The Body of Christ

INTRO

In the early to mid 1980’s, I was probably a typical suburban teenage boy.  My hair was fairly long.  I liked heavy metal music.  Posters of Bruce Lee and others were on my wall.  I longed for an identity, a purpose, and the meaning of life.   Through my fascination and involvement with the martial arts, I began reading and believing in the writings of Taoism, Zen Buddhism, and ultimately the Occult.  However, I was also heavily involved in the Boy Scouts, which promoted morality, ethics, character, and faith.  As my exposure to darkness increased, I became more and more aware of a struggle within me, as if I had to make a life choice about which direction to go.  I still remember the day I saw this Gregory Hines movie in which his character said to Chevy Chase, “I’m getting out of the  [black market] business.  I’ve decided to give my life to Jesus Christ.”  Then it hit me.  I understood then that complete surrender was what was important.  My days of dabbling were over.  I sought out a church and within that community committed my life to Christ.  I put behind me the sin of self-styled religion, and joined myself to a local Body of Believers.    I learned there that we are all on a journey, yet none of us were called to walk alone.  

Today I'd like to speak to you about THE BODY OF CHRIST.   

DEFINITION

To begin, I first ask, “What is the Body of Christ?” Loosely interpreted, we use this phrase to mean Christ’s representatives.  Anyone who has submitted to and committed himself to Jesus Christ is part of His body.  In a sense, you as an individual are His body, as would be your household.  In fact, we can even say that Christians everywhere around the world are the universal Body of Christ.  But most often we use this term to describe the local body of believers in what is called the church. 
But let us consider these two terms a little further.

BODY: The body is a fusion of muscles, bones, blood and various organs.  Every one of us has a body, which houses our spirit, but we are different from one another, especially in the face.  In the same way, every local church may look a little different, yet all are still a local body, filled with God’s Holy Spirit. 

CHRIST:  The Christ, or Messiah, was the Anointed One.  That means the Old Testament prophets foresaw one who was to come who was set apart, or anointed, for a particular purpose as part of God’s plan of redemption.  In the same way, every individual Christian and every local body of believers has a purpose to fulfill.

  

PURPOSE OF THE BODY OF CHRIST

Now, let us consider the purpose of the Christ, for in doing so, we will understand the purpose of the Church. There were three major offices in ancient Israel: The prophet, the priest, and the King.  Within the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah, we find this imagery.  So the Messiah would be an anointed prophet (like Moses), priest (like Malchizedech), and king (like David).  A fourth prophetic image is that He would be an anointed Servant (like Joseph).  Let us consider these four images: 

1.  The Prophet: The prophet was to speak to men on behalf of God.  Jesus did this, and this is one of our purposes too.  We have been entrusted with the Words of Life [hold up Bible], and we are called to encourage one another with these words, proclaim these words to the world, and teach these words diligently to our children.  In a world of darkness, we as Christ’s representatives, are the Light.  We need not dress in camel hair and eat locusts like John the Baptizer, but each of us has a prophetic responsibility to speak the Truth in a world of lies.  How about yourself?  How are you doing in this area? 

2. The Priest:  The priest’s job was to speak to God on behalf of men.  Jesus did this, and this too is one of our purposes as His Body.  He pleaded with the Father that the Church would be in unity, and He is descried by the apostle John as our advocate before the Father even now.  Likewise we are called and anointed to intercede, to pray, for the needs of people everywhere, even our enemies.  We may not wear special clothes, or have special titles like the priests of old, yet the New Covenant makes every believer a priest.  As such, we each have a priestly duty as the Body of Christ should be a house of prayer.  How about you?  When was the last time you prayed for someone else’s need?  Do you pray for your enemies?  How about those you don’t get along with? 

3. The King:  The Kings of Israel reigned as God’s representative ruler, as did the Judges before them.  Jesus reigns as the King of Kings, and as His disciples, the New Testament says that the Body of Christ will one day reign and rule with Him.  One New Testament writer asks, “Do you not know that one day we will judge angels?”  In other words, the Body of Christ is called to social action, to stand against injustice in the world, and to promote righteousness in society to the best of our ability.  We should remember though that our purpose is to be a just people in the present age, not to conquer. How about yourself?  Do you take advantage of our liberties and vote?  Do you shirk opportunities to help people reconcile, or do you just leave it alone, since its “their problem”?  Sometimes, their problem is our opportunity to see God work in our midst.  Let’s not leave our culture and society to itself, but represent Christ as we are salt and light in this world. 

4.  The Servant:  Bad things happened to Joseph, yet God used those things bring about good.  Jesus suffered for us, and He told us that if we follow Him we would suffer too.  Still we are called to serve with the heart of Jesus and his ancestor Joseph.  The Body of Christ is not a warehouse for the saints, but a training institute for servants.  The goal of going to a worship “service” is to learn how to serve.  How about yourself? Have you seen a need and ignored it?  A lifelong list of opportunities is out there of endless needs you yourself can meet.  As Jesus is the Suffering Servant, the Body of Christ is also called to serve.         

PARTICIPATION IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

Each of us has a part to play in putting into action the purpose of our calling.  Consider the words of the Apostle Paul, 

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have all the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.(Romans 12:4-5) 

Paul then goes on to describe potential gifts that you may be entrusted with: Exhorting or prophesying, teaching, serving, giving, leading, and showing mercy.   This is not a complete list of everything physically possible that you can do.  For example, in my 20+ years as a Christian I have served in numerous ways in churches, but each role I was in was never independent from the rest of God’s people.  I’ve been involved in churches as few as 6 and as large as 2000, but regardless of size, there are always opportunities for your participation.  You too can find somewhere to serve.  Even when it is not your area of giftedness, it will still produce fruit if done unto the Lord.  Rather than being a cynic, endeavor to be a servant in your local church and in your community.  Together we can make a difference for the cause of Christ. 

CONCLUSION

As the old saying goes, “No man is an island unto himself”.  Self-styled religion, Lone Ranger Christianity, and rejection of organized religion are all pitfalls to experiencing the benefits of being part of a local body of people committed to Jesus Christ.  Sending your money off to the guy on TV may be a nice thing to do, but don’t expect a visit from him while you’re in the hospital.   I mentioned that I had served in various ways over the years within the church, but what I didn’t mention is how many times I myself have been served by the Body of Christ.  Let me close with just one of many stories I could tell. 

In 2003 I began to experience strange neurological problems: My left side going numb, inability to speak or stuttering, falling down uncontrollably, and extreme fatigue.  I was diagnosed with a neurological disorder that was related to migraines.  The end result was that I was unable to work, lost my job, ended up in bankruptcy, was useless around the house, fell into deep depression, and felt worthless as a man.  Most of all, I was frustrated with God.   In the Spring of 2004 I was invited to go on the Walk to Emmaus by dear friends.  I had begun to experience improvement but was still unable to work.  I wondered what I was doing there, but at one point it all became clear.  I realized that I was mad at God for what He had put me through.  I was focused on DOING the work of God, but had taken my eyes off BEING His handiwork. 

I repented from my anger as I experienced an outpouring of love and support from the Body of Christ, both in my local congregation and in the Emmaus community.  Through this process I eventually regained my health enough that I was able to soon return to full-time work.  I could have not made it through the fire alone, for it was the Body of Christ, in action, that held me up and walked through the fire with me.  Through this and numerous other ways, it was the Body of Christ that made all the difference.  I pray that you too will experience His hands and Feet as well. God bless you !