“For we are all the body of Christ, and members in particular” (I Corinthians 12:27 NKJ).
God always spoke to people in their common understandings. The “body” of Christ is wonderful imagery because not only did it speak to the people to whom Paul was writing; but it still speaks to us today. Perhaps even more so, as medical science has made countless discoveries about the human body and indeed how everything within it is connected to make up a whole person. Today the farming imagery that was commonly used in the Bible is now foreign to many of us and requires more depth of research to understand the inner workings of seedtime and harvest and what the Scriptures meant when they spoke of those things.
Similarly, people in Bible days might not have understood the concept of teams, clubs and group organizations quite the way we do today. Today’s society is easily grouped off into people with various interests or skills. This imagery is also very powerful when applied to Christianity. In the world of athletics, we would say that Christianity is a “team sport.” In it we are not only judged by our individual performance and giftings but we are equally rewarded for lending our strengths to other team members’ weaknesses.
What are some elements of a team that are different from a body? One difference is that of our understanding of free will. An ear doesn’t have any choice but to be an ear. Yet today we have many that think they’re in the “Body of Christ” and yet they haven’t joined a team. Some are out of position, some try to make up their own position and some think they’re called to be in the bleachers!
Eat, Ride, Watch
Benchwarmers drag the whole team down, according to Bill Belichik. The Head Coach of the New England Patriots is unique in being the only coach to win 3 Super Bowls in 4 years, and lead his team to a perfect 16-0 record in the regular season. He holds records for consistency of wins and has won many awards for maintaining a standard of excellence in coaching football. He has not followed the practice of many professional sports teams in allowing there to be any “stars” on the team. He has said “Everybody gets game time—no ERWs on the team.”
ERWs—a term that can apply to many Christians—those who “Eat, Ride, and Watch.” They eat the team food, they ride the team bus to the events and they watch the players play. Belichik says on his team everyone is a player, everyone is a leader, and everyone is valuable though different. He epitomizes the old adage “there is no I in TEAM.”
He has embodied this philosophy so strongly that he has passed it along to his team. Many of his players had been waiting over 10 years of their career to play in a Super Bowl. As boys they dreamt of hearing their names announced in front of tens of thousands of fans. But the Patriots broke that tradition and clung to their practice of being brought onto the field as a team. Belichick says of that first Super Bowl “…they didn’t want that for themselves because they wanted to go out as a team because of their commitment to each other. That’s so powerful.”
I Corinthians 12:12-13 in the Message Bible also speaks of this kind of team spirit,
“You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. 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. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.”
In fact, we even need something larger than a church affiliation to be sure we are fulfilling this mandate from the Lord. Some people excuse themselves from serving because they’re in between church memberships, and others think just because their name is on a church roster that they are automatically in the “Body of Christ.” But 1 Cor. 12:27 says we are ALL the body of Christ which means we all need to fulfill our roles. Just calling you a wide receiver doesn’t make you a functioning one. There must be a completion of the roles we are called to play.
Self-substitution
People can also try to force themselves into a position, either because they think it holds more esteem, or they’re trying to please another, or perhaps they just haven’t even bothered to ask the Lord, our Coach, where you should be on the field. But once you know you need to be an active member, you want to know if you’re offense or defense, lead or bringing up the rear. You’ll only be at maximum effectiveness when you fulfill the role He’s asked you to play
Of this, verses 18-22 say “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you;’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. (NKJ)
It’s a powerful place to be when you stop judging your position (and others), denying your position or being afraid of your position. Everything in you is put there to be an asset to your role. Embrace your part of the team, learn about your position, get coaching and excel in your position!
Team Suffering, Team Victory
I Cor. 12: 24-26 says “But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
The team is truly suffering by those who choose not to play, and those who choose not to play are also suffering. If Jesus’ last request of us, His disciples, was to go into the world and make disciples of all nations, lay hands on the sick, cast out demons and triumph over the works of the enemy, then what’s the point of our lives if we’re not fulfilling our role to make sure that happens. Be one who learns the beauty of being “in the zone” with your team, where no one is show-boating, but everyone is committed and equipped to win!
God always spoke to people in their common understandings. The “body” of Christ is wonderful imagery because not only did it speak to the people to whom Paul was writing; but it still speaks to us today. Perhaps even more so, as medical science has made countless discoveries about the human body and indeed how everything within it is connected to make up a whole person. Today the farming imagery that was commonly used in the Bible is now foreign to many of us and requires more depth of research to understand the inner workings of seedtime and harvest and what the Scriptures meant when they spoke of those things.
Similarly, people in Bible days might not have understood the concept of teams, clubs and group organizations quite the way we do today. Today’s society is easily grouped off into people with various interests or skills. This imagery is also very powerful when applied to Christianity. In the world of athletics, we would say that Christianity is a “team sport.” In it we are not only judged by our individual performance and giftings but we are equally rewarded for lending our strengths to other team members’ weaknesses.
What are some elements of a team that are different from a body? One difference is that of our understanding of free will. An ear doesn’t have any choice but to be an ear. Yet today we have many that think they’re in the “Body of Christ” and yet they haven’t joined a team. Some are out of position, some try to make up their own position and some think they’re called to be in the bleachers!
Eat, Ride, Watch
Benchwarmers drag the whole team down, according to Bill Belichik. The Head Coach of the New England Patriots is unique in being the only coach to win 3 Super Bowls in 4 years, and lead his team to a perfect 16-0 record in the regular season. He holds records for consistency of wins and has won many awards for maintaining a standard of excellence in coaching football. He has not followed the practice of many professional sports teams in allowing there to be any “stars” on the team. He has said “Everybody gets game time—no ERWs on the team.”
ERWs—a term that can apply to many Christians—those who “Eat, Ride, and Watch.” They eat the team food, they ride the team bus to the events and they watch the players play. Belichik says on his team everyone is a player, everyone is a leader, and everyone is valuable though different. He epitomizes the old adage “there is no I in TEAM.”
He has embodied this philosophy so strongly that he has passed it along to his team. Many of his players had been waiting over 10 years of their career to play in a Super Bowl. As boys they dreamt of hearing their names announced in front of tens of thousands of fans. But the Patriots broke that tradition and clung to their practice of being brought onto the field as a team. Belichick says of that first Super Bowl “…they didn’t want that for themselves because they wanted to go out as a team because of their commitment to each other. That’s so powerful.”
I Corinthians 12:12-13 in the Message Bible also speaks of this kind of team spirit,
“You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. 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. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.”
In fact, we even need something larger than a church affiliation to be sure we are fulfilling this mandate from the Lord. Some people excuse themselves from serving because they’re in between church memberships, and others think just because their name is on a church roster that they are automatically in the “Body of Christ.” But 1 Cor. 12:27 says we are ALL the body of Christ which means we all need to fulfill our roles. Just calling you a wide receiver doesn’t make you a functioning one. There must be a completion of the roles we are called to play.
Self-substitution
People can also try to force themselves into a position, either because they think it holds more esteem, or they’re trying to please another, or perhaps they just haven’t even bothered to ask the Lord, our Coach, where you should be on the field. But once you know you need to be an active member, you want to know if you’re offense or defense, lead or bringing up the rear. You’ll only be at maximum effectiveness when you fulfill the role He’s asked you to play
Of this, verses 18-22 say “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you;’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. (NKJ)
It’s a powerful place to be when you stop judging your position (and others), denying your position or being afraid of your position. Everything in you is put there to be an asset to your role. Embrace your part of the team, learn about your position, get coaching and excel in your position!
Team Suffering, Team Victory
I Cor. 12: 24-26 says “But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
The team is truly suffering by those who choose not to play, and those who choose not to play are also suffering. If Jesus’ last request of us, His disciples, was to go into the world and make disciples of all nations, lay hands on the sick, cast out demons and triumph over the works of the enemy, then what’s the point of our lives if we’re not fulfilling our role to make sure that happens. Be one who learns the beauty of being “in the zone” with your team, where no one is show-boating, but everyone is committed and equipped to win!
