The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
-1 Corinthians 12:12

As I was thinking about the body of Christ recently the Lord brought me to the realization that the body of Christ is much like the human body. The Lord showed me that as Christians we are a part of the whole that is the body. Just like the human body is the sum of it's parts.

The more we realize that we all have a role, or a calling from God and the more we carry this out the more efficiently the body can perform. As we make ourselves available and are obedient to the Holy Spirit, God can position us for His glory.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
  -1 Corinthians 12:27

...Thoughts? Comments?

Lovely article and very true, as Christians we are function as a healthy unit. It is critical that each member find their part.

Can you imagine if my little pinky didn't want to do it's job, rather it want to function as a big toe or vice versa.

Or what about missing fingers how difficult it would be for our bodies to function. 

Each unit that God designed and put in place is a critical component, valuable and irreplaceable designed to work as a whole functioning body. So to is this the desire of our

Heavenly Father...

That each precious member would rise up and take their part/place for the purpose of bringing glory to the Lord!

many Blessings!!

AJ Flores at 04:41AM on Jan 18, 2010

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
-1 Corinthians 12:12

 

As I was thinking about the body of Christ recently the Lord brought me to the realization that the body of Christ is much like the human body. The Lord showed me that as Christians we are a part of the whole that is the body. Just like the human body is the sum of it's parts.

 

The more we realize that we all have a role, or a calling from God and the more we carry this out the more efficiently the body can perform. As we make ourselves available and are obedient to the Holy Spirit, God can position us for His glory.

 

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
  -1 Corinthians 12:27

 

...Thoughts? Comments?

 

Right on... however, I believe most Christians spend too much time trying to be the head or one of the showy parts of the body... when their calling is to be those parts that are rarely seen but are just as necessary in the health and function of the body. I believe it is partially our misunderstanding of our nature and our image as God's creation. We are made in the image of God, therefore, we each have our own glory with a small "g". When we are in God's perfect plan our glory is revealed so that He, God through Christ, His Glory is revealed. For too long, the church as tried to tell us that we are not to have any glory that all glory must go to Christ. This is true, but not in the way that we believed it to be. This lead us to believe that we were of no value and we did not see ourselves as made in the image of God. Today there are bold preachers like my friend Myles Monroe, who have uncovered that all us as a part of the body, therefore, have a personal glory, that when we are fully functioning in the Holy Spirit no mater what part we play in the body of Christ, can reveal to the world our personal glory, those gifts and treasures, He Christ has given us so that He may receive the full reflection of our glory that when multiplied by the entire body gives full Glory to our risen Christ the head of the body.

Great posts guys!   I was just reading and praying about this through this last week.   I completely agree with what Les said about Christ being the head of the body.   Being a worship leader and studying to be a pastor, I have been having a few discussions with different pastors, and it occurred to me that many church bodies have disconnected themselves from the head (Jesus Christ) and end up floundering or taking on all kinds of strange doctrine.   God has impressed on me this week how important it is that we (the body) stay connected to the head (Jesus Christ) and let Him direct our every move.   If we stop being directed by the head we just flop around in all different kinds of directions.

For we must fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  (2 Cor 4:18)

Thanks Stephen, here is the words from Myles Monroe's book that is also in my songbook... This helped me get through the loss my wife and I experienced when she went through major surgery... It is also, I believe an answer to most peoples question of "Why or Where is God in difficult times of tragedy and loss?".

“Crushing really is the key to releasing the glory of God.

If you feel the weight of life crushing you down, don't despair. God will not let it destroy you. Instead, He will cause it to reveal you. Pressure brings out what is hidden underneath. Sometimes that means stripping away the old layers of dirt and debris to get down to the original.

God's purpose is for the world to see us restored to our original glory, the way He created us. To accomplsh that He has to squeeze and scrape and press and crush us. There is no other way. In one way or another He has to break our "jars of clay" in order for His fragrant glory to come out. He wants to do with us what the woman in Bethany did when she broke open her alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and poured the ointment on Jesus' head (see Mark 14:3). The fragrance of the nard permeated the room. While religious-minded people criticized her for her waste, Jesus commended her for her love. God wants to break our "jar" so the sweet aroma of His glory can pour out and permeate our environment.

See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, I do this. How can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another”.

Isaiah 48:1-11

Myles Monroe

Author and motivational speaker

The Glory of Living

(Used by permission)

Some people in the church are the feet of the church, some are the hands. Pastor is the heart of the church I believe. God needs every member of the body of Chirst because we have different giftings and talents.