Monday, October 27, 2008
Session62: Christ and The Church
Body parts? Which one are you? Are you a leg? an arm? the little finger? the BIG toe? the tongue? the feet? One thing is for sure, it takes all parts for the church to be what God intended it to be. I am so thankful that we are not all "legs" or all "arms." God makes us all different and diverse in order to be used by Him. His Church is a glorious church. I am so glad just to be a part of it. Different backgrounds in denominations, different home environments, different education backgrounds, whatever the difference He still chooses to use His church to do the work of ministry. One particular church that I know of has a huge sign hanging over the front door that reads: "It's all about JESUS!" That is what going to church and being the church should be about. But, at the present time, selfish desires and pride have infiltrated within this fellowship and now it is not about Jesus but about "self." God forbid that this should ever happen in our lives. Keep Jesus as the chief cornerstone and let Him use you as a simple part of the body. Ephesians 5: 27 reads "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Think about this: Where do wrinkles come from? Decay on the inside. Where do spots come from? This is done from the outside. We should deal with the decay on the inside in order that the world would not be able to cast stones at the church from the outside. Let's not give the lost any excuse to call us hypocrites. We must deal with sin in our personal walk with God in order to be without blemish so we can go outside the four walls of the building and be the holy church He has called us to be.
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2 comments:
Crystal Gill said ... I know when I think of the body parts of the church I can see in years past where I have been an arm, an ear, and sometimes maybe one of two kidneys --you could live without me. God has shown me that things that I thought were impossible are possible with him in control. I never would have seen myself teaching Sunday School given that I am shy and used to be very, very shy but now with God's help I am. The same goes for my husband who was also shy in high school and now is a great preacher. I think it is important to take a leap of faith and realize that all body parts are needed sometimes God needs you to be the ear just to listen to someone's problems or the heart to show love for someone who needs love, or a arm to reach out to those in need. In our busy lives it seems we get so caught you in ourselves that we don't see what is in front of us. I have several coworkers that do not go to church and are in need of many things --one of them being a relationship with God. I have set a goal for myself to invite each one of them to Harvest Fest. Many of them are going through so really trying times I pray that God will help them see the way and that we can be the arms that reach out to them and make them feel welcome at FBCS.
Hey -- where are the rest of the fingers to type of this blog?
Just thinking about the body of Christ brings to mind the complexity of creation. Did you know that our own individual bodies are made up of billions of cells all put together by the Creator? There are more cells in the human body than there are people in the world! All of them work together for the common goal of exalting Him. Some other interesting facts about the human body are listed are……………………………..
1) Our blood is circulated through about 60,000 miles of capillaries to reach each part of the body. If stretched end to end they would reach around earth about seven times.
2) We have an amazing pump that never gets tired, never rest, and automatically pumps about 1400 gallons of blood each day.
3) We have over 200 bones in our body that are not only responsible for supporting our body, but miraculously manufactures blood.
4) We have over 600 muscles in our bodies, and along with ligaments, tendons, joints etc., they allow us to move with delicate precision.
5) We have a nervous system that is more complex than all of the phone and data systems in the entire world combined. Nerve impulses zip from our head to our feet more than 30 times per second.
6) Our brain is the most sophisticated computer ever made. Its very operation is still a larger mystery than UFO’s, Big Foot, or Chupa-cabra ! (ask my boys)
God made the human body in such a wonderful way. He also made another wonderful body. It’s called body of Christ. Ephesians 1:22-23 teaches us that the Church (believers) make up His body. Yes, the Church is the body of Christ! Who is the Head? (see verse 22) Alright now that we know who the body is, and who the Head is, please note the following statements regarding the body, the Head, and the relationship between the two.
1) There is one body, but many members.
2) We become a member when we accept Christ as Lord and Savior. (regardless of service or function)
3) Each member is living. (the Holy Spirit live within us, so we are alive in Christ)
4) The Head is in charge of the operations of the body. ( this requires obedience)
5) Not every member has the same gifts or function. ( if you don’t know yours, ask the Head)
6) Every member is necessary and important. ( that’s convicting)
7) Every member, whether healthy or sick affects the whole body. (are you affecting the body in a positive way?)
8) When the body is hurting the Head feels it.
9) The body must stay healthy.
I’ll conclude with the following illustration.
A typewriter (those dinosaurs we had before computers) that works well must have all of its keys functional. Someone once typed this message.
-My typxwritxr works quitx wxll xxcxpt for onx of the kxys. Our Church is somxwhat likx that! Not all the kxy peoplx are working propxrly. You may say, “Wxll I am only onx pxrson. I want makx or brxak thx Church.” But, it doxs makx a diffxrxncx, bxcausx to be xffxctivx, a Church nxxds the activx participation of XVXRY mxmbxr!
Doxs XVXRYONE gxt thx mxssagx?
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