"YOU ARE A PART"

1 Corinthians 12:12-28: The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. 14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am not an eye," would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you." 22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27 All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it.

This week I want to encourage you that you are a part of the Body of Christ, The Church, and your part is of value. You don't just HAVE a part, you ARE a part.

This passage relates the Body of Christ to the natural body. I encourage you to read this passage over several times because there is so much in it that will free you from the attitude of not being important part of the Body. Many are guilty of, and probably most of us can say we have been guilty of feeling like we don't play an important enough role in the Body. As this passage says, many want to be the eye, or the hand, or the ear. They want to be the parts of the Body that are seen and noticeable and some are called to be those parts but some are called to be the part of the Body that isn't seen.

Think about your natural body. The parts of your body that can be seen by everyone are very important, you need them, however, they wouldn't function without the unseen parts of your body. Your nose wouldn't work too well without your lungs that create breath. You mouth wouldn't work well without an unseen voice box. None of your body would work without your heart, the most important part of your body, yet it can't be seen. I've worked as a volunteer in a church since I was a young boy and then worked on staff in a church. What I can tell you, which many people don't realize, is that the unseen parts of the Body are the most important. Those that are behind the scenes making things come together are acting as the heart and lungs of the church. Many people don't realize what they do and may not realize that they do anything at all, but without them, it would be impossible to accomplish things as a Body, as a Church.

If you attend church, think about this for a moment. Think about a weekly Sunday service. Everything you enjoy about that service from the Worship, to the sermon, to the ministry time. Now think about all the hands, all the parts that have to work together for that Sunday service to take place. A part of the Body has to turn the lights on and unlock the doors. A part has to have announcements ready, another part has to make sure the sound is working and sounding good. Ushers have to be in place and someone has to make sure they are in place. A part of the Body had to make sure the building was clean and ready for Sunday. Parts of the Body have to serve in the ministries that take place on that morning, kid's ministries, etc. Another part takes care of the offering. If there is communion, a part of the Body has to make sure that is ready to go. A part has to prepare for the Worship and prepare the sermon. At the end, a part of the Body has to be sure all the lights are turned off and the doors are locked and on Monday the preparation begins all over again.

I probably missed some important details in that but my point is that it takes many parts of the Body just to make a Sunday service come together and the responsibilities of a Church go way beyond just a Sunday service. Most of the duties I mentioned are unseen. People acting as the heart and lungs of the Church.

I want you to be encouraged, you may be called to be an unseen part of the Body but usually the parts of the Body that can't be seen are the most important. So, if that's your calling, do it with all your heart because the rest of the Body is depending on you function at full capacity, if you don't, the rest of the Body can't. A body in the natural not operating at full capacity is affected in other areas. The same goes for the Body of Christ. You are a part!