts. We may not picnic together or worship together, but we are still the Body of Christ.
This is probably a good place for me to say that I am not an ecumenist. You cannot sacrifice truth for unity. We are enjoined to test the spirits in I John 4. We are also given the parables of the wheat and the tares and the foolish and wise virgins. Not everyone naming the name of Christ or even doing miracles in His name is part of the true Body. (Matt 7:21-23) Paul even said that the devil would appear as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness. (2 Cor 11:14,15) Therefore there must be great discernment especially in these last days when we were warned that many would come working great signs that would be so wondrous that IF it were possible they would deceive the very elect. (Matthew 24:24)
Luther said, "Peace if possible, but truth at any rate." We cannot deny the principle, foundational, or fundamental doctrines of the church for the sake of unity. We are not even to wish Godspeed to those who do not hold the doctrine of Christ or we are partakers of their evil deeds. John plainly states that they have not God.
(2 John 9-11)
If they have not God, they are not of the Body and are therefore leeches and parasites. We must avoid them. We must be constantly on guard for they will invade the Body. White cells permeating the Body with truth will usually clean them out, but at times they overwhelm a local body or even a denomination and then we are to come out from among them and seek a local body or a denomination that is not dying. We are to let the dead bury the dead and move on.
This message of unity is for the true Body of Christ. We must stop the senseless fighting amongst ourselves. We must quit the childish name calling, and the prideful assertion that we are the only ones left. Let us learn from Elijah’s mistake. (I Kings 19:14,18) We must accept each part of the Body for what they are and rejoice in the fact that God can work with other sheep that are not of our fold.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
The forces of evil are united. The Body of Christ should even more so because as verse 26 states when one member suffers, we all suffer. If someone cuts your left arm the right one does not rejoice and say, "Yeah! You deserved that because you are not as strong as I am!" Your body is jumping up and down because of pain and not of joy.
When we beat on each other and shoot ourselves in the feet, we are hurting the whole body in ways that we do not know. We give victory to the devil. We lose souls to Hell and sheep to the world or to the infirmary. Our mission is hindered. Worse yet, we are slapping our head!
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (KJV)
Christ is the Head of the Body! Who are we to tell Him how He should use His own Body? He knows what size muscles He wants and whether He wants to use the left hand for one purpose and the right for another or both in same manner. He is the Head. The Body is to response to the commands sent from the Head and not to tell the head what to do. He and He only, is to have the preeminence. Stop slapping your Head!
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. (KJV)
Praise Him that by His grace and sacrifice that you are part of the Body of Christ! However, you are members in particular or a member with a specific portion or task within the Body. If you are a hand, then seek to be hand of Christ and give all you can, lift up all those you can, hug all you can, teach all you can, lead all you can by your hand to Him. If you are an eye then be sure that you are in proper connection to the Head. Then what you see will be what He sees and then convey that to the Body so that it can rejoice, mourn, go, stop, or be warned of the conditions that lie around it. If you are a foot, then be strong and steadfast to support the Body as it goes about its Christ life. If you are the head of the local body than be very, very sure that you are submissive and in contact with the true Head of the body and do not seek to replace His preeminence in the church. You will lead the Body astray and place yourself in a position of requiring brain surgery to correct your ego.
The bottom line is keep looking up to you Head and listen for His commands. Love Him. Love His Body because you are loving yourself and promoting health in the Body. Lost friend, bring yourself to the Head of the Body for salvation and the Holy Spirit will place you in that Body that will never die and neither will you. Seek Him! He is waiting with open arms and eyes full of love!
