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'MEMBERS OF HIS BODY'
Eph 5:30
While Jesus was upon the earth, he had a natural body. Like the bodies of other men, his body had members-e es, ears, hands, feet, etc. During the days of his flesh, the Master had a great work to accomplish; for the accomplishment of this work, he relied upon the instrumentality of the members of his body. In fact, he did not work apart from the members of his body. Every time a noble deed was wrought, he called into action his hands, his tongue, his feet, or some other member.
In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John we read of his crucifixion, his burial, his resurrection, and his glorious ascension to the Father's right hand, after which time the disciples saw his body no more. The natural body of Jesus cannot be found, no matter how diligently you may search.
And yet, as strange as it may seem, the New Testament frequently refers to the body of Christ as a living, breathing, moving organism among men in the present age. What is the body of Christ to which the New Testament so frequently refers? It is the church. The body of Christ and the church are identical. (Eph. 1:22, 23.) And the apostle Paul declares that "we are members of his body."
And what does this mean? It means that we are to function for the Lord, doing the work that he would have done. The Lord is still working in the sinful world, not in some miraculous or mysterious manner, but through the instrumentality of the members of his body. He is working through those people who give their heart and hand to noble service. A tremendous responsibility has fallen upon us, as members of his body. If we neglect our duty, the Lord's work goes neglected. If Christ's people fail, Christ's cause will fail.
- Since ye are members of his body, we are the eyes of the Lord. As the eyes of the Lord, let us survey the wide harvest field, let us be on the alert for opportunities. (See John 4:35.)
- Since we are members of his body, we are the ears of the Lord. As the ears of the Lord, let us give heed to his word; let us listen to the cry of lost humanity-the cry from another community, saying, "Come over into Macedonia, and help US.
- Since we are members of his body, we are the tongue of the Lord. As the tongue of the Lord, let us praise him for his goodness, call upon him during days of distress, and proclaim his message of salvation to men in darkness. (See Mark 16:15, 16.)
- Since we are members of his body, we must be the shoulders of the Lord. As the shoulders of the Lord, there are burdens for us to bear. (See Gal. 6:1, 2.) We are to lift the fallen, to encourage the weak, to bear patiently with all men. But we cannot bear one another's burden and, at the same time, maintain the self-righteous attitude of the ancient Pharisee, the "I-am-holier-than-thou" attitude.
- Since we are members of his body, we are the arms and the hands of our Lord. As the arms of the Lord we may encircle the children, shielding them from the snares of Satan, bringing them up in the nurture and in the admonition of the Lord. As the hands of Christ, let us be pure and clean- free from malice, free from sensuality. And may we be open hands, ready to lift, ready to minister to unfortunate people.
- Since we are members of his body, we are the feet of the Lord. As the feet of Christ, let us run errands for him; let
us go where he wants us to go, and do what he wants us to do. We can find inspiration from a prophet of old who,
when he heard the voice, "Whom shall I send and who will go for us" responded, "Lord, here am I. Send me." Like
Jesus our great example, let us go about doing good. (Acts 10:38.)
Though no two members of the Lord's body are alike, and though no two of them perform the same function, yet may we all work together to the end that the Father's will may be done in our community as it is done in heaven. just as the members of Jesus' natural body were responsive to his will, even so may we be responsive to the will of the glorified Lord, the head of the body or the church.