Complex Body

Have you ever considered the complexity of the church? Whatever local church you attend is probably more complex than you probably realize. I know that in our setting there a literally thousands of functions that take place all the time to keep our church running. Consider these questions: Who prints the bulletins? who fills communion cups?who cleans the toys in the nursery? who writes lessons for 2 year olds? who help jumps the battery of the car after service? who puts batteries in the wireless microphones? who cleans the baptistery? who makes sure there are paper towels in the restroom? who gets coffee for the meeting? etc... I could go on. The point is that in the local church, people who are gifted for and have a passion for these things (and countless more)do them every week for the good of the body of Christ. I was reading I Corinthians 12 again today and I was struck with the complexity of the Body of Christ. I think the apostle Paul correctly compares it to the human body since it too is a very detailed entity. Think of the millions of cells functioning exactly as they were designed to keep the blood flowing, the oxygen inhaling, the food digesting, the brain thinking, the legs walking, etc... Paul's point is that just as God designed the human body to be a complex orchestration of many parts coming together to equal life - He also designed the church (His spiritual body) to be a complex design of many parts coming together to bring eternal life. And we are a part of it. I've come to think that we are probably a smaller part of it than we think. I have heard people humbly refer to themselves as the big toe, or ear lobe of the body of Christ, but I think we're probably smaller than that. When I consider the worldwide body of Christ, we are probably more likely microscopic cells. I'm not an earlobe in the Body of Christ, I'm a cell that makes up a freckle on the earlobe of the body of Christ. In other words, pretty small... BUT INDISPENSABLE! Paul is convinced in his teaching that each part of the body is appointed by God, apportioned by the Spirit, and necessary for the good of the Body. So the church is complex. And we are each a very small part. But the body wouldn't be the same without us. Think about the that you little cell. You are not the point, but God's point is to use you to make his!