The Importance of a Healthy, Working Body.
The Apostle Paul frequently likens the Church to the human body. In describing all things as under the “feet” of Jesus, Paul is making it clear that they are subject to our victorious Lord; and in writing of Jesus as the “head” over all things he is making it clear that Jesus is the Church’s supreme authority. When the “body of Christ” follows the instructions of its Supreme Head its enemies will be “under its feet”, which is Paul’s way of saying that its rule over its enemies will be absolute. Paul’s words are figurative, but they illustrate powerful spiritual realities.
The displacement of Christ’s singular authority over his Church has resulted in a lack of certainty, and this has caused disunity in his spiritual body; it also has brought an inability to bring its enemies into submission to his Lordship. If the Church is to regain its place, these things must be restored. Once they are it will again be the self-sustaining body it was in the time of the original apostles. This may seem too idealistic to be realistic, but restoration has to start somewhere, and the proper function of the Church is a good place.
The ultimate expression of Christ’s authority is expressed in his dominion through “the church which is his body”. A healthy body is responsive, but a dysfunctional body is unable to respond to directions from the head. So with this in mind, let’s examine today’s local church by checking it against this scriptural Facts Sheet:
Each and every one of us has a part to play in the church (Ephesians 4:7), and this means that we are not meant to be onlookers in meetings but participants.
Ascension gift ministries prepare us for the part we are to play (Ephesians 4:11). The ascended Jesus “gave” apostles and prophets, and these are foundational to the church. He gave evangelists, pastors and teachers, as well.
These ministries equip, mend, restore and perfect not some but all for the work of the ministry (the comma after “saints” in the KJV resulted in the saints believing that ministry was reserved for the clergy).
The goal of these ministries is to bring believers into (a) the unity of the faith (not unity of faith but of the Christian Faith as a whole); (b) spiritual maturity; (c) the knowledge of the Son of God; (d) Christ’s full moral and spiritual stature; and (e) doctrinal stability (Ephesians 4:13, 14).
Spiritual growth takes place upwardly into the authority of the Head. Full submission of every member of the body to the supreme authority of Jesus Christ is basic to its proper working order as a whole (Ephesians 4:15).
The body then functions as instructions “from him” proceed downwards from the Head to direct the church body in its functions (Ephesians 4:16).
Growth and development then take place naturally, as members of the body work together in unity (Ephesians 4:16). Each “joint” must be connected for the body to work as it should. (Church members who get ‘out of joint’ with one another bring pain to the whole body).
The body of Christ is anatomical in the overall structure of its doctrines, and a sound knowledge of the scriptures helps us to see where things belong. However the body of Christ is also physiological in that it responds not only to its Head but also the needs of connected, working members.
An anatomically correct church body can still be a dead one (and a doctrinal autopsy will not necessarily establish the cause of death). Likewise, a physiologically energetic, charismatic church body may be as boneless as a jellyfish (and a strong tide of evangelism will not change it). And the virtue of the Bereans in scriptural certainty, though admirable, is not the answer to everything.
Every local church should aim at becoming a self-sustaining body, one that responds to its Head and the parts of which work in helpfully-connected unity. I believe that this, and only this, will enable it to bring its enemies into spiritual subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ. This pattern for the Head (Authority), Body (Functional Unity) and Feet (Dominion) is given in Ephesians Chapter One, verses 22 & 23.
The Five Major Systems of the Human Body, compared with Ministry Gifts in the Body of Christ:
The Apostle Paul described the church variously as a bride, a building and a temple, but the figure of speech he most used to describe it was “the body of Christ”. At the time of writing to the church at Corinth, Paul was concerned with the factions that divided it, so his choice of the human body was not surprising, given that his readers would know how bad it is when parts of the body don’t function.
“For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body, though many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have all be made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member but many.
“If the foot shall say: Because I am not the hand, I am not a part of the body, does that mean it is not so? And if the ear shall say: Because I am not the eye, I am not a part of the body, does that mean it is not so? If the whole body were an eye, how could we hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could we smell? But God has placed the parts, every one of them, where he wanted them to be in the body.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-18)
The Apostle Paul’s most-used metaphor of the church is that of a working body, In Ephesians 4:11, he lists the Lord’s gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers as ministry-training gifts. Their physical counterparts are the five major systems of the human body, which are the Skeletal, Respiratory, Circulatory, Digestive and Nervous systems.
There are other important systems, such as the Reproductive System, but the five major systems are vital to the life of the physical body. My point is that the five ministry-training gifts are equally as important to the church, the body of Christ. Let me now show you just how well they match.
The Likeness of the Apostle to the Skeletal System.
The Apostle’s ministry builds structure in the church. We see from Paul’s epistles how hard he prayed and worked to build spiritual structure in the seven churches he either established or developed: Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi and Thessalonica.
The apostle’s ministry is foundational to the establishment of a church or church network. He guards that foundation jealously. “According to the grace of God that is given to me, as a wise masterbuilder [the Greek word is “architekton”, from which architect is derived] I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let every man take care how he builds on it, for no man can lay any other foundation than is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:10, 11)
Likewise, without a skeleton the physical body would have no structural support. We’ve all met people who’ve given us one of those awful ‘dead fish’ handshakes — but how much worse to be hugged by a sloppy, human jellyfish!
Disorder or inflammation in the skeletal structure of the physical body can result in Bursitis (Housemaid’s Knee or Tennis Elbow), Osteoarthritis (Degenerative Arthritis), Osteomyelitis (Inflammation of the bone) or Scoleosis (Lateral curvature of the spine). Disorder or inflammation in the body of Christ can result in similar conditions. (Who has not felt a bit disjointed in their relationship to others in the church at times?)
But since Jesus is “the saviour of the body” (Ephesians 5:23) there is healing for every inflammation or disorder in the church! “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” (Ephesians 5:30) Claim healing from God now, in the name of Jesus, if you are suffering from either the spiritual condition or its physical equivalent!
The Likeness of the Prophet to the Respiratory System.
The Prophet’s ministry breathes life into the church. Central to the Respiratory System are the lungs. Churches that don’t recognize the ministry-training gift of the prophet are likely to suffer the spiritual equivalent of Emphysema, Legionnaire’s Disease, Glandular Fever, Pleurisy, Quinsy, Silicosis, Pneumonia or Tuberculosis.
Some dismiss prophets as belonging to Old Testament times, but Paul makes it clear that God has set in the church “first apostles, secondarily prophets…” (1 Corinthians 12:28). Paul also writes that the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 2:20). There were prophets at Antioch (Acts 13:1), and Agabus was a prophet in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 11:28 & 21:10).
If some claim that these few mentions of prophets proves they were on the way out and not needed after the New Testament was written, they ought to quickly dismiss pastors as even less relevant, since this ministry is mentioned but once (as distinct from literal shepherds) in the New Testament (Ephesians 4:12).
I have suffered from both pneumonia and bronchitis, and know how debilitating respiratory conditions can be. I slept almost upright in an easy chair for weeks after being hit with bronchitis, and had to use a nebulizer twice a day for a long time. God healed me through the ministry of a visiting American evangelist, and what a relief it was to be able to breathe again freely!
Churches that reject the spiritual gift of prophecy restrict the breath of God’s Spirit and suffer from lack of spiritual oxygen. Just as fresh breath oxygenates the blood, so does the prophetic ministry breathe new life into the church. The absence of the prophetic gift might explain why so many are asleep spiritually.
Remember that after saying, “As my Father has sent me, so I send you”, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22) The remedy for respiratory problems, whether physical or spiritual, is the ability to inhale freely. So in the name of Jesus, take a good, deep breath of the Spirit of God! Ahhh, that feels better!
The Likeness of the Evangelist to the Circulatory System.
The Evangelist’s ministry encourages the church to circulate in the community. Like the heart, Evangelists keep believers in circulation. Most are Sanguine (a term derived from the circulation of blood) and by nature are usually extroverted. The ministry-training gift of the evangelist keeps the church active in its evangelistic efforts. If Christians in the local church are anaemic and slow to move in this regard and have lost their heart for soulwinning, it is usually due to the fact that there is no evangelist among them.
Physical conditions that result from problems with the Circulatory System include Anaemia (quantitative deficiency of haemoglobin), Aneurism, Angina, Haemophilia, Hypertension (high), Hypotension (low), Blood Pressure, Leukaemia (excessive production of white blood cells), Dropsy (excessive accumulation of fluid) and Septicaemia and Toxaemia (Blood Poisoning).
Speaking of Judah and Jerusalem, God promises in Joel 3:21: “I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed.” This refers to their blood-guilt over having shed the blood of innocent people (Isaiah 1:15 & 4:4). The removal of blood-guilt through ritual sacrifice was the basis of the religious system that ended when the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for the life of the world.
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” (Leviticus 17:11) The spiritual equivalent of diseases of the blood have been cleansed from the heart of all those who believe and confess that Jesus is the Son of God.
The theme of many of the greatest hymns of old was the power of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, and the cry of the evangelist was for every sinner to be “washed in the blood”. “Are you washed in the blood, in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb; are your garments spotless, are they white as snow; are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?”
The Likeness of the Pastor to the Digestive System.
The Pastor’s ministry is to feed the Lord’s sheep. He is associated with the bread and the wine of “the Lord’s Table” (Communion) and with teaching believers the “milk” and the “meat” of God’s Word (1 Corinthians 3:2; Hebrews 5:12; 1 Peter 2:2).
The Digestive System breaks down the food for absorption, and brings the energy that maintains the growth of the body. A wise pastor allows for different stages of spiritual growth in the church body, and caters for the tastes of those who are “babes” in Christ, as well as the need of solid teaching for the more mature.
Physical conditions that result from an unbalanced diet or food deficiencies are well-known and range from common indigestion to serious disorders such as Cirrhosis, Coeliac, Colitis, Cystic Fibrosis, Diverticulitis, Hapatitis, Bright’s Disease, Peritonitis, Crohn’s Disease and Typhoid. The cure for the spiritual equivalents is the invitation of our Lord Jesus to “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you…” (1 Corinthians 11:24)
But the Apostle Paul warns that eating the bread and drinking the cup – partaking of Christ’s body and blood – requires self-examination. Doing so unworthily or failing to discern the Lord’s body brings condemnation. Many at Corinth were in this category, and as a result were “weak and sickly”; many had even died prematurely.
A little self-examination prior to Communion never harmed anyone. Our heavenly standing is never at stake, just our earthly state. When washing Peter’s feet, Jesus told him that he was bathed clean but his feet were dirty. It’s our walk in the world that pollutes us. It is with this in mind that we approach the Lord’s Table. If we are what we eat, Christians who “discern the Lord’s body” ought to be the healthiest people around!
The Likeness of the Teacher to the Nervous System.
The Teacher’s ministry instructs the body of Christ. The Nervous System controls the organs and tissues and enables communication within the body. The epistles of Paul use the physical body’s various functions as a metaphor for spiritual growth and communication.
Physical conditions that result from malfunctions in the nervous System include Alzheimer’s disease/Dementia, Bell’s Palsy, Catalepsy, Catatonia, Delirium Tremens, Dyslexia, Encephalitis, Meningitis, Motor Neuron, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Parkinson’s Disease and Spina Bifida. These diseases attack the body’s Nervous System and can make it dysfunctional.
Paul’s epistles relate to Christ as the Head of the church, which is his body (Ephesians 1:22, 23). Colossians 2:10 informs us that Christ is “the head [authority] of all principality and power.” It also informs us of the danger of having an inflated, carnal mind instead of “continuing in connection with the Head, from which the whole body, when supplied and united through its joints and sinews, grows with a growth that God produces (Colossians 2:19 – Williams New Testament).
The body’s backbone is not unlike one of those small telecommunication pillars that you see technicians working on down the street. The Circulatory System flows but the Nervous System sends signals from and receives sensory signals into the brain.
These five ministry-training gifts have been placed in the body of Christ in much the same way that God formed the skeleton of and placed vital organs in the first man, Adam. Jesus our Lord is the saviour of his church body (Ephesians 5:23) and these five ministry-training gifts are the means by which he maintains it in good working order.
Please Note: The above references to various illnesses or infections are not to be understood as medical advices or directives, as the writer is not qualified to present them as such; they are merely listed as medical comparatives to spiritual conditions that can occur in the Church, which, spiritually, is the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22, 23).