This is a good analogy of a healthy church. I’m surprised at how correct the science of the body is, but then the one who inspired the writing made our bodies.
Ephesians 4: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Back in the 1950’s the press asked an airline pilot just what a new plane was all about. He said it is a million parts flying in formation. If one part goes out, it could bring down the plane. Many planes crashes have happened due to one part failure.
How important are you and I to each other? How important are we to God? If I back off or step aside in my Christian life and am not the Christian I should be, I hurt the Lord and will hurt you as well. No one in the body of Christ is unimportant. We’re all needed for the success and health of the body of Christ. Our human bodies are a collection and union of many parts. They are not thrown together. If our little finger is cut off and nothing is done about it we would bleed to death. Every part of the body, inside and out, is important.
Here Paul talks about the joints. We’re not a loose association of people. That’s not what God wants. Christianity is meant to make out of sinners the church and body of Jesus Christ. It’s you joined to me and me to you. This union is mutual. We have Jesus and it means we’re brothers and sisters—all part of the body of Christ. Some think that without a preacher you can’t have a church. That’s not all a church is. It’s not about a man. You can tell by watching many television preachers that it’s all about them. We are part of the body of Christ. You don’t have my hand and I don’t have your foot.
I was not a good candidate for being joined to the family of God, but Jesus saved me and placed me in the body. He did the same for you if you’re saved. Paul talks about the joints of the body. Imagine how all the parts of the human body would be without the joints. When the joints are not right, the body doesn’t work right. Before I had my shoulder surgery, I couldn’t use my shoulder; I had lots of pain. Now the joint is repaired and useable. We see how to keep a health church—joining ourselves together in love. We have to be associated and joined in love. The joints make a whole unit of many parts. Fingers are joined to the palm which is joined to the hand which is joined to the wrist which is joined to the arm. All of it is compacted together by joints. My arm needs a shoulder to work right. Your brain couldn’t tell it how to work if it was not working right.
That’s what is wrong with the church. We have to be faithful Christians individually, but we have to be fitly joined together. We supply what the Lord has given us the ability to do. What good does it do to have an arm without an elbow? If I pick up this bottle of water to give it to someone but don’t have legs and feet to walk over to them, what good is it? It’s all ordered. Everything tries to obey the brain. Jesus is the head of the body, and he tells us what to do. We accomplish it together because we’re fitly joined together. The best thing that could be said about Adwolfe Church is that the people work together and love each other. The body is to be obedient to the head. We obey individually as well as through our love and working with each other. That’s how we’re blessed and made healthy as a church.
When something goes wrong in the body, the whole body suffers. The better working and healthy I am, the more I can help you and we can help each other. I like it when things go well with my body. It’s the same with the body of Christ. We can love and help each other. It’s all possible through the miracle of salvation. Healthy joints make a healthy body. Let’s stay fitly joined.
Famous words from the space age were “one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind.” Eight years earlier Alan Shepherd was the first to go into space. After launch, they tried to talk to him, and the first thing he said was a prayer. Lord, help me not to mess up. He knew what was riding on him. That’s a good prayer for us. Lord, help me not to mess up. Help me be a good body part so that together we can make the Lord happy.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 