Body of Christ

Funny how the LORD uses people, music, struggles, quiet times, questions and the Word of God to drive home a certain point. I am so thankful that He doesn't give up on me, even if it takes me days, months (or even years!) to fully understand something. I have been reading through 1 and 2 Corinthians the past few weeks and have come to notice even more just how beautiful the body of Christ is. The body of Christ is a community, as my dear friend Katy mentioned in her blog today. A community filled with different people from different backgrounds with different strengths and weaknesses. How amazingly unique! And despite these "differences" - we are united in Christ Jesus our Lord through His finished work on the cross.

It brings tears to my eyes to think how much love the Lord Jesus Christ has for us - His Bride. And all that He gave for us in order to bring us close to Himself. "Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:25b-27.

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Think about these words:

He gave Himself for her. Eph. 5:25. Purchased (the church) with His own blood. Acts 20:28. Made Himself of no reputation. Taking the form of a bondservant...He humbled Himself and become obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:7-8. Cried out with a loud voice, saying 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' - 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?'. Mark 15:34. Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed. I Peter 2:24. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5.

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There are hundreds of more verses in the Bible that describe this selfless, humble, giving and amazing love of Jesus Christ - and I am so thankful for these passages in the Word because they show US, the body of Christ, how to love one another and care for one another. God's Word isn't wrong when it says that each member was placed in the body for a reason "but now God has set the members every one of them in the body, as it has pleased Him." 1 Corin. 12:18 As the body of Christ we are called to "care for one another," "if one member suffers, all members suffer, or if one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it," "bear one anothers burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." (I Corin.12:25-26, Gal.6:2).

Because of this community in the body of Christ and this need to bear one anothers burdens...we must look to the Lord Jesus Christ as our ultimate example of how to love and care for each other. And He gave an example, actually, a very clear illustration in an intimate scene with His disciples before the feast of the Passover. John 13:3-17 - please read it, it is so very good. Jesus actively takes the servants place, the position of a bondservant and humbly washes His disciples feet. "He rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded." Catch what our Lord says to His disciples, "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." We should be JUST like our Master! And are we? I am so challenged here in saying this because this is what I need to hear so often - the call is for you and I and every member of the body of Christ to humble ourselves and take up the basin and the towel. Laying aside the pride that gets in the way of fellowship and service to those around us and gird ourselves with the humbleness that our Lord girded Himself with.

When I think about this, I think about the body of belivers in Guthrie, where I fellowship : ) It brings a smile to my face because I have seen believers take the basin and the towel...they do work that is never recognized or they encourage believers with phone calls/notes or they teach a message on prayer and the need to pray as a body (men and women together!) or they "pray without ceasing" when someone asks for prayers or they knock on every single door in Guthrie to make sure they have heard the Good News of Jesus Christ or they pick up dozens of kids in a tiny minivan for Bible Club or they cook a meal for the nourishment of the belivers. How unique, how versatile, how wonderful the body of Christ is! The most amazing thing about it is that this body is made up of sinners. Sinners saved by grace. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them...

...Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." Ephesians 2:8-9,19-22.

Let us seek to be more like Christ - "setting our affection on things above," "looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith" (Col.3.2, Heb.12:2a) and pray that the body of Christ would be strengthened in these dark days.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the saints in Ephesus says this: "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Amen!

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So these thoughts have been stuck in my head for days now and I am just finally putting them onto paper (erh, screen?). If none of that made sense or perhaps my wording didn't *click* for you - then watch this video. It's a song by Michael Card that has always struck a chord in my heart because he captures the essence of what was going on in the scene with Jesus and His disciples before the Passover feast and how this scene it to be played out in our lives and within the body of Christ.

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More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!

Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee.

This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee;

More love to Thee, more love to Thee!