We Are The Body?
Romans 12:3ff
Introduction:
Have you ever been to a church where you didn’t feel welcome? You went in and looked around the foyer area and no one greets you. You proceed through the doors into the sanctuary and find yourself a seat in the back row and begin to prepare yourself for the worship time. People come filing in and many are talking with one another, because it seems they all know each other, but still, no one offers a hand to be shaken or says hello. As you look around, you even notice some making eye contact with you and when they notice you seeing them, they turn away quickly or pretend they are looking beyond you at something else. The service goes by and when it is done, you linger around for a while in the foyer area again, reading some of the bulletin boards to see what things the church is involved with and still no one says boo to you. Finally you leave, feeling a bit slighted, and tell yourself you will never visit this church again.
Now let me ask you this… has that ever happened here?
I pray not. I know since I have been here, I don’t believe that has happened. The thing is, it is usually the same people who make sure to say hello or welcome new visitors. Granted, not every one of us will be taking part in making each & every visitor feel welcome when they come in the doors. Although, it is not a bad idea to at least make an effort. Even more, though, we all need to be aware of what gift(s) God has given to us, and begin exercising them. Like anything that can get rusty or run down from not being used enough, we can get the same way if we do not put into practice the gift(s) which God has given to each of us. He has given them to us for a reason. The end result is, that God be glorified through our lives. We are the body.
We all need to understand why this is so important. There are actually churches like the one I described a moment ago. Churches where visitors are treated like lower class citizens. They get ignored, looked at funny, and even judged if someone knows who they are and what lies in their past. Some people get overlooked because they aren’t as outspoken, but have a gentle, quiet spirit about them. It even happens in the body itself among the believers. We need to get out of that mentality if we are stuck there, and learn to move beyond it.
Let me share a story that illustrates the attitude of certain churches out there. It is more common than you may think.
One Sunday morning nine-year-old Joshua decided to skip church and go for a long walk. His mother frequently told him that if he skipped church, he would miss a chance to see Jesus. But Joshua had been going to church his whole life and had never seen Jesus there before, so he didn’t think he’d be missing much. Besides, his church was an old, small, run-down building—just a little too confining for his desire to run and play.Joshua’s walk took him across the railroad tracks in town for the first time in his life. He noticed that the houses on the other side of the tracks were much bigger and much nicer than any in the poor neighborhood where he lived.A few blocks later Joshua found himself in front of the biggest, most beautiful church he had ever seen. The steeple alone seemed as tall as a mountain. As he got closer, the big church bells stopped ringing and the last people filed in from the parking lot. They all had nice cars and wore nice clothes. He didn’t see any people from his side of the tracks going to this church. “This must be the church where Jesus goes,” Joshua told himself. “It’s so big and nice.” As he walked closer, he could hear the music coming from inside. He remembered hearing his mother talk about how angels sing to Jesus in heaven. “Wow!” said Joshua as he listened to the choir. “I’ll bet those are angels singing to Jesus!”He walked up the steps, through the big front doors, and into the spacious lobby. He continued through another set of doors and entered the sanctuary. It was the biggest room he had ever seen. “This must be where Jesus is!” Joshua whispered to himself.He noticed an empty seat a few rows from the back, so he sat down to scan the crowd, so he could find Jesus. The choir stopped singing and a large man in a black suit tapped Joshua on the shoulder. The man leaned down and asked Joshua if he could speak with him outside.In the lobby, the man asked, “Son, where do you live?”Joshua answered, “Well, if you go down the hill, take a left at the corner, cross the railroad tracks, and head down that street a few more blocks, that’s where I live.”“And where are your parents?” the man asked.“They’re probably at church right now,” Joshua replied.“Well, son, don’t you think it would be better for you to go to your parents’ church today?”“But I saw this church, and I knew Jesus was here,” Joshua said. “So I came to see him!”“Well, son, I think it would be best if you were to run along home and go see Jesus in your own church in your own neighborhood,” the man said. “You really can’t stay here.”Realizing what the man was trying to do, Joshua got upset. “You just don’t want me to see Jesus!” he yelled as he turned and ran out the big doors leading to the street.Sobbing as he returned home, Joshua shouted, “God, it isn’t fair! All I wanted to do was see Jesus, and they wouldn’t let me in!”Joshua shuffled along, staring at the sidewalk through his tears. Suddenly he heard footsteps behind him and felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, wiped his eyes, and stared in amazement.It was Jesus!The Lord smiled at Joshua, gave him a big hug, and said, “Don’t be too upset, my son. They wouldn’t let me in there either.”
I wonder how many churches out there cause Jesus to feel like He’s not welcome, nor are His teachings. Many churches are guilty of living by their own traditions and being led by human leadership only & leaving out the true head of the church. We are the body, but our leader is the head of this body, which is Jesus Christ
Romans 12:3 – 5
Ro 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
Ro 12:4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
Ro 12:5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
In verses 4-5, in order to offset the danger of individualistic thinking with its resulting danger of pride, Paul refers to the human body--an illustration familiar from his earlier use of it in 1Co 12, which we will look at in a moment. Three truths are set forth: the unity of the body; the diversity of its members, with corresponding diversity in function; and the mutuality of the various members--"each member belongs to all the others." The third item calls attention to the need of the various parts of the body for each other. None can work independently. Furthermore, each member profits from what the other members contribute to the whole. Reflection on these truths reduces the preoccupation with one’s own gift and makes room for appreciation of other people and their gifts.
Paul goes onto say in 1 Corinthians 12:12 –
1Co 12:12 The 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.
1Co 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
1Co 12:14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
1Co 12:15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
1Co 12:16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
1Co 12:18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
1Co 12:19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
1Co 12:20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
1Co 12:21 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!”
1Co 12:22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
1Co 12:23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,
1Co 12:24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
1Co 12:25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.
1Co 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1Co 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
14-20 Paul now emphasizes the necessity of having diversity in a body for it to operate as one. Each part (such as the eye or the ear) must be willing to perform its own function and not seek to function in a role for which it was not made. The whole body cannot be a single part, or it would not be a functioning body. So it is with the church. Members with one gift should not reject that gift and complain that they do not have some other gift. The apostles were to function as apostles, the elders as elders (1Pe 5:5), the deacons as deacons (Ac 6:1-6), the greeters as greeters, worship leaders as worship leaders, teachers as teachers, and so on.
The logic of v.17 is compelling: no body can function as all seeing, all hearing, or all smelling. So for the church to function properly, it must have different gifts and offices. In vv.18-20 Paul brings the believers back to the sovereign purposes of God. It is God who has organized the human body in the way he wants it, and it is the same with the church; according to his will, its many parts should function as one body--the body of Christ.
Let me read a few more passages to highlight this point:
Ro 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Ro 15:5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,
Ro 15:6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ro 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Eph 4:3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—
Eph 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
Eph 4:6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Phil 2:2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
Phil 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Phil 2:4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
1Pe 3:8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
Conclusion:
We have to remember, that we here at the KCC are a part of the body of Christ. It is Him whom we represent, and it is Him whom we want the world to know. We have a responsibility to let others know who Jesus Christ is. One of the most compelling ways we can demonstrate this is by truly living out our lives remembering that we are not alone, but we are to be working cooperatively with one another here and with the church worldwide. Still, we are here for a purpose. We live in this area, we come to worship with this particular local body at KCC, to serve the purposes of God. To fulfill His will for our lives.
We could do this wherever we live, but it is here that we are, and we need to take this responsibility seriously. We must put aside our differences and work together for the benefit of the Kingdom. Remember the challenge last week? To Seek first His Kingdom. We are Kingdom people, all a part of the same family. The same body. Let us make the decision today, to make an effort to find out what our gift(s) are & put them to use. May we also remember these things, as we continue to see new faces coming through the doors here at KCC. Making sure that they feel welcomed & can truly see we are the body.
