-We are talking here about a massive construction project, an immense undertaking launched by Christ Himself, not some temporal edifice of steel and concrete but rather a living and breathing organism, a glorious spiritual body which has been and is spreading throughout our entire planet, to every tribe and tongue to the ends of the earth. Worldwide today some two billion people name the Name of Jesus Christ. Does that mean they all have crystalline clarity on the truth of Who He is, or even have genuinely put their trust in Him? Perhaps not all, but that’s not our call. No matter how many are actually following Christ, what we know is that these souls with all their warts and idiosyncracies and ethnoliguistic differences have been and are being brought together as part of one giant forgiven family, a living assembly of adopted sons and daughters united by Christ, by a common faith in this only begotten Son of God Who is the only Way to the Father.
-Joined and united together... every part has a joint. Much more than a religion, not merely a movement or some collection of adherents to an ancient creed, in this body of Christ, every part has a joint, two thousand million joints, and they all come from Christ. He creates and sustains each union, unfailing, enduring. Yes, fellowship may suffer interruption due to geography or circumstance or (God-forbid) disobedience and unforgiveness, but the joints themselves are permanent, eternal, indestructible.
-Proper working of each part... every part has a part. As we have just seen and read elsewhere, there is an order to this body, a master plan, each individual part being specially outfitted and intentionally placed in the body by the Holy Spirit according to God’s grand design, precisely how He wants it (1Corinthians 12.18, 12.11). And yes, what this means is that each individual part has a purpose, a role to fulfill. Each and every member of Christ’s body has a unique gift (at least one - 1Corinthians 12.28, Romans 12.6), and it apparently is only as these gifts are being used (and used properly in accordance with the Manufacturer’s instructions) that the body is able to growth. Yes, the growth of the body, both in numbers and in health, is dependent on each part doing its part, truthing-in-love and serving in the unique capacity which God intended (as we just read in Ephesians 4.12).
-Increase of the body building up of itself... This is the goal, this is reason why God left me here on planet earth. Yes, I can and must glorify Him by celebrating and showing off His breathtaking goodness in all that I do (1Corinthians 10.31), but I can (and will) do that in heaven. What I can only do here on planet earth is help to build up the body, as Paul just mentioned in Ephesians 4.12. The fact that he repeats it here illustrates how doubly important it is that I do my level best to figure out what my role is meant to be, and then get in the game, commit to truthing-in-love and begin serving in some capacity. A limp, non-functioning limb is useless, and in fact throws off and hinders the whole rest of the body.
-In love... the great command (Matthew 22.37-39), the new command (John 13.34-35), the goal of our instruction (1Timothy 1.5), the greatest of these (1Corinthians 13.13), all that we do (1Corinthians 16.14) - love is the fulfillment of the entirety of our faith (Galatians 5.13-14, James 2.8). It is the distinguishing mark of every bonafide Christ-follower (1Corinthians 13.1-3, Galatians 5.22, 1John 4.7-8), the proof of the pudding (Ephesians 1.15, Colossians 1.4, 1John 3.14) and the benchmark by which we measure all spiritual endeavors (1Thessalonians 3.12). It is the ether of our existence, the air we breathe, the atmosphere in which we travel, and vibe we exude at all times. It colors our glasses and colors our deeds. Love, unrestrained, unbiased, unconditional, is the totality of the Christian faith, love which came first from God to us and which we then reflect back to Him and redirect to those around us. It is both the bricks and mortar, the strength and sweat of those building, and it is the finished product, the final outcome. Those who follow Christ are not building themselves up in wealth, not in influence, not in buildings or programs or numbers. Some of these no doubt can be attendant by-products of God’s work in and through His people (and sadly sometimes can be misguided detours along the way), but are not measures of it and are certainly not proof of it. Spiritual maturity is measured not by any of these temporal things. If we have not love, we have nothing, nothing at all to show for all our pomp and posturing and professing. Our goal is love, realized through love.
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