my part in Jesus’ Body

About a month ago the sermon in the worship service we participated in was about the Body of Christ and simply taking a look at some different parts of our body in a similar way that Paul used in Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12. It is really a simple teaching, but sometimes hard to understand in the depths of who I am. So I have been reflecting on these passages as well as Ephesians 4 and trying to understand it’s reality in my life. I know that I am loved and valued by God because I am His child. He created me and knew me even when I was in my mother’s womb! But unlike many North Americans, our Triune God is not individualistic; He actually designed us to live in community, just as He lives in community as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! So the Lord has been confronting my slant towards individualism with His design for life to be lived out in community.

Here are some thoughts from Paul taken Eugene Peterson’s really helpful contemporary English translation, the Message, NavPress, 2004:

From Romans 12…“Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his Body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.”

From I Corinthians 12…”Your body has many parts – limbs, organs, cells – but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything…As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it. But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, ‘Get lost; I don’t need you’? Or, Head telling Foot, ‘You’re fired; your job has been phased out’?...The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part…You are Christ’s body – that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your ‘part’ mean anything.”

At the risk of being too vulnerable I want to share some about one of the battles I have faced throughout my life…I have struggled with pride in who God has made me to be. At times I have mistakenly thought that who I am and what I have done (that is good) has come out the “greatness” of me. But whenever those lies become too big the Lord is always faithful to tell me the truth; that who I am and what I do comes from His grace. He is the one who made me, gave me gifts, abilities, experiences all of which make me who I am today and enable me to do the things I do. And furthermore, my life is ultimately important only as I fit into His body, because what good is a pinky finger if it’s not connected to a hand that is connected to the arm of a person’s body?

I have recently been realizing in a new way the power of working with others in a team. This new insight has been most obvious to me in marriage to Chelsea. Chelsea and I are both children of the living God who have been re-created in Christ for the good works He planned for us to do (Eph. 2:10)! We are complete only as we work in community. Between Chelsea and I, we do not possess many of the spiritual gifts listed in Scripture, but she is gifted in wonderful ways that I am not and the opposite is also true. So as we serve together we are able to serve more effectively as we share tasks and each of us do the part we were created for!

In Rwanda, we are absolutely blessed to be working with a team of missionaries and Rwandan leaders, each of us created uniquely and specifically to be part of one unit of the Body of Christ. Together we are much more complete and much more able than when we are apart. Together we have many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the group! Together we can discern God’s will more clearly, together we are much more wise in making decisions. Together, as we love and serve each other we have leaders, helpers, administrators, wise people, teachers, prophetic gifts, evangelistic gifts, those with deep faith and many more! Together, as we work in unity God is glorified much more completely than when I try to work on my own! So, I am in the process (that will probably continue for the rest of my life on Earth) of trying to discern from the Lord what particular part He has made me to fill in the body at this time and in this place. [Do you know what gifts God has given you and the role to which He is asking you to fill in the body right now?] May each of us find the role that God has for us so that we may be a part of bringing Jesus’ prayer into reality…”May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”

"Sometimes the Bravest Thing of All is to Hope"

January 23, 2010

If you have ever visited Rwanda, you see incredible beauty, but you’re also often struck by is the deep ocean of visible suffering. You can see people drowning in poverty, sickness, and despair and you start to feel like you’re being pulled under. Because of your nationality or skin color, you may be seen as a possible savior and you often see hands held out in hopes that you could give them something...anything.
Many Americans tend to be infected by the lies that they don’t need God, that they can do everything themselves, but many Africans believe that they can’t do anything, that they’re worthless. When you see this it’s hard to hope.

I just finished participating in a week of Discipling for Development (D4D) training. David and Debby Thomas and Brad were the teachers/facilitators and I was in a group of 15 participants including pastors from the Friends church as well as other interested leaders from various organizations and churches. I know I can’t describe the values, methodology, and teaching methods I’ve learned in one short note. (If you’re interested in hearing more about that, please let me know). What I will try to describe is some of the evidence that God is at work and that His kingdom is advancing here on earth!

We all watched a video that showed testimonies from a Friends church in the Cyangugu region. One woman who has HIV only had one set of clothing. She would walk with her head down not wanting to talk to anyone, believing she was the lowest of the low. She would go to church and try to stay in the corners. When she got connected to the Friends church and what they were doing with D4D, she got connected to Jesus Christ. Now, you should see her! Her face is joyful! She proclaims that Jesus has brought her out of the pit and raised her up. She knows she’s loved and she knows her worth in Christ. She was able to buy more clothing, she’s taking care of a pig for someone else and will get to keep its baby as payment for her care (raising livestock is a huge way that people can make money here). She has a few goats and one is expressly for her child so that he can learn to take care of it and have his own way to raise money for school, etc. There are so many ways her life has changed. When asked if she would kind of stop going to church, stop depending on Jesus now that her life is better, she emphatically says she is never, never leaving her Jesus, who has done so much for her! One man used to rent a small room and he could barely afford the five dollars a month rent. He waited and waited for an NGO (non-government organization) to come and build him a house. Now, through D4D, Jesus is transforming his mind. He found a way to build his own house with the ability to add on in the future. One woman used to be a prostitute, one man used to get drunk all the time and beat his wife. And these are just a few examples out of many. Their lives are transforming through Jesus Christ!!!

So, as I was going through the seminar this week, I realized that I was being afraid to hope. But, I have seen that God HAS transformed people’s lives, He IS transforming them, and HE WILL continue! It’s not that it’s easy for people to change. It can be a long and difficult process. If it was short and easy, it wouldn’t last. So, please pray with me and hope with me!

“Look around at the nations and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” Habakkuk 1:5