‘…No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.’- 1 Corinthians 12:22 (emphasis added)
The church is often referred to in the Bible as the body of Christ. With Christ being the head, we as His people have been described as all the other body parts (see Colossians 1:8 and 1 Corinthians 12:27 as examples). Though the body has many parts, together it is ONE body. In the same way, in the church there are many different parts but we are called to be ONE body; Christ has called us to live in unity (John 17:21). We are all not the eyes, we are all not the hands—we are all different with different uses and functions, but as the verse above denotes, we are all necessary.
Did you know that every part of your body is needed? Last year I went through a horrible experience where I lost the sight in both of my eyes. You can all probably imagine the horror, from being able to see perfectly fine with glasses, to suddenly everything going dark. It doesn’t take much to realise that our eyes are important. We use them everyday, and without them we would be classed as ‘disabled’. However, did you know that your little toes are also important? Research has shown that without our little toes we would struggle to balance; although I doubt we would receive disability benefits from having a missing little toe, it is important nonetheless. I know it’s important not just because of research, but because God made it. God doesn’t make mistakes; every part of our body has an important function, from our nails to our nose hair. Nothing is insignificant.
It is similar with the Church; no person who is in the body of Christ is insignificant, even though it might feel that way. At times it can appear that certain members of the church are more important than others. It is easy to assume that those who faithfully preach the word at the pulpit are of high importance—and important they are, but so also are those who serve hot drinks or quietly offer words of encouragement out of the limelight. We won’t all get the stage or all have a mic because we are not all made with the same functions or purposes, but all we do for the Lord is important (1 Corinthians 15:58). So, how are you serving the body of Christ? Christ didn’t die so that we can simply warm a chair in our church; we were created with purpose and intention to be useful for the body.
‘…every joint supplies…’ – Ephesians 4:16
That is God’s desire, that not one person would be useless but that we would all supply, we would all have a part to play. What is the purpose of our serving? Well, let’s read the whole verse in Ephesians 4:16: ‘…from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.’ (emphasis added). We were all made to have our part, so that we as a body can grow. We are not meant to be stagnant. We as a Church are called to grow, not just in our personal walks with God but collectively as a body. Are we stunting the growth of the body of Christ through our inactivity? Won’t you ask God today how you can serve in the Body of Christ? Whatever He puts on your heart, I would encourage you to do it, whether it seems significant or not.
I want to also encourage you to not forget that every person in the body of Christ is also significant. It’s easy when in a church gathering you have some characters that are bolder, louder or more popular to forget about others. Maybe the people we tend to forget are older, or quieter. The scripture I started this post with reminds us that every part, every person is necessary. Remember that what we do for the least, we are doing as onto Christ (Matthew 25:40). So I pray God will inspire us with ways to love and serve each other—even the quieter, weaker ones.
‘Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.’- 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (emphasis added)
