One of the problems many evangelical churches face today is that they have so emphasized the doctrine of the priesthood of believers they have lost their sense of corporate identity. Too many Christians think they stand alone before God and that they are not accountable to the church. It is true that
Christians do have direct access to God. They only need to go through Christ as their Mediator. I can, through the work of the Holy Spirit, understand the Word of God for myself. However, God created the church as His redemptive agent in the world. He has a purpose for the church. God places every member in a church to accomplish His redemptive purposes through that church. So, though each believer has direct access to God and is personally accountable for himself to God; we each, nevertheless, have a connection to one another and a responsibility for one another in the body of Christ. Rather than being independent, God has made us mutually interdependent.
Therefore, what God is doing in and through the church is essential to my knowing how to respond to Him. Where I see Him working in the church, I need to adjust and put my life there.
In our passage for today, Paul speaks of the church as being the body of Christ. In so doing, he tells us how the church is supposed to function. He shares with us what we might call, "Four Laws of Function" whereby we can each relate to one another so that we can all know and do God’s will.
Law #1: We must each accept our responsibility - vs. 15-16
Each of us has a responsibility within the life of the church. We are to do more than simply come on Sunday and "punch our spiritual time card." We each have a place of responsibility to fulfill and a contribution we can make. Yes, there are certain things all of us are expected to participate in: prayer, worship, evangelism, attendance, giving, etc.; but there are also things that God expects of us that are unique to whom we are. The degree to which we refuse to accept our responsibility within our church will determine the degree to which our church is less than what God can use to carry out His purposes.
’Sez I to myself, as I grumbled and growled, ’I’m sick of my church’, and then how I scowled. ’The members unfriendly, the sermons too long; In fact, it seems that everything’s wrong. I don’t like the singing; the church - a disgrace, For signs of neglect are all over the place. I’ll quit going there, and won’t give a dime: I can make better use of my money and time. Then my conscience sez to me, sez he, "The trouble with you is, you’re too blind to see That your church reflects you, whatever it be. Now come, pray, and serve cheerfully; Stop all your faultfinding and boost it up strong; You’ll find you’ll be happy and proud to belong. Be friendly, be willing, and sing as you work, For churches are not built by members who shirk."
Law #2: We must each accept our limitations - vs. 17-18
While we must each accept our responsibility within the life of the church, at the same time, we must each accept the fact that God did not intend nor equip us to do everything.
One pastor said that his church was filled with willing members - 20% were willing to work, and 80% were willing to let them.
Too often, the church suffers from members who will not do their part; but also, they can also suffer from members who will not let others do their part.
As members of the body of Christ, we can be compared to pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece has protrusions and indentations. The protrusions represent our strengths (gifts, talents, abilities), and the indentations represent our weaknesses (limitations, shortcomings, undeveloped areas). But the neat thing is that the pieces complement one another and produce a beautiful whole. Just as each piece of a puzzle is important, so each member of the body of Christ is important. Just as, when one piece is missing from the puzzle, its absence is very obvious and damages the picture, so also is the whole weakened when we are absent from the body of Christ.
Just as, when each piece of a puzzle is in place, any one piece is not conspicuous but blends in to form the whole picture, so it should be in the body of Christ.
One of the things that can hinder the health and halt the growth of a church is for there to be an unwillingness to open up opportunities for folks to get involved in service. That’s why the most important statistic in the life of a church is not necessarily the "nickels & noses" but the "new folks involved in ministry." When a church gives priority to leading people to become meaningfully involved in the life of their church, the "nickels & noses" will take care of themselves. Therefore, those who are already involved must recognize their limitations and allow for the involvement of others.
Law #3: We must each honor the other - vs. 19-23
Here Paul says that we should have respect for one another because each of us is needed, whether we realize it or not. Though I may not see my heart beating, that doesn’t mean that I would want to try to get along without it! We need to each honor the other for the contribution to the life of the body that they can make.
In any flesh-and-bones body, there are a variety of cells. There are nerve cells, blood cells, muscle cells, and many others, each having a distinct function. The body operates smoothly, not because the cells get together and voted on what to do, but because each one does what it was designed to do. It is the function of the head to bring all these different functions together, so that the body operates effectively as each cell gives itself to the task of functioning according to its design.
Certainly the body would not operate properly if its cells chose to go their own way. Do you know what we call a rebellion of the cells of your stomach? We call it indigestion! A revolt of your brain cells is called insanity. Any time the cells in our body don’t operate properly, it means that the body is sick, that something is wrong.
Many of problems in the church today are a result of our forgetting that the church is a body with a head, Jesus Christ. He has determined that each of us is needed within the body. Therefore, what we each need to do is look to Him to show us our proper role within the church.
Every member of the body must be encouraged, and appreciated for what they can do within the life of the church. There is no contribution that is unimportant and there is no member of the body that is insignificant.
Law #4: We must each be aware of the other - vs. 24-26
If you fell and severely injured your wrist, it would swell up and become very painful. The rest of your body might feel so bad about it that it would sit up all night to keep it company!
This is what Paul says the body of Christ should do. When one member hurts, all should hurt; and all should respond. If there is a place where people care, it should be the church, and if our church is going to be this kind of fellowship, it is up to each of us. Consider the "one another" commands in the Bible: Love one another. - John 13:34; Be devoted to one another. - Romans 12:10; Live in harmony with one another. - Romans 12:16; Accept one another. - Romans 15:7; Instruct one another. - Romans 15:14; Serve one another. - Galatians 5:13; Bear with one another. - Ephesians 4:2; Be kind and compassionate to one another. - Ephesians 4:32; Submit to one another. - Ephesians 5:21; Admonish one another. - Colossians 3:16; Encourage one another.- 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Spur one another on toward love and good deeds. - Hebrews 10:24.
None of these commands is given to any special person to fulfill (like the pastor), but to each of us! In fact, as we study the Scriptures, we find that the pastor isn’t hired by the church to do it’s work, but rather, he is called by God to equip the saints so they might carry out the ministry!
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ From him the -whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” - Ephesians 4:11-15 (NIV)
First, I want you to notice that God not only calls us to pursue individual Christ-likeness (Romans 8:29), but He also calls us to pursue congregational Christ-likeness by making sure I doing my part within the body of Christ.
Second, note what Paul said will happen if we are involved in the life of the church as we should be. He says that we will “no longer be . . . tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there."
This kind of assurance of God’s will and direction comes to us only as we are functioning within the body of Christ as God calls us to.
Conclusion; Since this is the case, how does one find their place of service and ministry within their church? Well, apart from the body, you cannot fully know God’s will for your relationship to the body. Without the eye the hand does not know where to touch. Without the ear the rest of the body may not know when or how to respond. So I need to look and listen to see where there might be a need within my church. Now, the need does not constitute a call. The need, however, should not to be ignored.
Once I am aware of needs within my church, I should then go to the Lord in prayer, consider the wisdom revealed through His Word, consider my circumstances, and seek the counsel of others within the body. What you will find is that a number of things begin to line up. What you are hearing from the Bible and prayer and circumstances and the church will begin to say the same thing. Then you can proceed with confidence.
This same procedure applies to discerning God’s will for my life outside the church as well. In discerning God’s will, I should pray, look to God’s Word, consider my circumstances, and seek out godly counsel through my church. But if I am going to be in God’s will for my life, I must understand that it is impossible to be in God’s will without being involved in the way God wants me to be involved in my church.
When I am not involved in my church, I am condemning myself to be "tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there."
1. Seek God’s guidance in joining a church.
2. Seek God’s guidance in serving through your church.
3. Seek God’s guidance through the wise council available in your church.
