The Church Needs You and You Need The Church - February 6

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Reflect

All believers have been gifted by God with certain abilities and interests for the benefit of His church. What gifts has He given to you that you can use to serve His body of believers?

When part of your body isn’t working right, the rest of your body suffers for it. Right now, as I write this, I am suffering the effects of seasonal allergies. Whenever this happens, I realize that I often take my nose for granted. It’s no small thing to be able to breathe with your nose. That’s why God gave us a nose after all! When my nose is functioning uninhibited, I really breathe easier.

What I’m trying to say with my silly illustration is that we all have one body but it’s made up of many different parts. Some of those parts may seem small or insignificant but, in actuality, every single part is necessary for our bodies to function properly.

In today’s passage, the apostle Paul compared the body of Christ, the Church, to our physical bodies. He was making the same point that even though we are made up of many different members, in Christ, we belong to just one body. When we place our faith in Christ, we receive our individual salvation and we are adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 2:19). In Christ, no one is an only child. We have brothers and sisters in the faith. We have many members but we are just one family. We are one body, the body of Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 12:15-20, Paul continued the body metaphor: “If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.”

I love the reminder in verse 18 that God chose the arrangement of the members of the body. He has a purpose and a plan for each of us individually so that we can contribute to the whole. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, Paul explained that every believer is given different spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

You see, some are preachers and teachers. Some are musicians and artists. Some are patient and gentle with the littlest among us. Some are patient and gentle with the most aged among us. Some have the gift of cooking, baking, and hospitality. Some can care for the sick, the poor, and the needy among us. Some have the physical strength to labor and care for buildings and grounds. Some are skilled at construction and making repairs. Some are great organizers and administrators. Others are wise money and resource managers. Some are tech savvy.

The church needs all of those different kinds of people and all of the other different kinds of people that I forgot to list. God didn’t forget anyone! He perfectly arranged us so that His body will function properly. In Christ, we are all essential to the rest of the body. The church needs you and you need the church.

Respond

Lord, thank You for Your church, the body of Christ. I know that You did not save me to be Your body’s sole member. Spiritually, I know that I am not an only child. Show me how You have gifted me and how You want to use me to build up Your body and glorify Your Name. Amen.

Reveal

Are you actively participating and serving in a local congregation of believers? If not, pray about that. Ask God to show you where and how to get involved. When we fully participate in the body of believers, we reveal God’s glory to those around us.