“For his “body” has been formed in his image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one. And every member has been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of all; and as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body,
we are built up and made perfect in love.”
Ephesians 4:16 TPT
Ephesians 4: 16 (NTV and TPT) In order to understand the honor of being part of the body of Christ, we must be aware as children of Father God and brothers and sisters within the great heavenly family, that the powerful expression of the love of Jesus Christ, made us one through the blood of an Eternal Covenant. The DNA that runs through our whole body has made us one in his blood – His DNA, Wow… isn’t that powerful? The first thing we should keep in mind is that we are connected by that everlasting covenant of love.
The second thing to keep in mind is that such honor requires us to understand that nothing and no one on this earth was created for itself. Consider this: Rivers do not drink their own water, trees do not eat their own fruit, the sun does not shine for itself, flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. We must live knowing that we were not born for ourselves, but that just as nature has been made to live for others, so it is with us.
The third truth that should be present in our lives when it comes to understanding the honor of being part of the body of Christ is that the power of unity is fundamental. “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” Amos 3:3 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. Ecclesiastes 4:9 ASV
The fourth truth is that we should honor the lives of the other parts of the body, as unique and necessary, “In love of the brethren be tenderly affectionated one to another; in honor preferring one another.” Romans 12:10-NTV. Honor attracts, increases and benefits me, as another is benefited at the time. Recognizing the value of the person next to me opens the door through which what the Father has for me, comes into my life. Everything we are, have and know comes from the Creator, things that he has put in us and things that he has put in those around us. “For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? but if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?” 1 Corinthians 4: 7 ASV
Understanding the value of being part of the Body of Christ releases a power that causes everything that the Father has planned for my life, easy.
Some time ago, talking to a friend of mine who studied medicine, she helped me understand that if the brain is malfuntioning, everything in the body malfunctions. When we talk about the church, the analogy is made with the human body, where the head is Christ and the body, made up of all its members, fitly joined toegther, is the church. These members fulfill their function and at the same time, causes the other parts to nourish one another, grow and develop. Could it continue to function if some of the parts are not there? maybe, but the functionality would not be optimal. Each and every one of us in the body of Christ is significant, we all have a unique design, roles and functions that highlight and glorify the Creator for his masterpiece.
When Psalm 139 says: “You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb”, I imagine the Father as a pregnant mother in a rocking chair, who while singing words of love, thoughts, dreams and ideas, that no one else in the history of mankind could ever have, is creating me. What an amazing creative idea from the Father! He makes everything in our lives unique, but not for us individually, but to complement with ine another’s “uniqueness” in the body.
Last but not least, we must be aware of this great truth…there is a more excellent and extraordinary way that will lead us to live in the fullness of the honor of being part of the body of Christ, and that way is love.
Years ago I was serving in a church in another city and while doing so, I saw that my brothers and leaders in the body were not serving the amount of hours and in the ways that I thought they should, (my perspective). So I began to be upset about it and have an internal dialogue within myself, an incessant flow of criticism and opinions of what “I thought” others in the body of Christ were not doing. One morning, upon awakening, I was getting ready to have my time of intimacy with the Father and suddenly something resounded within me: ‘I have weighed your heart and it is found wanting’. I acted distracted, ignoring the voice inside me. I continued to grab my notes and prepare for my ritual of intimacy and… again I heard the same thing. I knew it was a biblical passage, but I didn’t even remember what part it was from. Suddenly, when for the third time those words came to me, a strong conviction that I couldn’t ignore came over me so I sat down and talked to Father about it.
My heart, the meditation within it and my walk at that time, were not being of edification. Moreover, that thought that I had believed, that the biggest part of the work in the ministry was being done by me, and me, and me, and me, was like an autoimmune disease within me (self-destructing). It is not something from the outside us that destroys the body, it is the thoughts, intentions, opinions, attitudes, etc. Destruction begins within the heart, when I am having a higher concept of myself than I should have, and the same is true when I am having a lower concept or value. I am putting that concept above what the Father says or thinks of me. During this season, Apostle Martin has been releasing a truth about love that has changed many wrong perspectives that I’ve had, and that is, ‘that the Father has placed me in the highest place of blessing’. I am a blessing and I am in a place of blessing to bless others, as long as I really understand, who I am, what I have and what I can give.
Recognizing the original and creative diversity within the body of Christ, living in synchronized harmony with the Father’s love, causes me to not only realize the honor of being part of the body, but the honor of being part of the most authentic and extraordinary masterpiece that I will ever see and experience in history. For this reason, it is not the same to me if you read this or not, nor is it the same to me how important your life is here and now…because your value exceeds the riches of this world. Many years ago a hero said:
“YOU WILL BE WHAT YOU ARE MEANT TO BE, OR YOU WILL BE NOTHING.”
WHEN I WANT TO BE WHAT SOMEONE ELSE IS, I WILL NOT BE
WHO I WAS DESIGNED TO BE, AND THAT CAN HARM THE BODY.
Neither you or I should be what someone else is, we must BE the authentic masterpiece that the Father has designed us to be. The body of Christ needs exactly the ‘authenticity’ with which each one of us have been created and fulfill the only reason why we are here on this earth. We are here and now, to do here and now, what we as the body of Christ in all it’s fullness have to: Be and Do.
