Revelation about the Body of Christ
God has set every one in the Body of Christ
“God hath set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him". (I Cor.12: 18)The Body of Christ is likened to a human body with many members. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior have been baptized by one Spirit into this one Body. All the members are equally important to perform their functions. The foot cannot say, “Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body”. Similarly, the ear cannot say, “Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body”. The foot cannot perform the functions of the hand. The ear cannot perform the functions of the eye. You cannot neglect some particular person for your ministry under any circumstances because that particular person is a member of His Body and has a different role to perform. You cannot expect him to perform the same function, which you perform. You should find out the specific role to be played by him in His Body. PLEASE NOTE THAT NOT ALL THE MEMBERS PERFORM THE SAME FUNCTION. They may perform similar functions but not the same function (I Cor.12: 13-17).
“If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole body were hearing, where were the smelling?” (Vs.17). The whole body cannot perform the sole function of hearing or the sole function of hearing or smelling. What we find today in the Christian world is that majority of the ministers perform the function of “pastor” and some of them the function of “evangelist”. What about apostles, prophets and teachers? There is duplication of God’s work everywhere.
God has already set every one of us in the Body of Christ as it has pleased Him. Dear reader, God has set you in a particular position in the universal Body of Christ. Have you ever tried to find out the exact place where He has placed you in the Body of Christ? If you do not know the place of your service, you cannot serve Him. A player in a group game like football or hockey is assigned a specific position in the playground. He cannot play the game in all the positions. If he does so, the entire team will lose the match. He cannot play the game until and unless he/she knows his/her position assigned by the team captain.
Similarly, in the Body of Christ, it is not your choice to select a particular position. Nor is it your decision to serve God. God has set you in a particular position so that you can serve Him.
All of us are not one member but many members in one body. This means not all of us can perform the same function as a single member but different and multifarious functions as many members in a single body. Many ministers of God preach that they were chosen by God to serve their congregations as if their congregations were not chosen by God. However, Paul wrote that God has set the members, every one of them as it has pleased Him. It is not any local church or any organization that has to appoint ministers on its own choice. A child of God saved through the Blood of Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit has been set by God in the Body of Christ as it has pleased Him. It is God Who has appointed him/her to a particular place in the Body of Christ.
Bestowing honor on uncomely parts
There are certain members in the human body which we think to be less honorable, upon which we bestow more abundant honor. Though all the organs of the body are equally important, and we cannot ignore one particular organ in preference to another, yet in our human perception, some organs may appear to be less honorable. People who are black in complexion bestow more care upon their faces by using cosmetics so that they may look comely. Some women who do not have long hairs use herbal medicines to grow their hairs so that they may look comely. People whose vision is defective bestow more care upon their eyes and use optical glasses. However, people who are fair need not bestow care upon their faces. So is the case with the women who have long hairs and those who have normal vision.
“For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked.” (I Cor.12:24). In the human body, there are certain invisible organs or cells upon which God has bestowed more abundant honor which we do not normally give due to our lack of knowledge or due to our limited knowledge. We may give more care only to those organs like heart, lever, brain, kidney, etc. to such an extent that if we feel pain in any of these organs, we rush to the doctors for diagnose and treatment. We may not give the same care to those organs like fingers, toes, etc. Similarly, in the Body of Christ, God gives more care to those members of His Body who are spiritually weak so that “there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another”. “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it: or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it” (Vs.25-26). If a member of His Body suffers due to some affliction, the other members should also feel the agony of that particular member. If a member of His Body is used by God mightily or honored by others, the other members should also rejoice with the former.
God’s order of prominence in the Body of Christ
Though God treats all the members of the Body of Christ equally, He has set an order of prominence amongst various ministries in the Body of Christ. God has set some, in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after those miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues (I Cor.12:28-30). These days, hardly do we attach due importance to the ministries of apostles and prophets, who are the foundation of the Church, the Body of Christ. We have now changed the order of prominence set by God by giving more importance to miracles and gifts of healings which come only after teachers.
All of us are not apostles, prophets or teachers. All are not workers of miracles. All do not speak with tongues or interpret such tongues. These days, we find multitudes attend miracle or healing meetings. The miracle ministries or healing ministries are assigned a fourth position in the Body of Christ.
Apostles and prophets
Do we crave apostolic and prophetic ministries? Do we give importance to the teaching ministries? The whole Christian world is in the grip of false doctrines, apostasy, confusion and dissention. The Body of Christ lacks unity amongst the different members. All this can be ascribed to due importance not being given to the apostles and prophets who are the foundation of the Church (Eph.2:20). Today we have in our midst apostles like Paul, Peter, John, etc. But we do not recognize them.
People argue that today there are no more apostles and prophets because the foundation of the Church was laid once and for all through the apostles and prophets who existed during the New Testament period. Please note that Paul wrote to the saints that were at Ephesus, “ye are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone”. The saints at Ephesus were built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets at that time. Similarly, we ought to be built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets RIGHT NOW. Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets is not an one-time affair but a continuous affair. The spiritual condition of the churches of today is much different from that of the New Testament churches. We need apostles and prophets who would take the Church in the right direction by dealing with false doctrines and apostasies which are more prevalent today than during the New Testament period. Paul in his epistles dealt with the doctrines of Judaism and taught the new converts on the doctrines of salvation by faith. John in the book of Revelation revealed the spiritual condition of the seven churches in Asia. Where are the apostles and prophets today to expose the plethora of false doctrines, which have surreptitiously crept in the churches, and to guide the children of God?
Similarly, we have in our midst prophets like John the Baptist. But we do not recognize them just because they are in the wilderness. John the Baptist was in the wilderness. But “there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and ……..” (Mark 1:5). Even Jesus came all the way from Nazareth of Galilee, to John the Baptist to be baptized of him in Jordan because Jesus recognized John as a prophet. We do not go in search of the apostles and prophets. But we go in search of the evangelists who perform miracles or healing ministries. If at all a prophet is perhaps recognized, people flock to him to know their future and pester him to find out God’s will concerning their marriages, businesses or careers. Hardly do they seek him to know the call of God in their lives for His ministry.
Teaching ministries
Thirdly, the teaching ministries are set by God in the Body of Christ. We need teachers who teach the right doctrines and who rightly divide the word of truth. We attach less importance to the Bible Study. In the Bible Colleges, we need anointed teachers and not people with merely doctorate degrees in theology. Of course, we need teachers who have a thorough knowledge about other religions also and who are filled with the wisdom of God and not merely Biblical knowledge.
Helps
In the Body of Christ, there are many precious people who are “helps”. We just ignore those who have wonderful intercessory ministries and who pray for the renowned
Evangelists daily. There are many who help the five types of New Testament ministers i.e. apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers and pastors. Without the help of these precious people, the work in the His Vineyard is humanly impossible.
Apostle Paul was encouraged and comforted through the ministry of Epaphroditus, a messenger from Philippi who brought a gift to Paul (Phil.2:25-27 and 4:18). Paul recognized him “my brother, and companion in labor, and fellow soldier”. Paul exhorted the Philippians to receive him in the Lord with all gladness and to hold him in reputation because “for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life….” (Phil.2:30). Apostle Paul sought the ministries of many such helps. These days, the ministers of God covet personal attention for them whenever they go to outstations for ministries. They want themselves to be honored and received. They do not care for their helps. There are many precious people like Epaphroditus in our midst who give their sacrificial gifts to the ministers of God and pray for them.
Governments
After this, God has set governments in the Body of Christ. Today there are many ministers of God in our midst who have the God-given wisdom in establishing and running mission fields, Christian social and charitable organizations, schools, hospitals, orphanages, Christian publishing houses, etc. We cannot ignore them just because they carry on administrative functions. As members of the Body of Christ, these ministers do wonderful work. In fact we need more such administrators today. Many young people with their educational and professional background should come forward and help establish many organizations. Their skill and knowledge on Information Technology should be fully harnessed for the Kingdom of God. Unless we harness them for God’s work, this world may make use of them for their work. Such ministers of God with the gift of government should listen and minister to the five types of New Testament ministers. Christian businessmen should explore this world for inventing new business techniques and tools and new markets so that the profits flowing from these business houses can be utilized for the gospel work.
Diversities of tongues
Lastly, God has set diversities of tongues. In the Corinthian churches, undue importance was given to the gift of tongues. The Holy Spirit through the apostolic ministry of Paul gives the least importance to this gift.
- Job Anbalagan