The Body of Christ Being Built Up

From him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. — Ephesians 4:16

Christ is who holds us, as believers, together.  We’re the Body of Christ.  He supports us, He grows us, and He builds us up in love.  But it just doesn’t happen automatically or by itself.

Just like our physical bodies, there are many parts that make up our bodies, joints, ligaments, etc.  They’re all held together.  To a point our bodies grow on their own and for most of us, usually by the time we’re 20 or so, we’re done maturing in the growth of our physical bodies.

But what would happen if you never fed your baby?  Would they still grow or would they die?  So what about once you’re able to feed yourself, what would happen if you quit eating?  What if you just decided one day, I’m not ever getting out of bed again.  Now if someone would still bring you food, you wouldn’t starve to death.  You’d have to figure out what to do to relieve yourself!  So let’s assume that you’ve got both of those things figured out, what would happen to your body?  You’d start getting bed sores, your ligaments and muscles would slowly fade away to the point that you wouldn’t be able to move on your own.  Depending on how much and what you ate, you could become very overweight.  In general, your health would start to decline.

At some point your body would pretty much become useless.  It wouldn’t be able to function as it was created to be.  More than likely your body would begin to suffer internally and you’d probably die sooner than if you hadn’t chosen to live that way.

There are things we must do with our physical bodies in order for them to function as they were created to be.  It is the same with us as the Body of Christ.  We are all a part of His Body and He wants to use us for His glory as we’ve been created to be!  As part of the Body of Christ, there are things that we need to do in order for the Body of Christ to build itself up.  We must be one another people. 

We CANNOT function alone.  Just like Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12, there are many parts of the body.  One part can’t say to the other part I don’t need you.  One part cannot do its own thing without the rest of the body being part of it.  The body cannot be made up of the same thing, all an eye, ear, etc.

As the Body of Christ, just like our human bodies, we each do our part so that the Body of Christ can grow.  It’s a great analogy but as with most Spiritual to human analogies, it can only take us so far.

We do what we do in the Body of Christ because of what He’s done for us.  His love compels us to love one another as Jesus said we’re to love God and love others.  Following these two commands it would be impossible for us to break any other command!

While there are many areas inside of the Body of Christ that we can all be part of, some are behind the scenes, like cleaning the restrooms or setting up the chairs, and others are more up front, like teaching or leading worship.  But NONE of them are any less or more important.  Jesus taught us that the best leader should be the best servant!

As we go through life our part of the Body of Christ can and probably will change.  Unlike our human bodies, an eye can never become an ear.  But as we grow in Christ we should move into different parts of the Body of Christ as led by The LORD.  A child cannot teach adults, but he may become a pastor himself one day.  You may be a husband and father, work full-time in the world, and cannot give 40 hours of service in a church building, but you can certainly spend time in The Word and in prayer with and for your family, be an example of Christ to those in the workplace, etc.  But as you move through life and have fewer responsibilities outside of church, you will have more time to serve inside of church and in other areas around you.  Serving The LORD is always different as He seeks to pour new wine into new wineskins!

Just like our physical bodies, as I strengthen and grow in Christ, the whole body will be built up. There are many passages in Scripture that clearly tell us we’re to be one another people.  We are NOT to spend our time on this earth alone.  We are here to be in each other’s lives, helping them build themselves up in The LORD as well. 

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age-Matthew 28:19-20.  We’re to be disciples and make disciples and we do this by being one another people.

As the body is strengthened and grows together it is then meant to multiply, to be fruitful and multiply.  We aren’t to be the Body of Christ just for ourselves.  We’re to be in the world and not of it.  The Body of Christ is NOT an exclusive club, it is to be all-inclusive.  It is up to each of us to choose to make Jesus The LORD of our lives as He died so that none would perish but that all could have eternal life.

We grow in Christ, help build each other up, and then share Christ with our lives and our words to draw others to Him, all in love.  It is the love of Christ that is to compel us.  We do what we do because of all Christ has done for us!  Sometimes the loving thing to do however, may not be the easy thing for us to do.  It may also not seem loving to those we are doing it to.

Those who are in the world are sinners who are lost and on their way to hell if they don’t turn to Jesus.  While we should expect them to sin, that doesn’t mean that we condone or excuse their sin, but we also don’t judge or condemn them.  They have already condemned themselves by not accepting Christ and God will judge them for rejecting Him when they die if they never accept Him.

But for those who are in the Body of Christ, we are called to be fruit inspectors.  This is out of our love for them.  It is to be done with a heart of reconciliation to Christ and to the Body of Christ.  We’re to look at our own lives first to ensure that there is no long in our own eyes and to check our motive, is it love or is it condemnation (Matthew 7:1-5)?  And then we’re to go to our fellow believer, body member as described in Matthew 18:15-17.

It will probably not be easy, unless the person immediately wants to do the right thing which is rare but does happen, but it is necessary.  It’s not just for the good of the individual, it’s also necessary for the Body of Christ.  A little leaven works through the whole dough (Galatians 5:9).  But what a joy it is when someone is restored to The LORD and the Body of Christ!  Yes the body will continue without the different parts, we adapt, we replace, etc, but broken fellowship, just like broken bones, never feels good.

We need not concern ourselves with the church down the road, God has put enough people in our lives, when we’re one another people in the Body of Christ that we can each be accountable to.  Confess your sins one to another (James 5:16).    

We don’t build our bodies up for our own edification.  But rather, it is our responsibility, out of love for those in the world around us, as we’re equipped and built up in the Body of Christ, to live our lives in such a way to all of those in the world around us so that they will see the hope of Christ in us and will want that hope for themselves. 

I encourage you to get built up!  Get in The Word and prayer on your own and get plugged into a local Bible teaching church where you can become part of the Body of Christ so that you can be built up and serve The LORD as you love and obey Him and love others by serving them!