A BODY OF EARS?
Read Time: 4 min 24 sec
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us."
Billy Graham
THE GOOD STUFF
A BODY OF EARS?
by Brian Holt | Lead Ministries Pastor
We need each other.
And I’ll be honest with you. I don’t often want to admit it.
I want to be completely self-assured, self-motivated, self-confident, and self-sustaining. I want to be strong enough to handle whatever life throws at me completely on my own. I don’t want to admit weakness to others. I don’t want to not be enough.
I want to be all those things I listed above. But I’m not. And you’re not. And the sooner we all admit that the stronger the body of Christ (The Church) will be.
We need each other.
Paul gives us a beautiful word picture in 1 Corinthians 12 - the body of Christ functions like a human body. Each part connected, each part reliant, and each part led by the head of the body - Jesus Christ.
“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—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 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. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
- 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
I love Paul’s choice of words here. Can you imagine if every part of the body were an ear? Think about that for just a second. Your eyes? Ears. Your nose? Ears. Your fingers? Also ears. It’s a terrifying thought. But what does this mean for you?
#1: It means you have a role to play in the lives of other believers. The eyes need the feet. The fingers need the wrist. You have been gifted and called to serve others in the body of Christ and they need you to serve that way. The reverse is also true.
#2: It means other believers have a role to play in your life. Following Jesus was never meant to be a rogue action. There are no "Lone Ranger" Christians in scripture. Others have knowledge, gifting, insight, and care that you need. You are not enough. And that’s ok.
#3: It means we’ll only be successful in the mission God has given to us when we’re all connected and dependent upon Jesus Christ. A machine without all of its parts doesn’t function the way it was designed. God has designed His body (US!) to be a series of interconnected pieces that love, support, challenge, and care for one another. His body will be most fruitful when it functions the way He designed it to.
So let me challenge you with this: Go deeper with those near you who love Christ. Share more of your struggles. More of your joys. More of your life with them. We were never meant to follow Jesus alone.
We need each other. We’re better together.
STAFF PICKS
EAT
Some of you may have heard me talk about these things before because I'm relatively passionate about both. But I'm not going to give a big long explanation. I'm just going to leave you with these two fast food restaurant hot takes and let you take them how you will. Feel free to respond with your initial disgust and judgment, and then your repentance and appreciation after you've actually tried it.
#1 The Popeyes Chicken sandwich is way better than Chick-fil-A (I prefer the spicy chicken sandwich).
#2 Taco Bell has the best fast food breakfast (Get a Breakfast Crunchwrap and your mornings will never be the same).
You're welcome!
Jake Zurawski | Creative Arts & Communications Director