The Connected Church
“The 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.” 1 Corinthians
12:12 (NIV)
There is no
assignment on earth greater than the one God has called the church to
accomplish. The church is distinguished from every other
team, organization, business, or social club in that it is bound together by a
spirit of unity and community. All members are necessary and all members have
something to contribute to the health of the church. God created the church
because we need one another. Author Rick Renner writes, “Doing things
alone is a course of action that guarantees your venture will never be large.”
We’ve all seen people trying to do it all.
People trying to take care of everything by themselves. Only a limited amount could be
accomplished. But the church was created
with a huge assignment that one person cannot accomplish. It takes every one of us.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12,
Paul adds, “The
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.” The original word for “many” is “polus.”
It’s where we get the word “polar” including the North Pole and South Pole.
Sometimes people in the church come from “polar” opposite directions, but we
keep things balanced that way. Each of
us is important and we are called to work alongside one another to advance
God’s purposes. Our connectedness is a
powerful force.
One of the
most interesting developments of our time is Velcro. In
the early 1940s, Swiss inventor George de Mestral went on a walk with his dog.
Upon his return home, he noticed that his dog's coat and his pants were covered
with cockleburs. His inventor's curiosity led him to study the burrs under a microscope,
where he discovered its natural hook-like shape. This was to become the basis
for a unique, two-sided fastener. One
side with stiff "hooks" like the burrs. The other side with the soft
"loops" like the fabric of his pants.
The result was the “Velcro” brand hook and loop fasteners, named for the
French words "velour" (vel) and "crochet (cro)." It easily brings things together and keeps
them secure. Yet it is not the bringing together of disparate parts that is the
wonder of Velcro. One might say that since it was invented over seventy years
ago it was a "mute idol" for much of its life. Its invention
certainly solved a problem and gave its inventor great satisfaction. But
it was only when it was put to its purpose, hooking together shoes, holding
computers, fastening together hospital implements, and you name it, that it
made a difference in our world.
How wonderful that one side of the gift with its stiff "hooks"
could come together with the other side of the gift, its soft "loops." That mutual joining
together was an essential first step. But we are grateful for Velcro due to the
many ways its fastening capability has been put to use.
Paul is writing to the church at Corinth--a church torn
with dissension—a church in which some of the believers feel superior to other
believers. And he is
telling them that all of them are important to the work of God. Paul continues
his thought after verse 12 in 1 Corinthians 12:13 when He
compares the body of Christ to body parts. The Message translation says, “By means of His
one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each
used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and
integrated life in which He
has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action
when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of His resurrection body,
refreshed and sustained at one fountain—His Spirit—where we all come to drink.
The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek,
slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more
comprehensive.” Many of you have been blessed with spiritual gifts.
We need to learn to cooperate with other Christians and other churches which
have been blessed with spiritual gifts different from your own.
The body of Christ was created and set apart
to do the work that Christ did in the world. Only when we work together can that occur. We are called to go where his feet went, to
the lost and poor and hurting of the world. We are commissioned to teach as
Christ's mouth taught, about love for God and love for our fellow human. We are
asked to see as Jesus' eyes saw, finding beauty and redemption and grace in a
prostitute, a leper, a tax collector. We are released to touch as Jesus
touched, with gentleness and love and healing power. God didn't call on a smattering of independent
agents to save the world but rather an interdependent army that together can
change our world. I need you and you need me and we need each other. The
mission is too great to accomplish alone…and God wouldn’t have it any other
way.
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1)
Have
you ever felt that you didn’t play an important role in the church?
2)
What
does Paul share that helps us to see differently?
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright 2014-
Terry Risser
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