A Counted Member!

Text: Ephesians 5:30 (KJV)

“For we are members of His body, of his flesh, and of his bones.”

Text: Romans 12: 4-5 (KJV)

"For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."

Each part of the human body is important. While we don’t sit around pondering each part’s function, we definitely notice when one part isn’t working.

Ephesians 4:16 says:  "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".

The body of Christ is held together by that which each individual body part supplies. We may think some parts are less significant than others, but 1^st Corinthian 12:15-24 says that each part is “significant.”

Look at your little pinky toe. You don’t think much about your pinky toe. Yet, if you’ve ever gotten up at night to get a glass of water or go to the bathroom and stumped your little toe on a piece of furniture, that little toe becomes “very noticeable"!!! With your toe throbbing in pain, your entire ability to walk is compromised!!!! You realize how much you are affected even when something as small as your pinky toe is "out of the game".

Sometimes we think that one person is enough to get the job done. After all, the Lone Ranger movies in the past and the James Bond movies of the present show the hero fighting against great odds, all by themselves. But even the Lone Ranger had his sidekick, Tonto, and even James Bond had an assortment of gadgets that helped him escape in just the nick of time.

Those one-man shows often appeal to us because we too have often said to ourselves, “If you want a thing or job done right, do it yourself.” And we have often done that very thing. However, while Hollywood movies may portray solitary heroes and while we ourselves may want to do the job all by ourselves and avoid the hassle of involving others, such aloneness is not the path to accomplishment within The Church - within The Body of Christ.

There are no “Lone Ranger Christians”……. In fact such an attitude is contrary to the inspired Apostle Paul comparing The Church to a Body with Christ as The Head.

Head…..even Christ!!!

Ephesians 1:22:  "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.  Ephesians 5:23:  "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:  and he is the savior of the body".

Head …..of All!!!

Ephesians 4:15:  "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ".

Head…..of the Body!!!

Colossians 1:18:  "And he is the head of the body, the church:  who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence".

Head…..of the Church!!!

Ephesians 5:23:  "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church:  and he is the saviour of the body".

Head……of the Corner!!!

Matthew 21:42:  "Jesus saith unto them, 'Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner:  this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'." (Mark 12:10)(Luke 20:17).

Head…..of All Things!!!

Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 5:23 (above)

Headstone……of the Corner!!!

Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17 (above)

Look!!!

Just like the human body functions because of the sum total of all its parts working together, so it is with the different parts of the Body of Christ working together that makes the advancement of the gospel possible.

The Body of Christ is no different.  When we don’t supply our part, because we think it to be insignificant, the other members feel it and are hindered overall. Others can work harder to make up for it, but how much easier it would be if every part was functioning peacefully together as they were meant to do.

God has “counted” you a key member yesterday, today, and forever more. So don’t believe for one moment that you are not needed or that God doesn’t NEED YOU!!!! God does need you for the perfecting of the ministry, and many souls are depending on YOU!!!! So the saying "God doesn’t need you" and the song “It’s not about us” are the biggest deceptions of the enemy. It’s about God having a human body to be manifested in! God was and is Spirit but was manifested in the body of Jesus the Christ.

Just know that you are “A Counted Member” because of two reasons.

1). You are a unique part of The Body of Christ!!!

2). You are also a necessary part of The Body!!!

By using the example of the human body with its many members, Paul teaches about the unity of the Body of Christ and diversity of its many members. Just like the human body is indeed one, it has need of all its various members to function properly.  So also the Body of Christ is made up of many, unique……yet necessary….parts which make it function properly.

You might not think of yourself as a counted member, but you indeed are. The Body of Christ, The Church, is Christ’s and Christ’s alone. He is the Head of His Body, The Church, and The One who gives His Body, The Church, both its life and its direction. "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).  "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:6).

We are baptized into the Body of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Though we come from different family backgrounds, we are now part of the same family and part of the same body through Jesus Christ.  Baptism was the way in which we as individuals were brought into The Church, The Body of Christ. Baptism immediately made us “Sons” in Christ - related and dependent upon each other.

"For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 1:5).

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13).

That relatedness and that dependency are compared by the inspired Paul to the relationship and dependency the parts of the human body have upon one another. We are one, and we have a unity within The Body of Christ, but there is also a rich diversity within The Body of Christ as each different part is related and dependent upon one another. Such relatedness, such dependency is not a choice; it is a reality.

You are “A Counted Member” because you are a unique (synonym meaning sole; single; unequaled; matchless; unparalleled; unprecedented; unusual; rare) part of the body. There is no one exactly like you because God made only one of you, and then threw away the mold. You are special and one-of-a-kind!!! The parts of the human body are unique, and no two parts function in the same way.

(1 Corinthians 12:15-17)

Paul points to the hand, the foot, the eye, and the ear. Let’s just think about the human hand for a moment - a masterpiece of God’s design and incredibly complex. Think about what your life would be like each day if you did not have the use of your hands. The 27 bones of the wrist, fingers and palm lend themselves to a great variety of functions. A well-trained pianist or computer keyboardist can strike well over 100 keys per minute! The hands enable a surgeon to perform delicate tasks and enable the trapeze artist to hold many times their own weight as he/she performs breathtaking stunts.

1.     With clashed hands, we express love; clash also makes loud noise as in a clap to praise God or to strike one’s hands in praise or triumph; or as to drive or thrust a nail into the devil’s temper.
2.     With extended hands, we worship or ya’dah which means to worship
3.     With clenched fists, we threaten and show our anger
4.     With wringing hands, we express anguish of the soul and
5.     With folded hands, we express devotion to God as we pray

 We could just as well describe the miracle of design regarding the foot, the eye and the ear, but the point is one and the same - that each part is unique and each part has its own function in the body.

So it is with you and me. We are unique parts of The Body of Christ. Dissatisfaction with who you are and the gifts God has given you is as foolish as the foot complaining that because it is not the hand, or the ear complaining that because it is not the eye, it does not belong to the body. Each has a unique part with its function to play.

BUT THE BIBLE SAYS………….If the whole body was an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? (1 Corinthians 12:17). God has arranged the members in the body, each one of them, just as He chose. Each part is unique, but each part is dependent upon the other parts of the body as well.

The marvelously designed hand would be useless without the coordinated function of the 30 joints and the 50 muscles it takes to lift a spoonful of cereal from the bowl to the mouth. The hand depends upon these joints and muscles to move in perfect, synchronized order.

So not only are you unique, but you are also a “necessary” part of The Body of Christ because your service has enabled the Body of Christ to continue to move forward with the mission for Christ.

Just know that you are a living organism - a body that relies upon the unique and necessary gifts that each member brings to keep it healthy. God has made us mutually dependent upon one another as vital and necessary parts of His Body.

Christ works through pastors, teachers, prophets, evangelists, and apostles "for the perfecting of the saints (ones in the spirit realm), for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  Till we all come in the unity (oneness) of the faith (assurance), and of the knowledge (discernment) of the son of God, unto (to reach the point aimed at) a perfect man (whole; complete), unto the measure (same degree of anointing that Jesus had) of the stature (maturity) of the fulness (completeness) of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13).

The Bible says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).  We are to give His life-giving grace (the word; the kingdom) to a dying world; shine his light (knowledge, wisdom, and understanding) into the darkness and ignorance of the people so that the Truth of God’s Word will cause each and every member to be as salt, a preservative, to halt the further spiritual decay in the body. We know it’s a tall order for that field of work and no small task in these challenging times. But we "can do all things through Christ who strengthens us" (Philippians 4:13).

People of God, just know that each member of The Body of Christ is needed. Each member is unique, and each member is necessary!!! You are “A Counted Member” to the life and work for Christ’s Body!!!

AMEN!!!

Evangelist Jackie Burton