Churchy Words - Fellowship
The Unity of the Body
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and mall were made to drink of one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
Today, we celebrated the new life of these kids in Christ through baptism. The ordinance of baptism is a physical rite that demonstrates the spiritual reality of their new life. The old self is buried, just as Christ was buried, and the new life rises out of the water, just as Christ was risen. Each baptism carries forward the truth of Christ, and is in the same theme that we see throughout Scripture. From death, life emerges. It is a tale as old as the Fall. Though we find ourselves in a land corrupted by death, life is on the way.
One day, Christ will return and restore this world into a life-giving and life-dominating world. Death will be no more, and sin will be no more. Likewise, the divisions and factions that we see in this world will be no more. People will no longer desire dominance or power because sin will no longer have its appeal.
Today, we get to be a people that celebrate and lift up this story and truth. No matter the family background, the country, ethnicity, or whatever else we use to divide people, those of us who belong to Christ, who have been baptized into His Name, we are One People.
Through Christ, we are all made one people, baptized into one body empowered by the one Holy Spirit.
The Diversity of the Body
For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
1 Corinthians 12:14-20
When we come to Christ, we do not lose all our differences. God did not make us to all look and sound the same. Later, Paul will list some of the different gifts of the Spirit to highlight how those differences are put to use.
For now, let’s simply focus on the fact that God desires us to image Him differently. Again, Paul’s remarks here in Corinthians have their roots in the Old Testament. From the very beginning, God created variety in this world—a variety of fish in the sea, a variety of birds in the air, a variety of beasts in the fields, and even a variety of lights in the sky. It is no wonder, then, God creates humanity in His Image, and that image displays in variety. For the first humans, they are created male and female. Both male and female are required to image the Almighty.
These images then begat children who also share in imaging God. When Eve gives birth to Seth, it is said that Seth was “in his own likeness, after his image” (Gen 5:3). Now, if you have ever made copies of copies of anything, you know eventually the copies are not quite as good as the original. Eventually the craftsman has to go back to the original template or mold. I believe this earthly phenomenon has spiritual implications. If we want to truly image God, we have to return to the original. But that original wouldn’t be Adam, we have a better image—Jesus Christ. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and so if we want to be like God, we go to Him.
Now, what does this have to do with the Body of Believers? Though each of us are deficient in imaging God in some way, together we can do it better. It is the same idea as a healthy marriage. The man will bring his strengths and weaknesses to the marriage, and the woman will do the same. Together, they learn how to live as God designed them by leaning on each other’s strengths and learning how to overcome the weaknesses.
Within the body of believers, we can do the same. God has given each of us a set of strengths, and those are for the benefit of the whole body. The church can never be built on the back of a single person—or even a handful of people. Each person God brings through the door is here to help the whole body. Likewise, each person that comes in the door has a set of baggage and weaknesses that the body can help them unload or overcome.
Consider the baseball player. When swinging a bat, the player must see where and when to swing. The arms must swing. The hands must grip the bat tightly. The feet must plant themselves in the dirt, and after the ding of the hit, those legs have to get moving. Everything is coordinated by the head.
The diversity of the body of Christ is a blessing to the Church when the Church allows the Head of the Body, Jesus Christ, to coordinate its work.
The Interdependence of Each Other
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
1 Corinthians 12:21-26
God does not call us to uniformity. We are an eclectic collection of misfits brought together through Christ our Savior. Again, these differences are actually for our benefit. One person’s strengths help another’s weaknesses. Each member of the Body of Christ needs the other.
Sometimes we put more importance on some members because of their title, their status, or some other such quality. Usually the quality has to do with putting them in front of others—the guy on stage or the one “running the show.” While we don’t want to demean these people (they are needed, too), we shouldn’t elevate them to the neglect of the members who serve “behind the scenes.”
We need the nursery worker, the custodian, the bookkeeper, and the guy who takes care of all the needs no one wants to touch—i.e. the plumber. What happens when no one takes out the trash?
Even more than roles, God has gifted us with different personalities in order to shape us into the people we need to be. Some have more merciful demeanors, and they are needed to smooth out the rough edges of those who are more justice-minded. Yes, sometimes these personalities will clash, but in those times of conflict is when we can seek the Lord together to determine the right course of action.
It is a difficult phenomenon to describe to those who haven’t experienced it, but there is something freeing in learning to lean into conflicts and annoyances. Rather than looking at them as something to be avoided, it is better to ask “What is God trying to teach me?”. Now, don’t misunderstand, they still aren’t ‘fun times,’ but we can learn something through these times.
One of the things I’ve learned is flexibility. 2 Timothy 4:2 tells us to be ready to preach in season and out of season. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to be prepared to give a defense for our faith. While there is no single verse that says, “be ready to deal with conflict,” I’m pretty sure it’s implied with the number of verses that deal with our relationships to each other. And so, if someone has interrupted my plans for the day, I can get all hot and bothered about it, or I can see it as an opportunity to bless the person. In doing so, 9 times out of 10, I am blessed too.
As church leaders, we must never disregard what someone brings to the church. If we judge with our eyes, then we will miss what God is doing. As members of the church, it is the same. We will miss the opportunity to be a blessing and to be blessed if we are quick to dismiss another.
Leaning into and celebrating diversity in the body of Christ will lead to a blessed body.
What is your part in the Body?
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
1 Corinthians 12:27-31
The “more excellent way” is the way of love that Paul will describe in chapter 13. Jesus said the world would know us by our love for one another. One of the ways we love one another is by helping each other find our gifts and allowing each other to put those gifts to work.
God has appointed roles and gifts in order to edify and strengthen the church. Not everyone can be in one of these categories, but everyone can support those who perform these roles. This particular list isn’t the only one in Scripture concerning spiritual gifts. Similar lists are also in Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, and Ephesians 4:11 (though this one is more of a list of offices).
If you are unsure of your gifts, there are tests out there. None of the tests are official, per se, but they can at least point you in a direction. It’s also worth noting that gifts can change over time. As God moves in your life, you may find yourself needing a different set of gifts than before, and so God provides. The point of learning and using your gifts is to grow in maturity and in service. It’s not necessarily like a personality test or making sure you’re in the right Hogwarts house.
More so, when we put our gifts to work, when we see people blessed, encouraged, held accountable, and the church becomes a gathering of godly people, the world sees the power of the Gospel. They see an eclectic bunch of people, whom the world says can’t get along, actually get along and thrive. And that is ultimately what true fellowship is.
True fellowship is a testimony to an unbelieving world to the power of the Gospel.