The Body of Christ, and You

1 Corinthians 12:27

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”[1]

M

any Christians know what the Bible teaches, but this knowledge does not necessarily mean that we who bear the Name of the Master eagerly embrace the instruction of the Word. Thoroughly indoctrinated in the mindset of the world, modern Christians frequently resist divine truth in order to do what “feels” right. We are certain that personal desire is the final arbiter of the validity and veracity of both attitudes and actions. Personal comfort is of greater importance in determining what we do than is obedience to Him who calls us to life. Thus, our actions and attitudes often demonstrate that the teaching of the Word concerning the Body of Christ is poorly understood, if at all; or worse, that we have rejected it as authoritative for our own lives.

Contemporary evangelicalism is more accurately defined in the popular mind as the reflection a broad consensus of what makes us feel good about ourselves than it is defined by what is written in the Word of God. We modern Christians have weak commitment to truth, though we have strong commitment to what we feel. Consequently, we witness weak commitment to the Body of Christ, in part, because we do not know what that Body is. Christianity is thus reduced to an expression of individual feelings instead of being a corporate expression of obedience to the revealed will of God.

If we will please God, and if we will witness the power of God’s Spirit among us, we must faithfully adhere to the teachings God reveals in His Word. What I feel, what you feel, what we feel, is of ultimately of little consequence in the Kingdom of God. What God says is vital if we shall present acceptable worship. Therefore, if we will build a strong church, and if we will honour the Lord Christ as Head of the church, we must turn to His Word in order to understand what His will is for us as a congregation.

What in the World is God Doing? In order to understand what God is doing, we need to see the big picture. Often, as we study the Word or listen to a sermon, we become so focused on the immediate passage that we fail to see how the particular fits into the general. If we fail to remain focused on understanding God’s revealed will, the tactical will ultimately supplant the strategic, and we will become confused.

The church of the Lord Jesus is often thought of as an organisation to join, rather than a Body to which we are united by the Spirit. Consequently, the emphasis of many of our peers is less on responsibility within the Body of Christ than it is on privilege for those joining. The evidence that this is so is the requirement for ever more complex constitutions that assume greater authority over the members than does the Word of God. Other Christians picture the church as a great, universal, invisible entity that has no authority over their lives. They assume that they are free to take what is pleasant from this catholic entity without any particular allegiance to it. Perhaps we would have a better understanding of God’s design if we considered the verse under scrutiny in context.

In our text, the Apostle Paul addresses a congregation that was treating the church as though it was a platform permitting individual Christians to promote themselves. For many of the Corinthian Christians, the church was being treated much as though it was a self-improvement society. The attitude displayed by many in the church had become “every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost.” A “me first” attitude was evident in worship, and even prevailed at the Lord’s Table!

A number of people came to church for what they could get out of the experience instead of coming to participate in the life of the Body and to build up the Body. They sang songs, but they did not worship. They said prayers, but they did not pray. They clamoured to deliver a prophecy, but they did not have a message from the Lord. They spoke ecstatically, but they did not recognise the presence of the Lord. The emphasis of many of the Corinthian saints was to draw attention to themselves; the emphasis of too many was securing power for themselves instead of humbly seeking to serve others.

Because the Corinthians had become dysfunctional, Paul was compelled to remind them of God’s purpose for His church. Throughout this letter, he speaks of the corporate character of the church. He identifies the congregation of the Lord as a garden in which God gives the growth, though His servants labour through planting and through watering [1 Corinthians 3:5-8]. The Apostle then compared the congregation of the Lord to a building [1 Corinthians 3:9-11]. Paul compares his work among the Corinthians to that of a “skilled master builder,” clearly teaching that those who are appointed to teach and to preach must always take care to build only on the secure foundation of Christ Jesus the Lord [1 Corinthians 3:12-15]. Then, he speaks of the congregation of the Lord as the Temple of the Lord [1 Corinthians 3:16, 17]. Where the Lord is at work, the membership is being built into a great temple dedicated to praise and worship.

Each description speaks of a corporate identity and of a corporate labour. However, none of Paul’s word pictures speaks more eloquently of the interconnected nature and of the interdependence of the people of God than does his depiction of the church as the Body of Christ. The specific error that necessitated this instruction was the abuse of the spiritual gifts given to the Corinthians. Some, perhaps even many, of the Corinthians were jockeying for position through misusing the gifts that God had given.

There are many “quiet” gifts represented within any congregation. Simply because a spiritual gift does not attract immediate attention does not mean that it is not vital to the health of the Body. The gift of faith is vital to the advance of the church. Few churches prosper without some members of the assembly possessing the gift of generosity. Chaos could well ensue if there is no one with the gift of administrating. Those people gifted with helps are vital to the cause of Christ. Each of us rejoices at the thought of those among us who reveal that they are gifted in practising acts of mercy. Yet, none of these gifts is necessarily noticed—until they are absent.

The gifted individuals who serve in public ministries such as teaching, evangelising and shepherding, are obviously vital to the health of the Body, but they are no more important than are those individuals who possess quiet, less obvious, gifts that God has entrusted to members of the Body. Paul taught the Corinthians that the important need was for each member was to see himself or herself as an integral part of the Body. The individual with gifts that are used in a public manner certainly receives attention, but without others exercising their various gifts, working together to make the Body of Christ advance in a co-ordinated manner, the public gifts would be worthless.

Scripture convinces me that each congregation is meant to fulfil God’s purpose as the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is not meant to be some great, amorphous entity that permits Christians to live unconnected to one another; rather, the “Body of Christ” is the local congregation. The members of the local congregation do not so much “join” the church as they are “added” to the congregation by the Spirit of God. He appoints and gifts each member so that together we reveal Christ through the assembly. Each member of the local congregation is responsible to strengthen one another, to encourage one another, and to build one another up in Christ. Every action of each member of the Body must be guided by the question of whether we have the benefit of the Body in mind, or whether we are focused on fulfilling our personal desires [see 1 Corinthians 14:12].

God’s purpose is that the church will reveal Christ through the life of the congregation. Outsiders, watching the local congregation at work, should see the character of Christ the Lord revealed through the way in which the Body carries out the work Christ has assigned. The local congregation is the Body of Christ on Sunday when it meets in assembly, but it is no less the Body of Christ when it leaves the meeting hall. The members are just as much the Body of Christ on Monday, or on Friday, as they are on Sunday. We are under the control of the Head of the Body, who is Christ the Lord, and therefore, we are called to work in concert, “being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” [Philippians 2:2].

Whatever defined or characterised Jesus our Lord in the days of His flesh is to be characteristic of the Body of Christ as the members labour and work in the community wherein it is situated. It is in the routine of daily life that the Body of Christ reveals the presence of the Risen, Reigning Lord of Glory. Though no one of us can be perfectly Christlike in all things and at all times, together, we can reveal the character of the Lord.

Though all are to be generous, some will prove to be exceptionally generous. Some will be merciful in a powerful demonstration of the Spirit of God. Some will possess great faith that encourages others to attempt great things for Christ’s sake. Indeed, there will be teachers and evangelists within the congregation, and other members will speak prophetically. The power of God will be evident as the people of God labour together to show compassion toward the weak and the wounded. There will be a spirit of unity as the members of the Body “outdo one another in showing honour” [see Romans 12:10].

However, the one great mark that will reveal that this is the Body of Christ is that all the members will make every effort to build one another instead of promoting their own individual interests. To the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” [Philippians 2:3, 4].

I want you to reflect on the character of our own congregation. Is our service each week a performance? Or do our actions reveal Christ at work through us and among us? As outsiders come into our service, what impression do they carry away? Do they leave saying, “Wow, that was great singing!” Perhaps they are attracted by the friendliness of the congregation. I would be terribly disappointed if all they had when they left was an impression of a “good speech.” My prayer for us as the “Body of Christ” is that an outsider entering in will be convicted and “falling on his face he will worship God and declare that God is really among” us [1 Corinthians 14:25].

Your Role in the Body of Christ — I cannot emphasise too strongly the truth that one does not “join” the local congregation. Rather each member is appointed to that congregation. The Spirit who appoints His people prepares each one by providing precisely the gift that is necessary for the benefit of all. He determines what is necessary, and then He equips each one as He decides [see 1 Corinthians 12:7, 11].

Perhaps you can “join” a service club and find a measure of satisfaction in your membership. You can assuredly “join” the Canadian Forces, provided you meet the qualifications for joining. However, you cannot simply “join” the congregation of the Lord. If you have no intention of participating in the life of the Body, or if all you are seeking is what you can get, then you cannot truly join the congregation of the Master.

If, however, the Spirit of God has given you freedom to invest your life in the assembly where you worship, and if you are willing to invest in those good people the gifts and talents the Spirit has entrusted to you, then by all means openly unite with that congregation. In doing so, you will honour God and glorify the Name of Christ the Lord. If you are waiting until you find a perfect church, you should quit looking. There is no perfect church since churches are composed of sinners set free from condemnation.

The qualifications for membership in the Body of Christ are salvation and identification. Those added at Pentecost to the First Baptist Church of Jerusalem were those who “received” the Word and who “were baptised” [Acts 2:41]. The Word they received was the call to repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. The baptism they received demonstrated confidence that Christ had died because of their sin, that He was buried and raised on the third day. They further confessed through their baptism that they counted their old nature dead with Christ, though by faith in Him they had been made alive. Those saved and baptised were not added to a great invisible entity to which there was no accountability; they were added to the congregation that God created that day. Those added “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” [Acts 2:42].

On the authority of the Word, I can say with certainty that your role in the Body of Christ includes learning, consoling and encouraging, worship and prayer. These activities described do not permit us to be passive in our Christian life, but rather, active participation on the part of each member is expected and also demanded. You are expected to do what is necessary to learn of Christ and of His will for your life.

Peter concludes his second letter by encouraging those reading the missive to “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” [2 Peter 3:18]. Peter concluded in this manner because he recognised the need for Christians to be always growing. So long as you are alive and walking with the Saviour, you will grow in grace. In the same way, you are responsible to grow in knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through study of the Word and through gaining ever-greater knowledge of the will of the Master through participating in the instruction provided by the congregation.

Consoling one another and encouraging one another is the result of standing with one another even when we do not “feel” like standing. This is the reason Scripture urges us to “consider how to stir up on another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another” [Hebrews 10:24, 25]. We encourage one another as we “rejoice with those who rejoice,” and as we “weep with those who weep” [Romans 12:15]. Those who flit from church-to-church each time their feelings are hurt cannot console and encourage.

As part of the Body of Christ, your role as a Christian is to join in corporate worship. Worship is much more than singing or feeling good about oneself; worship is the response of one who seeks and finds God. Fulfilling worship that honours the Lord requires us to prepare ourselves before we seek Him. It means that we spend time with Him throughout the week, reading His Word, meditating on what He has taught us, and praying for His presence and power. Then, together with God’s people where He has set us, we must come with a desire to recognise Him in the midst of His people.

Preparing oneself for worship may include singing, and it will quite likely include self-examination to ensure that all personal ambition in the act of worship is surrendered to Him. Preparing oneself for worship will assuredly mean that the worshipper will rejoice to receive the teaching of the Word, and also that the worshipper will encourage those who preach and teach to labour diligently in order to prepare meaty messages that instruct those who listen as the teacher endeavours to reveal the deep truths of God.

Acceptable worship is spiritual work [Philippians 3:3]. This work does not permit the worshipper either to exalt himself or herself or to place confidence in the flesh. Therefore, it is not the performance of an act that is necessarily in view when we speak of worship, but it is the result of the effort that is important to the worshipper. In other words, the Christian worshipper should ask herself or himself during worship, “Have I met with the King of Heaven? Have I known His presence and received His approval?”

Again, the role of each Christian is to pray. The example of the passage in Acts [Acts 2:42], tells us that the Christians devoted themselves to “the prayers.” The Greek term “taîs proseuché,” is a common term that speaks specifically of prayers addressed to God. Since there is a definite article before the term, Luke is telling us that the practise of the early church was to invest time in corporate prayer. The first disciples prayed together, devoting themselves to prayer for the ten-day interval between the Ascension of the Lord Jesus and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. What we once knew as “prayer meetings,” were common events among the earliest Christians.

Perhaps these first saints were not as busy as we are, and so they had time to pray. It is also possible that these apostolic Christians realised that the source of their power arose out of their united prayer. Perhaps, our failure to include prayer arises out of our conviction that we are sufficient for any task we face in our own strength. Nevertheless, what is apparent from even a casual reading of the New Testament is that prayer was essential and vital to the life of the early Christians. These saints took seriously the admonition of the Master that disciples “ought always to pray” [Luke 18:1].

Participation in the meetings of the Body is expected of all who are disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. That participation will include receiving instruction in the Word, encouraging one another through our presence at the services of the church, worshipping the Son of God together with other members of the Body, and joining in the prayers of the church. Beyond that, there is a responsibility that only you are able to fulfil, and that is the exercise of the gift or gifts that the Spirit of God entrusted to you.

The spiritual gifts distributed to His people reflect the infinite nature of God. We cannot restrict God to our imagination. Lists of spiritual gifts are found in several passages (1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30; Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11; and 1 Peter 4:10, 11). These lists are not exhaustive, but rather they are representative of the variety of provisions God makes for building up His Body. What should be apparent is that God gifts each person who is saved and His gifts are for the benefit of all His people.

Your role in the Body of Christ is to exercise the gift(s) God entrusted to you, always seeking to build others and to glorify the Lord Christ. Your role is to serve God and to serve your fellow servants in order to build, to encourage and to console. Peter instructs Christians, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” [1 Peter 4:10, 11].

Whether yours is a speaking gift, or whether yours is a serving gift, use the gifts you have received as a good steward of God’s varied grace. Whatever gift(s) God has entrusted to you, the gifts were given so that the Body of Christ will be built up. This is evident in the instruction the Apostle delivered to the Corinthians. These saints imagined that purpose of the gifts was that they might feel good about themselves and so they could gratify their own desires. Consequently, they were focused on what God might do for them, forgetting that the purpose of the gifts was to build up the Body of Christ.

Paul specifically contrasted two gifts to emphasise the need to make every effort to build up each other. He contrasted the gifts of speaking in a language that the speaker had not learned (speaking in tongues) with declaring the mind of God (prophesying). Notice especially the repeated emphasis on building up the Body of Christ.

“One who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

“Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church” [1 Corinthians 14:2-12].

Again, he stresses the need to be focused on building up our fellow members of the Body when he says that though we may feel good about ourselves, our role is to build up others, even as we pray and as we serve one another [1 Corinthians 14:13-19]. As a general rule to guide worship, as well as guiding our service to one another, the Apostle teaches, “Let all things be done for building up” [1 Corinthians 14:26b].

As Christians, we enjoy freedom. Paul affirmed this truth when he agreed with the Corinthians, “All things are lawful” [1 Corinthians 10:23b]. However, he qualified that saying by reminding the saints that “not all things build up” [1 Corinthians 10:23b]. Worship is not to be restricted or restrictive, but we must always ask whether our worship or service is building up others. If our worship is not edifying, it is futile.

Your Responsibility to the Body of Christ — We preachers neglect teaching the responsibilities that attend salvation. Consequently, the people of God are much more aware of the their privileges as redeemed people than they are of their responsibilities as God’s holy people. We are a privileged people; but our privilege carries awesome responsibility. Spider Man said it well, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Christians, especially as they understand who they are as the Body of Christ, can just as readily say, “With great privilege comes great responsibility.”

Though contemporary Christians sometimes imagine that we face more difficult conditions than any generation of Christians before us, things really have not changed all that much. We struggle against the tendency that pushes us to find a shortcut to godliness and a formula that will secure divine blessing. We often confuse feelings with faith, and mistake excitement for power. Thus, we seek to be a member of the church without any commitment on our part. We want to have the privilege of receiving the benefits of church membership, without accepting the awesome responsibilities of church membership. The same struggles against the flesh threatened the Christians of Corinth. They required a reminder of who they were, just as we need a reminder of who we are.

The Corinthians were Christ’s Body, but only as they lived as Christ’s Body. This particular congregation is also Christ’s Body, but only as we live as Christ’s Body. We Christians, though saved individually and to the praise of Christ glory, are placed in the church the Spirit of God chooses, so that we may strengthen one another through participating in the life of the Body. Each of us who are members of this congregation relate to one another and to Christ, as a part of His Body.[2] Our responsibility is not to make ourselves feel good about what we do, but our responsibility is to focus on building others so that we can fulfil the ministry Christ has assigned to us as His Body.

Though it is not my responsibility to assign a gift to you, I can assure you that if you are a Christian, you have indeed received spiritual gifts. The gifts that you have received were chosen by the Spirit of God and entrusted to you for the benefit of the Body in which He has settled you. Your church is deprived if you are not investing your gifts in that assembly. Moreover, if you are treating the church as though it were an organisation you joined and therefore an organisation you can quit at will, you are acting as though the Body of Christ did not exist. In this instance, you have become so focused on your own desire and on your own situation that you are failing to fulfill the responsibility God assigned when He gifted you and settled you in the church.

Let’s briefly review what we have already observed in Paul’s words before we ask what our gifts might be. First of all, it pleases God for us to recognise His gifts. Recognising what He has done in our life, we are able to ensure that the gift is beneficial to others by working to make our ministry more effective still. We also need to recognise that the gifts we possess are precisely that—gifts, abilities or ministries for which we cannot necessarily account before salvation.

The Spirit of God gifted each of us with what we did not previously have, or it would not be a gift. Our previous abilities are perhaps talents or interests, but the gifts we have received are capacities or abilities we did not previously have. Moreover, as we do those things that bring you satisfaction, others are built up, encouraged or consoled.

In order to think biblically of those services that would qualify as gifts, you might wish to read again the passages listing spiritual gifts. I previously mentioned the primary passages found in the Word of God that list the various spiritual gifts. You will find these in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30; Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11; and 1 Peter 4:10, 11.

Keep in mind that these are “gifts.” We must not demand of God that He give us what we desire; rather, we must graciously accept what He chooses to give, knowing that He has chosen what is entrusted to us for the benefit of our fellow members of the Body. When we graciously receive our gift, we honour the Giver. If we recognise that God chose the gifts we possess in order to benefit our fellow saints, we cannot say that our gift—or any gift—is inferior or superior. God gave what was best to each of us!

Ask yourself what service you find yourself performing that brings you the greatest joy in your work within the Body. Honestly assess the impact of your participation in the life of the Body on your fellow worshippers. Can you say that others are strengthened through your presence? Are they encouraged and consoled through the exercise of your ministry among them?

Now that you have in mind some idea of what your gift might be, seek confirmation. This is where discussion with a gifted friend can be of real benefit. Your friend must be willing to honestly tell you the impact of your ministry. Your friend must be willing to speak the truth in love, especially if your “ministry” does not prove to be beneficial for building up others in the Body of Christ.

After speaking with your friend and prayerfully considering what you have learned, exercise your gift. Work. Make it your goal to build up the Body of Christ. Determine that you will encourage others through doing what God has equipped you to do. Find others to console as you honour the Lord Christ through fulfilling your ministry. Reject the temptation to reduce the Body of Christ to an organisation. Refuse to consider how you can punish the people of God when they do not do what you think is right. Reconsider your threats to quit when you are disappointed.

I am pointed in saying that I want you to be a part of this Body. If you share our services, there is a place for you here. However, I do not so much want you to “join” as I want you to fulfil the will of the Spirit by acknowledging that this is where He has placed you. If He has placed you here, stay. Don’t quit participating in the life of the Body because things haven’t quite gone your way. Don’t stop investing your life in the lives of others because things look less demanding elsewhere. Make a commitment and stay.

When I first came to this congregation, I came to a broken, divided church. Many people were hurt by the things that had taken place in the months before my coming; and many people had recently left the congregation to begin attending other churches. I visited every member and previous attendee that I knew was attending another church. To each of those people, I spoke sincerely and earnestly out of my understanding of Scripture, urging them to make a commitment to the church they were then attending.

Many of those people were astonished that I did not urge them to return. Instead, I encouraged them to bless those churches where they believed God had given them permission to go, offering to help them transfer membership to that church. I was not questioning their faith or saying that they were not quality Christians. I was working with the obvious evidence that they were attracted elsewhere. Because that was true, they needed to make a commitment that they would plant their lives among those Christians and invest themselves in the churches they were then attending.

Those who would come into the First Baptist Church of Dawson Creek needed to make a commitment to invest their lives in the Body. I had, and I have, no intention of building a kingdom that permits people to take without giving. The Word of God calls us to give freely of what we have received, and as the people of God, we have received rich gifts that are to be used to build up the Body of Christ.

If you have never placed your faith in the Son of God, you undoubtedly have abilities that can bless many people. However, as one who has never been born from above, you have no spiritual gifts with which to build up the Body of Christ. In order to receive such gifts, you must be born from above and into the Family of God. Life in the Son of God is the necessary qualification for the Christian to receive the spiritual gifts that will build the Body.

The Word of God is quite clear in teaching us, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” The passage concludes by reminding us of the Word of God, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9, 10, 13].

Our call to Christians is to invest your life in that congregation where God has appointed you. Build the Body instead of seeking to use the Body. Our invitation to all who are outside the Faith is to believe this message and to be born from above and into the Kingdom of God. Place your faith in the Risen, Living Son of God. Be saved. Do it today. Do it now. May angels attend you in the way as you believe. Amen.

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[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[2] See David Garland, 1 Corinthians, Baker Exegetical Commentary (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI 2003) 598