Sunday, February 09, 2014

The Body of Christ

A couple of days ago, I was heading out the door, dropping someone off at their job and, then, going to mine. It was early in the morning and still dark. There are six steps going from our living room down to the front door, and some silly person left a pair of shoes on the steps. (Before we go too far, they were my shoes, I left them there, and, to make matters worse, I knew they were there. But, because it was dark, I couldn't see them.) So, I stepped on the shoes. My feet went one way; my body went another way; and I had an upclose and personal experience with the steps. Specifically, the ribs beneath my right shoulder blades. Fortunately, nothing is broken, but my ribs have been complaining a lot since then. They complain when I sit down. They complain when I stand up. They complain when I walk up or down stairs. They really complain when I lie down to sleep.

Is anyone surprised I have been thinking about the body a lot? Yes, I have been thinking about my body. Painkillers? Doctor? Improving? Bend over slowly.

It has caused me to think about the body of Christ too. The Bible says the family of God is like a body. We all are different parts. Some parts are generally more noticeable, for example the eyes, hands and mouth. Some parts usually stay in the background. (I tend to think of livers and kidneys at this point. But ribs stay in the background too. Especially, the part of the ribs in the back underneath the shoulder blades.)

Scripture goes onto say that it is the "in the background," unnoticed parts that are most necessary. I have never given much thought about my ribs ... until very recently. Now that they are not functioning at their "optimum," I am realizing how important they are. I can't perform most normal functions in a normal manner.

If you go to most churches, and ask people who the most important person in the church is, most will say it is the professional leader. He leads the Sunday meeting. He delivers the Sunday teaching.

Now, the professional pastor might be the most important person in the church, but it is not because he leads and teaches on a Sunday. That's like saying the CEO is the most important person in a company, because he sets the agenda for the monthly director's meeting. Or that the father is the most important person in a family, because he passes out the presents at Christmas.

A church is part of the family of God. And each local church is a microcosm of the entire family of God, even though each one has unique features. And holiday celebrations can be an important part of life in each family. But it is such a small part of life as a family.

If you are a follower of Jesus and you believe that attending the Sunday meeting is the ultimate or only expression of obeying Jesus you ought to be involved in, you are robbing yourself. If you say you are too busy to do anything else, Satan is robbing you blind.

No comments: