June Article

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.  1 Corinthians 12:27

We pray much for the ailments of these bodies. Many requests are submitted weekly for prayer concerning physical conditions. We are highly attuned to the needs of the body, and understand the physical drive and benefit of wholeness, health and well-being.

It is no mistake that in several locations of our New Testament, the illustration of the church as a body is shared. You can extract from those passages many deep themes for the men and women that compose the body: Unique parts, all needful, attention paid to all, proper exercise of all, normal natural growth an expected process.

Of special importance to our identity is the incredible news that we are Christ’s body. Through the Spirit of Christ residing in us, we are His presence in this world. As a quartet once sang, “When the world looks at me, do they see Jesus?” That is a fair question, for those apart from the church will see something as they look at this collective. Is it Christ, or something—someone—completely different?

Another important truth of the church revealed in Scripture is the admonition that Christ is the Head of the body—His body—the church. In an age where basic biology is hardly understood, this bears explanation. A body needs a head, can only have one head, and is responsive to the directive of the head, every moment that it lives. A body not responding to its head is desperately ill, not surviving long or well.

Perhaps these brief words will encourage us all in our praying, to remember not only the physical needs, but the Spiritual link we share in being this Body of Christ. That need for wholeness, health and well-being is the great priority.