How should the Body Behave?

This is maybe the most critical point of discussion.  I often think the church is not judged by what it believes, but how it behaves.  Unfortunately, many people in the church have the reputation of hypocritical behavior.  That is saying we believe one thing, but do another.  Saying we believe in unity and then branching off into so many denominations because we just can’t agree.  Saying we believe in love, but passing so much judgment and gossip towards a person that they think this place is not for me, I don’t need to put up with this abuse.  Saying we believe in being kind, but when a person comes to our church we don’t talk to them because we have more important friends that need our attention. 

If you have not experienced any of these scenarios I am glad.  Unfortunately, they are pretty common in many churches that cross denomination, location, and size.  You may think how can you know what all churches are doing?  I can’t, but I have spent time in many churches around this country and don’t feel I have overstepped any bound by putting out a few of these generalizations.   

Let’s get to the Bible to find out the things that the church should be doing.  I just had a thought that the most awesome testimony we could give the world is if we lived out these four truths.  The Bible is full of stuff and sometimes we skim the surface of lots of things, but never really focus on anything.  I want to focus on four ways we should act if we are part of the Body of Christ.  Next time, you go to your local place of worship why not try to apply these four Scriptures and see if you could make a difference. 

Let’s try to put down our jealousy, I Corinthians 12:12-15, 18-19, “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.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.  Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.  If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body…But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?”  How often do I hear people say that, “if only I could sing, or teach, or lead…but I only have the gift of hospitality…that doesn’t really matter.”  Our church is struggling because so many people wish they were doing something else and no one is doing anything.  Get out there and use your gift of hospitality to the best of your ability, throw a party, host a progressive dinner as a church mixer, start inviting new people to your house for dinner, host a potluck at church, plan a special event at your church for Christmas.  The Body of Christ needs your gift and if you begin doing what you are good at, you might be surprised where God will take you.

Let’s try to love those in our church, Ephesians 4:16, “From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”  What if instead of criticizing the next new event, idea, sermon, teacher at church, we tried to build that person up in love.  Do you want to be that stubborn old goat who is always seeing the glass half empty or do you want to be someone people can look to for love and support.  Now, I can already hear some of you out there saying, “You don’t understand, I have the gift of discernment and if I think something is wrong, it is my duty to speak it.”  Ok, but how are you speaking and with whom are you speaking?  Are you speaking to any friend who has the unfortunate pleasure to cross your path on a Sunday morning?  Are you bringing your concern up as a prayer request at the Wednesday night prayer meeting (where if we were honest there is not much praying going on)?  Are you snapping at the Pastor with your best one-line zinger, so he can’t help to take notice of your objection?  Maybe you could focus on using your gift of discernment with a huge dose of love.  Why not state your concern once, to the right leader with a pinch of humility and a dose of love and then leave it in their capable hands to make a decision.

Let’s try to speak truth, Ephesians 4:23-25, “…to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to high neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”  I would encourage you to look at this entire section of Scripture going back to verse 17.  The truth it is referring to is contrasted to worldly lust and futility of thinking.  I have been in enough churches to know that worldly lust and futility of thinking has crept into many churches that have a cross on their steeple and pray to Jesus.  I have heard, “baptism is your ticket to heaven,”  “we were created to be homosexual and there is nothing wrong with that,” “the Bible’s teaching on premarital sex does not reflect the time in which we live.”  The truth of the Bible has been misinterpreted, watered down, and completely ignored.  Until the thing we go to on Sunday mornings is no longer a reflection of God.  Find a church that holds firm to truth, be a student of the Word so that when your church makes a compromise on truth you will recognize it and can challenge it.  However, in all this remember to be made new in the attitude of your mind.  Put on the attitude of Christ this was humility; so that while you are speaking the truth you are filled with love for those with whom you are speaking.

Let’s try to be kind, Ephesians 4:32, “Be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven you.”  I believe this verse says it all!

This is by no means a comprehensive list on how the Body of Christ should act, but I think if we would focus on implementing these three things in our local congregation we could revolutionize our local as well as global Body of Christ.