Like others in the Greatest Generation, my grandfather was missing all or part of a finger on each hand. Before I was born, farm life and pre-OSHA assembly lines led to the loss of his right index finger and most of his left pinkie finger. While he learned to live without 1½ fingers, I don’t think he could have stated honestly that he didn’t need them and was better off without them.
Paul describes the local church as a human body where each member in the church is a different part of the body. He says one member is a hand and another is an eye. Continuing the imagery, Paul says one part of the body can never say to another part of the body, “I don’t need you” (1 Corinthians 12:21) – like my grandfather, whose right eye is impacted negatively by the loss of his right index finger. Paul’s point is that every part of the human body needs every other part of the human body. In the same way, the Bible teaches every member in the local church needs every other member in the local church.
The Bible teaches the body (our church) needs you, and you need the body (our church). Some believe this, and others do not which is why Paul addresses the problem. Obviously, there were in Corinth those who did not know or did not want to accept the mutual dependency of Christians. If our church is similar to the Corinthian church, in our church are those who do not know or who do not want to accept the mutual dependency of Christians. If not in words then in practice, we say to each other, “I don’t need you.” So, how do we do this?
We declare we don’t need the church when we keep the church at arm’s length, resisting its overtures to get to know us beyond, “Hi, how are you?”
We declare we don’t need the church when we dismiss as valuable anything that could be gained for Christlikeness by being physically present with a member of the church.
We declare we don’t need the church when we determine there is nothing a church member can offer me that I don’t already have, do not presently need, nor will I ever need.
We declare we don’t need the church when we are casual in our approach to Lord’s Day gatherings, allowing nearly anything else to take us away from the meeting of the church.
We declare we don’t need the church when we neglect our Lord’s command for the corporate remembrance of his death around the communion table.
Each example expresses a willing isolation from the church, either physically or virtually, that declares, “I don’t need you.” This statement is both dangerous and damaging to the individual Christian and to a local community of Christians called, “the church.” Sadly, it’s damage we do to ourselves. Foolishly, we conclude that we are better off without a close connection to the people in our church.
If we are going to become more like Christ, we will become more like Him only as we connect with other believers within our local church. If those within our local church are to become more like Christ, they will become more like Him only as they connect with other believers within our local church.
Pastor Mark Dever writes, “Except for the rarest of circumstances, a true Christian builds his life into the lives of other believers through the concrete fellowship of the local church. He knows he has not yet arrived. He’s still fallen and needs the accountability and instruction of that local body of people called the church. And they need him.”
Building our lives into the lives of others is not random; rather, building our lives into the lives of others is intentional. I can hardly think of a better way to pursue building than in a small group from our church where you can connect with others in our church, learning each others’ names, histories, desires, passions, goals, challenges, gifts, weaknesses, and strengths, all for the purpose of helping and being helped to become more like Christ.
Christianity is always personal but never private. None of us is without the continual need of our church.
As always, I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.
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Mike VerWay
Pastor for Preaching & Vision