One of the most significant illustrations that the Lord uses in scripture to describe the church is the analogy of the body. We are also called his building, his bride, his flock, his priests, and his ambassadors. All of those expression are rich in meaning, but the concept of being Christ’s body has a multitude of applications. The concept that gripped me in a fresh way yesterday is how much Christ relies on us to accomplish his mission in the world. Imagine if you would, how impossible it would be for you to accomplish anything without the use of your body. You could not go to any other place, you could not touch or handle anything, you could not hear, you could not speak if your body did not function.
One of the sad scenes that I see on a regular basis is a person who can still think well, but whose body no longer functions very well. Go to any nursing home and you will encounter people who would still love to do so many things, but are unable to accomplish even the smallest tasks because their bodies do not function. I know one lady who says she would love come worship with us, but cannot because she can’t hear anything that is being said. Others think of the things their hands built even though they cannot now even pick up a tool. They think of the other people they have touched, but now cannot raise their hand to shake another person’s because their body does not function well. How hard it must be to want to do so much, but to have a body that doesn’t function right.
Then I begin to think of all the things that Jesus wants to accomplish in this world. There are people that he wants to hear the truth, but he depends on his mouth (the church) to share the wonderful truths of the Gospel. It seems that he often has to deal with a speech impediment. There are people who the Lord wants to help – He wants to reach out and give them hope for the future by providing for a need in their life. He is dependent on His hands to do that work, but often His hands do not function. There are some people who are hurting so badly He just wants to hug them and cry with them, but for that to happen he has to use His hands, and His eyes have to be capable of tears. There are children who need rescued and lonely people who need someone to sit with them, but none of that can happen if his body no longer works.
As I prepared to teach the lesson to our Word of life Teen club last night we were dealing with what characteristic makes a good local church. As a discussion starter, I played a short video of a song by Casting Crowns. Let me share the chorus of that song with you:
But if we are the Body
Why aren’t His arms reaching
Why aren’t His hands healing
Why aren’t His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren’t His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Let’s pray that the Lord heals His body, so He can accomplish all He desires to do in our world.
In Him,
Pastor Nord