The Church is an organism, not an organization. The Biblical writers’ favorite metaphor for the church is that of a body – a living, breathing creation. Closely related to this metaphor is that of the church as a Family. Both metaphors are organic in nature and should be studied together. The motif of church as organism or family is found over and over again in the teachings of Jesus as well as the writings of the Apostles.
Jesus teaches us that we are connected to him and each other in an organic way. When his mother and brothers and sisters couldn’t get into the house to see him because of the crowd, someone said to Jesus, “Your family is here.” Jesus responded, “Who is my mother? Who is my sister or brother?” Pointing to his disciples (his church) he said, “Here is my mother, brothers, and sisters, for whoever does the will of God is my family” (Matthew 12:46-50). We are connected to each other because we have the same spiritual DNA.
Paul picks up on this idea when he says that when we are in Christ we have become “new creations.” The old has passed away and the new has come into being. We are not made of the same spiritual matter as before. With Christ we are a new spiritual being and we are related to every other person who has that same Christ-DNA (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Jesus confirms this when he says that we are one with him as he is one with the Father (John 17:21). This connectedness is not a purely metaphorical connection. We are tied to Jesus in his physical death and resurrection. When Saul was persecuting the Church Jesus stopped him and asked, “Why do you persecute ME?” When Saul persecuted the church he was, literally, persecuting Christ (Acts 9:1-9).
Paul also teaches us that our organic connection to Christ and to each other impacts us in different ways. Your body, for instance, is the temple of the Holy Spirit which means that you are no longer your own. You have a larger responsibility both to God and your community of faith (1 Corinthians 6:19). Christ, living in our bodies, is strong in our weakness and we are, therefore, able to overcome the adversities of life (2 Corinthians 4:8-18).
Jesus chooses the organic metaphor when he institutes the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26ff). The wine is a symbol of his blood. The bread is a symbol of his body. His body living in us connects us to the Spirit of God and eternal life. We are, therefore, the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22). When it comes to the church, there is only one body and one spirit (Ephesians 3:6; 4:4; 5:30). Jesus holds the body together (Ephesians 4:16), leads the body through life (Colossians 1:8), and makes the body grow (Colossians 2:19). The church is made alive (1 Corinthians 15:20-34) through the sacrificial death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:15-22).
This means that the Christian Church (all over the world) is made of many members, each with their own gifts. These diverse members work together and form one body. Some of the “body parts” may be more prominent, but each part is equally important to the overall work of the body.
The church, therefore, is a body – a living, breathing, thinking, active organism – with many parts (or members) working in unison to be the presence of Christ in the world (Romans 12:4-10). When one part rejoices, all the parts rejoice, and when one part suffers, all the parts suffer (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). This is the very nature of the church!
Next time we look closer to the metaphor of the church as Family … stay tuned …
Ask God to reveal to you how you fit into his body (the church). Ask him to give you a hunger to be a part of that body. Ask him to love you just the way you are and then transform you into whatever he wants you to be. Give thanks to God for creating his church in such a wonderful way as to include you.
Blessings,
Pastor Ellis
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