Body Parts
by Mark Parsec(351)
Blogz
When I was a boy, I watched a science fiction movie about aliens invading the earth in flying saucers. To fight off the invaders the army was called out. The assembled troops gathered tanks, rockets, and planes to fight off the menacing enemies. The most impressive weapon, however, was a laser that would emit a powerful beam of concentrated light that would incinerate the flying saucers in midair.
When the movie was over, I did what any other red-blooded American boy would do to defend his country. I went and found an old spark plug, a discarded electrical cord with the plug still attached, and some aluminum foil. With those various parts, I assembled my very own “laser” weapon. When I plugged it into an outlet, I immediately noticed my weapon emitting a bright blue arc of electricity. That was about the time I started shaking uncontrollably as a current of 110 volts jolted through my body. Then the lights went out. When the smoke cleared the air and I picked myself up off of the floor, I discovered not only that my hand had been severely burned, but my laser weapon had been utterly destroyed. Obviously, my experiment had been a complete failure. I decided that the various parts of my laser weapon hadn’t been assembled properly… and that the NEXT time I would do a better job.
There is a lesson to be learned from this childhood story. To obtain the best possible results when assembling something together, it is crucial to have ALL of the parts and to place each part in its proper position. Whether you are building a cake or a cabinet, a car or a computer… if you do not have all the parts or if the parts are put in the wrong places then the results can be disastrous.
What is true of cakes and cabinets, cars and computers is true of people too. A person without eyes is blind. A person without ears is deaf. A person without legs cannot walk. If a person is missing any part of his body… the results can be disastrous. And… what is true of people is true of the church, the believers of Jesus Christ who assemble together. If you do not have all of the people of the church or if any person is placed in the wrong position the results can be disastrous.
Imagine a church where there is no pastor. Or a church where there is no teacher. Or a church where there is no treasurer. A loss of any one of these individuals could spell disaster for a church. Imagine too, a church where the pastor is an atheist, the teacher is illiterate, or the treasurer is a thief. The results would be disastrous!
You see, just like the human body, every person in the church is important and has his or her place. This is what the Apostle Paul was teaching us in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, when he said…
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly desire the greater gifts…
Now, the reason this is important to us is because if a church is to grow and prosper then it must remember certain things…
1. The Spirit of God Brings Unity to the Church
The Apostle Paul put it this way in verse 12…
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—
The members of the church are not an accidental hodgepodge amalgamation of unrelated independent individuals. Rather, the church is a body of people brought together in unity by the Spirit of God to accomplish God’s will.
2. God Arranges the Members of the Church and Each Individual has a Job to Do that is Equally Important
18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.19If they were all one part, where would the body be?
The church is not a manmade organization. It is a living organism that God has arranged and breathes life into through His Holy Spirit. Every individual in the church has been given special and unique gifts through the Holy Spirit that God wants to use to bless the church and build it up. Every person operating in their spiritual gift is equally important and necessary for the health of the church. Yet, although we are equally important, we are uniquely different from one another, with each person contributing something exceptional.
When a church is filled with people who are not exercising their spiritual gifts the church becomes dry and lifeless. There will be division, envy and strife. The organization will become an institution of religion without any spiritual power.
A wise pastor once told me that every healthy church has all of the people in it that God wants to use to accomplish His purpose. In other words, it is no accident that you are in the church. God has called you out of the world and arranged for you to be in His church to accomplish something special with the gifts of the Holy Spirit that He has given to you. Nobody else can do that job but you. If you fail to do the part that God has arranged for you… the whole church will suffer. But, if you allow God to do His work through you to build up His church, you and everyone else in His church will be blessed!
3. God Has Appointed an Order of Positions for Every Member of the Church
28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
God is not the author of confusion, but of order, harmony and peace. God appoints specific responsibilities to every member of the church in a manner that utilizes their spiritual gifts to:
1. Reinforce the Gospel message and glorify God.
2. Maintain order, harmony and peace.
3. Edify believers.
4. Create accountability.
The Apostle Paul lists nine specific positions in the church in the order of their functionality… Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Workers of Miracles, Healers, Helpers, Administrators, those that speak in tongues and those that interpret tongues. (I will be elaborating more on these positions in the future.)
The question I want to ask you today is… Do you recognize any of those nine positions in the church today? If not, why not? And… more importantly, What position are you in? If you don’t know then it is crucial that you find out.
You see the problem so many churches are facing in America today is that they are out of order. The vast majority of people attending church in this day and age are doing so for what they can get OUT of the church rather than what they can put into it. Churches have become a drive-through spiritual clinic for people seeking a quick pick me up. Once they feel better, they move on down the road. Others keep coming back… so long as the church service makes them “feel” good. But, as soon as you ask them to step up to the plate and get involved… they’re out the door.
Another problem you see in the churches today is with some of the people who DO stick around. The problem is… they stick around for all the wrong reasons... Power, Title, Influence. Many of these individuals do not function in their spiritual gift and find it difficult to be accountable or submit to spiritual authority. Of them it can be said, Everyone wants to lead and nobody wants to follow. In the end you have too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
Like the boy who plugged in the “laser” weapon with all the wrong parts… the church that is out of order will self-destruct.
God’s house is to be a house of order and to help maintain that order God has appointed positions of responsibility to every member of the church according to their spiritual gifts. Not everyone can be a pastor. Not everyone can be a nursery care worker. Not everyone can be a worship leader. Not everyone can be a Sunday school teacher. But, everyone does have a job and responsibility that God has appointed for them to do.
Whether you are actively involved in a position in the church or you don’t know what position God is calling you to… would you pray with me that God would bless His church so every member could be a blessing to one another through the spiritual gifts God has given them?
Article submitted Monday, June 07, 2010 & read 370 times.
Leave Your Comments:
» left by Linda DeWitt (92 days 11 hours ago.)
Interesting article Mark. I think too many people want the government to take care of them today, so individuals don't have to be responsible for their body part not working, whether they are at home or church, they can just blame the government.Respond to this comment
» left by Mark Parsec(351)
Hi Linda,
Cute! Thanks for your comments. I love your recent article and paintings!!!
Mark
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