One Body, Many Members
A. Rom. 12:4-5, Gods people do not live and serve Him independently
and in
isolation from one another. Instead, wherever we read about Christians
in the
New Testament, we read about them working together, Act 2:42.
READ Heres what they were actively doing together
as a congregation. = Fully organized groups of Christians worked
and worshiped together under the leadership of elders and deacons,
Acts 14:23, Paul and Barnabus appointed a plurality of elders
in every church they which they established. = 20:28, the
church at Ephesus had elders. = The church at Philippi had elders
and deacons, Phil. 1:1. = That work was in a relationship which
constituted the church at Corinth, 1 Cor. 1:2. = At
Ephesus, Eph. 1:1. The faithful Saints in Christ at
Ephesus. = This working relationship of Christians in a
given place can be described as the church local,
as distinct from the church universal, which is the
totality of all Christians everywhere.
1. The Lords church is referred as the body
of Christ, Eph. 1:22-23. = A body is made up of many individual
members. = As members of the Lords body in a
specific locale, the members of a local congregation are members
of one another Rom. 12:5; Eph. 4:25. = Hence, we have responsibilities
to one another, as well as to the Lord. = A closer look at the
church (one body, many members) will help us understand why individual
Christians have responsibilities to the local congregation.
a. These groups are known in the New Testament as The Church;
The
Body of Christ. = Note this in Rom. 12:3?8; 1 Cor. 12:4?31; Eph.
4:1?16.
= And membership together in one body means that every member
has a
personal interest in and responsibility for the body. = Each member,
all
members are responsible for the Church in its: Work, Eph.
4:16. =
Its healthy growth - Eph. 4:16. = Its unity - Eph.
4:3. = Its purity -
Eph.5:27. = Its reputation - Phil. 2:15. = Your Involvement
in and
responsibility to the body is not a matter of private choice:
1 Cor. 12:18,
Says, God has set the members, each one of them, in the
body just as He
pleased. = That means there is no such thing as a vestigial
organ in
Christs body! = And Not only are there no useless members,
there are
no unimportant members either ? 1 Cor. 12:14?17, 21?23. = There
are
no members who are there just to be ornate, decorative pieces
in the
house of the Lord ? 2 Tim. 2:21.
(A) Christians, as members of Christs Church are described
in the New Testament in many ways : A branch in the vine
- Jno. 15:1?8;
Col. 1:10. = A laborer in the vineyard - Matt. 20:1?16; 1 Cor.
3:9;
15:58. = A citizen in the kingdom - Matt. 16:18-19; Jno. 3:5.
= A
child in the family - Jno. 1:12; 1 Tim. 3:15. = A soldier in the
army
- Eph. 6:10?17; 2 Tim. 2:3. = A vessel in the house - 2 Tim. 2:20-
21. = Your participation in the benefits of the vine, vineyard,
family, house, kingdom of God, involves your acceptance of the
responsibilities of that membership.
(1) That brings us to the problem of passivity. = Being passive,
uninterested and uninvolved in the work and activity of the church.
By its very nature and definition the church is a sphere
of activity.
Unfortunately, most congregations have a few members who
are content to be passive rather than active. = Robert Frost
once described it this way: The world is full of willing
people:
some willing to work, the rest willing to let them work.
= Every
congregation has its closet Christians. = Thats
a secret
Christian. = They want the benefits of being, but not the
responsibility. = They do not wish to identify themselves as
working members of any one congregation and just want to drift
aimlessly about as members at large. = They claim
to be
members in a specific congregation, but choose to be
passive and inactive. = They just belong, but do not accept
any responsibilities of membership in the local church. = They,
in effect, are just along for the ride. = Those are the people
who
accept the generosity of others without sharing in the cost or
responsibility involved. = People who shirk work for which they
are responsible. = Actually, the term, passive member
is
a contradiction of terms. = In reality, there is no such thing.
=
By definition, a member is a functional part of the
body. = You
have to remember, It is exactly as James said in Jas. 2:14-26,
faith without works is dead.
(2) Any worthwhile, beneficial relationship involves responsibility.
= What about our responsibilities in view of the many benefits
and blessings which come from being a part of a local church?
= Here is where you get: Encouragement to do
right. = Friendship and companionship. = Knowledge gained
from others. = Benevolent help when we are in physical need.
Prayers offered to God for you. = Comfort in sorrow, help in
troubled times, and assistance in difficulty.
(3) Failure to rightly understand our individual responsibilities
as members of a congregation has been the cause of much needless
disunity, unhappiness, boredom, and inactivity in this church.
Happy people are those who are producing something. = Those who
are bored and gripe the most are usually the ones who are doing
the least. = If youre unhappy try some careful examination
of yourself and the service you are rendering, and especially
the spirit in which you are rendering it. = Let each of us in
this congregation make a renewed commitment to accept not only
the benefits, but also the responsibilities of membership in Christs
body that the members should have the same care for one
another. 1 Cor. 12:25. = Always remember and practice what
Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:58. Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Acts
20:32.
Spur - 09/14/03 pm
|