Working as a Body
1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
As a church, we were forced to ask and answer many questions in the last quarter of fiscal year 2019-2020. “How can we continue worship without opening our doors?” “How will Mornings with Mommy and Power Hour go on during a lockdown?” “How can we build our Christian relationships through a screen?” Thanks be to God! He carried us through to the end of that shutdown. He will continue to carry us just as he has promised.
With God's protection, the Church will endure. With God's help, the Church will continue her mission. Many have asked a new question. “What will be the new normal?” I can say confidently that the Church’s mission will always be to preach to sinful souls the good news of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. No other purpose gives the reason for her existence.
Whatever normal looks like, the Church will find a way to preach the gospel. The last few months of 2019-2020, it meant publishing prerecorded services. It meant sending out videos to our Power Hour families. It meant getting together as small groups on Zoom. What will the new normal look like for Atonement in 2020-2021?
You could say a new ministry plan always brings about a new normal. Based on past surveys, we are planning to implement new ministry areas and improve current ones. We are discussing the possibility of moving forward with a church plant to the north. We are exploring how we can reach the community around Atonement in Plano. We are identifying how to use the space we have at our present campus. We are seeking to build on our early childhood programs. We are working toward amplifying our small groups ministry. We are striving for better communication. And, we are working on getting every member involved in our ministry.
That’s why I say, “We.” In the Church, we all find ourselves bought by Christ’s blood and brought into his body. Our theme verse is from 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” God the Holy Spirit is so inclusive with these words. We (as in all of us together) are the body of Christ. And each one of us is a part of that body. No one who believes in Jesus is left out of his body. We are all united together. No believer is left out of the body of Christ. No believer will be left out of heaven.
It also means no one is left out of the Church’s mission. The Holy Spirit’s words here talk about spiritual gifts. Some people may have gifts that really stand out. They get noticed. You might even feel intimidated about serving if you don’t have the same gifts. But what does the Holy Spirit say through Paul? He says,
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed 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? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it (1 Corinthians 12:15-26).
In God's mission for his Church, no one is left out. He uses every spiritual gift to proclaim the gospel and to show his love. You might not have the gifts you want, but God has given you the gifts you need to serve as part of the body of Christ.
This means the gifts you have are important. If your God-given gifts aren’t being put to use, Atonement’s ministry is not yet complete, whether it’s the ministry at church or in your home or in your community. God has given you the gifts to carry out the purpose he’s given you.
Rejoice with me in the forgiveness and eternal life God gives us freely through his Son Jesus Christ. Rejoice also in the purpose he gives us in this life. A purpose that is free from urgency for ourselves and yet full of urgency for others. A purpose to carry the ministry of the good news of salvation through Jesus to all nations.