logical continuation...

All of the “Pauline Epistles” (fancy term for letters in the New Testament written by Paul the Apostle) bear similar resemblance in the way arguments are developed… and looking at a text that we have been examining in the letter to the Romans, you can see this pattern of writing – systematic, linear argument and thought process – show itself again.

The way he wrote allows us to examine what he said in such a way that we are always conscious of what he talked about previously, what he is saying presently, and provides a foundation for the things he shall say in future passages. And so we can naturally move from talking about 3-fold foundational principles (my unique take on Romans 12 and its application to a worship ministry) on which to build an authentic and God-centered ministry through self-sacrifice, the transformation of the Holy Spirit and humility.

From somewhere in the book of Romans:

… Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ, we who are many form one body…

People who have grown up in evangelical-leaning churches would testify to the fact that this is possibly one of the most examined, quoted and over-used passages of scripture. However, in all my years of being in the church, I have only heard it talked about within its context perhaps once or twice. These words are extracted from a thought process that Paul is building upon in the book of Romans and if you look at the “foundational principles” that we talked about, it becomes easy to see the context in which this text lies.

People that are not willing living sacrifices… people that are not allowing the work of the Holy Spirit to transform them… people that are not overcoming pride through humility have a difficult time with the principle of one body with many members – each member being equally important. Ministries that have not emphasized the above-mentioned principles first may SAY that they agree with the Paul’s passage on “the body”, but will struggle to make it a reality because it is only lip service and not an actual ministry-defining value.

Churches that are torn apart because people and ministries cannot work together as the body of Christ go through trying times because the people and the ministries are too “jacked up” on themselves to see with transformed eyes of humility, and self-sacrifice.

City-wide church movements struggle to gain traction because churches across denominations inwardly refuse to acknowledge each other as equally important members of the body of Christ even though their leadership may pay lip service to it.

It’s curious that while individuals, ministries and churches may say that they buy into the principle of one body with many parts performing different functions, the reality of the church today is that we are a broken and fragmented bunch that have little-to-no real impact in society… at least that’s what the people outside of the church think.

As worship facilitators at Woodvale, our ministry to this church is just as important as other ministries to this same church. As individuals, there is no single person that is more important than another… and if you do not believe me, go ahead and excuse yourself from the ministry for a while and watch in amazement as the gap you left is instantaneously filled.

For 10 years of my life, I was an aspiring athlete and I remember the times when I would tweak some obscure muscle in my belly, arm, or leg… all of a sudden, my body was not well because of the pain that one little and seemingly useless part of my body was hurting. People that have gone through physical health challenges can tell you countless stories about how some small part of their bodies that goes pretty much unnoticed caused them so much trouble when it started malfunctioning.

Therefore, larger than the issues surrounding self-importance, is the issue of pain and suffering. If one member of the body suffers, the WHOLE body suffers… and this has a direct impact on what we do as facilitators of worship. If we are functioning well as a ministry that operates in humility and looks out for one another, it goes without saying that the suffering of one member has the ability to affect a whole ministry and a whole church.

So what now?

I believe that there is a far more powerful positive effect that can be realized in interpersonal relationships, ministries, churches and even at the inter-church, interdenominational level if the principle of “the body” is turned on its head and used to empower the body of Christ instead of destroy it.

The fact that we are a “body” means that sickness can spread through our members and wreak untold destruction, but by the same token, it means that sickness can be reversed if the body parts perform their function…

A “whole”, healed person is useful in creating a “whole”, healed ministry and “whole”, healed ministries influence the formation of “whole”, healed churches.

You may have noticed by now that I keep talking (pretty much every blog entry) about the contrast between churches that are getting things right and those that are not quite on the ball. My reason for talking in this way is because I am convinced that my purpose here at Woodvale is to help all that I serve alongside understand that CONNECTING PEOPLE TO GOD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. A church that is “on the ball” is excellent at this.

A wholesome ministry that functions well, helps the church achieve this objective… a broken and fragmented one does not.

I challenge you to be a part of establishing and building a ministry and a church whose foundation is rock-solid and who understands that we are all equal members of one body set loose on this earth to advance the kingdom of God. It is certainly not an overnight process, but as we start by becoming living sacrifices, God’s fire deals with real issues in our life bringing about a transformation through the renewing of our minds and we are then strengthened to walk the road of victory over pride through humility. These individual processes help us to become better at functioning in healthy God-birthed unity with one another.

Romans 12: 4 - 8