The Body of Christ - (Poynton Baptist Church)
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Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Humble Service in the Body of Christ
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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Deny yourself, take up the cross and follow me.
Context
IIn Romans 12-16 Paul goes into detail of what it means to be a fellowship. He uses the image of a body - the body of Christ (Christ as the head) to illustrate his teaching.
It may surprise you that no other writer in the New Testament uses the body as an illustration. There are said to be over 90 different illustrations of Christian fellowship - a Bride, City of God, Light on a hill, Salt of the Earth, Temple, Royal Priesthood, Flock, Vine, Family... But only Paul uses the metaphor of a body.
Explore this in three ways,
One Body
Practising Hospitality
Showing Empathy (Lake of Tears)
One Body
Rom 12 (also 1 Cor 12) is more than a metaphor - Paul teaches that it is reality.
This goes back to Paul's very first encounter with the risen Christ when he was knocked off his horse by the light of Christ, who said “Paul, why are you persecuting me?” Persecuting Christians was persecuting Christ himself. Christian fellowship was not an organisation as such it is a real living, growing, breathing body of the risen Christ - Christ is the head Rom 12:4, ‘just as each of us has one body many parts so in Christ we who are many form one body each member belongs to the other.’
Reality of the Body - we belong to each other, we need each other. Wherever you go in the world, we find the body of Christ and we realise that we are part of that.
We’re in Poynton. Strangers? One body (bro & sis). Rom 12:3 teaches us it's the humility of not thinking highly of yourself but that you are part of the body. Think of the entire body. Central to this thinking is humility.
NB (v6). We all have different functions & gifts but it's one body belonging to each other. Devoted to one another with KIN affection Honour one another above self Rom 12:10, with a sincere love (v9). Only Jesus in us, can do this. One body One head LJC.
Practising Hospitality
‘Practice Hospitality’ (v13) a standout phrase at the end of this section on the Body Rom 12:13 ‘share with God's people who are in need - Practise hospitality.’
N.B. here Paul is talking about the body of Christ. Practise hospitality - share with fellow Christians who are in need.
As a young man (of 21) in Wakefield. Studied in Manchester 3 years. Minister Chris Sugden phoned the Rev in Wakefield. That church welcomed me. I had no accommodation (Slept in my van). A young couple took me in. Practice hospitality. Two years later, I was on a trip with some people from that church when our car crashed (Honister). Tragedy in one respect but over the 9 months in SIU Hospital – that church practised hospitality – visiting, messaging,
After 9 months in Hospital recovering from SI, after I was discharged – disabled 23 yrs single, people cared for me, took me to things. The church flourished thro Practising Hospitality. One family gave me Sunday lunch every week. They extended their family to me. I was just an Irish stranger but part of the body.
Question: How do you think the Head of the body felt about that welcome?
In today’s lingo, I’m sure Jesus was buzzing, Rejoicing with those rejoicing (Rom 12:15a)
Showing Empathy
“Weep with those who weep?” Romans 12:15b
Empathy. Romans 12:15b ‘weep with those who weep.’ Empathy: ‘Our reaction when we see pain and distress and the misery that sin can cause.’ To weep with those who weep, to empathise, to see things with their eyes, think with their mind, feel their feelings. I am sure there have been times when you have listened to a Christian friend speak about their hardship and you felt the moisture come to your eyes, that’s weeping with those who weep. The Holy Spirit is doing that in you, and it is beautiful and a privilege to share in that way. Those tears are a prayer, the HS in you to them.
After my recovery from SI I returned to work as accountant, changed, empathetic.
Read from Broken but Blessed pg65. As lead hospital chaplain time and time again I saw chaplains drawing alongside a person, going the extra mile, sitting with, hand-holding, tender-hearted, tending & caring for people. Weeping with those who weep.
But I want to go deeper here, When the risen Jesus said, ‘Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ Acts 4:9 it is clear that Jesus experiences the pain of hurting Christians. Christ the head is not separate from the body. Pain & suffering in the body is a personal affront to the head. So when Jesus says to ‘weep with those who weep, that divine command is not given by a distant ‘him up there’ God. When he says weep with those who weep he is present and active (I believe) weeping. What I am saying is that God is present in the face of our suffering. Ps 34 ‘Close to the broken-hearted.’ Psalm 56:8 ‘You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your container. Are they not recorded in your scroll?
My experience is of a much greater tear container, let me tell you a little bit of my testimony: Lake of Tears .... (pg 118 Lake of Tears (Draft Edition)
Take up the story after I had prayed angry prayers to the Lord, such as, ‘Lord, you are not a personal God, you do not know how hard this is, you do not see my tears, my brokenness, you are far away. What happened after this changed my perception of God forever.
I'm not saying there is a literal lake of tears ‘up there’ but that’s the vision that I received. Isa 40:12 says he measures the oceans in the hollow of his hand. That’s a picture of the greatness of God, beyond our comprehension and the Lake of Tears is a similar staggering glimpse that God is an all-knowing, all-participating, ever-present God. Tears of the body are ours and his.
1 Thes 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances (not for all circumstances!)
When the bible refers to tears and weeping, it is not for wallowing in the misery of it but for the triumph and the Christ-like fragrance that exudes when we cling to God in the word and in prayer, in praise and in worship. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says ‘he causes us to triumph and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place.’ Imagine underneath each of our seats is a little bottle of scent with those reed diffusers. the aroma in this place would be beautiful.
Think of that alongside Romans 8:37 where Paul says, ‘In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us.’ Throughout the bible, brokenness and tears are the raw materials of flourishing and fruitfulness and the fragrance of Christ.
Remember Jesus understands tears. Even before the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said, ‘My soul is sorrowful even unto death’ Matthew 26:38
– he says this sorrow is so great it may kill me before I get to the cross.
Friends, this is our God – he shed tears, remember Gethsemane and what rejoicing by believers on the third day when he rose again. Praise his Name.
How do we stand firm in Christ despite our circumstances? Firstly, continue to be faithful in reading the word of God. In prayer and praise and worship too. Psalm 139:12 ‘Hear my prayer oh Lord, listen to my cry for help, be not deaf to my weeping’. These are good prayers, gutsy heartfelt prayers. Friends, come to the Lord Jesus who knows pain, sorrow, isolation, abandonment. Isaiah 53:3 prophesied ‘he is a man of sorrows acquainted with grief.’ He knows your trials.
Possibly conclude with Lindi’s story – Pete Norton’s sister.
or Conclude with Hoister ‘I am with you Always.’
