WEBVTT 00:00:00.170 --> 00:00:02.950 There are certain things that only work when 00:00:02.950 --> 00:00:06.410 they stay attached. A light bulb sitting in a 00:00:06.410 --> 00:00:09.349 cardboard box isn't illuminating a single room. 00:00:09.589 --> 00:00:12.390 A steering wheel sitting on a garage workbench 00:00:12.390 --> 00:00:16.390 is not taking anyone anywhere. And a hand separated 00:00:16.390 --> 00:00:19.649 from an arm, it's not free. It's in an ambulance. 00:00:20.949 --> 00:00:23.429 Nobody walks into an emergency room holding a 00:00:23.429 --> 00:00:27.070 severed thumb and says, Good news! It has finally 00:00:27.070 --> 00:00:30.750 escaped the oppressive limitations of organized 00:00:30.750 --> 00:00:34.969 anatomy. Everybody knows that when it comes to 00:00:34.969 --> 00:00:39.350 a body, connection is not bondage. Connection 00:00:39.350 --> 00:00:43.490 is life. Yet when it comes to the church, we 00:00:43.490 --> 00:00:46.990 convince ourselves we can love the head while 00:00:46.990 --> 00:00:50.570 treating the rest of the body as optional. We 00:00:50.570 --> 00:00:54.969 want Jesus. We just want his people at a safe 00:00:54.969 --> 00:00:58.969 distance. The problem is that scripture never 00:00:58.969 --> 00:01:01.909 gives us that option. You can attend a concert. 00:01:02.030 --> 00:01:05.549 You can attend a lecture. You cannot attend a 00:01:05.549 --> 00:01:09.489 body. Welcome to an extra shot of Grace in the 00:01:09.489 --> 00:01:11.349 Grind, the part of the podcast where the mic 00:01:11.349 --> 00:01:12.730 probably should have been turned off, but we 00:01:12.730 --> 00:01:14.969 kept talking anyways. This is the bonus space 00:01:14.969 --> 00:01:16.989 for deeper theology, honest questions, fewer 00:01:16.989 --> 00:01:19.049 filters, and a level of caffeinated commentary 00:01:19.049 --> 00:01:22.170 I should probably apologize for in advance. So 00:01:22.170 --> 00:01:24.489 grab your coffee, take a breath, and let's get 00:01:24.489 --> 00:01:29.099 into this. In our main episode, we talked about 00:01:29.099 --> 00:01:31.959 the church as a people rather than a place. For 00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:35.680 this extra shot, I want to zero in on one Greek 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:41.700 word Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 12. Now you are 00:01:41.700 --> 00:01:45.420 the body of Christ and individually members of 00:01:45.420 --> 00:01:50.939 it. When modern ears hear the word member, our 00:01:50.939 --> 00:01:54.879 minds usually jump to subscriptions, a gym membership. 00:01:55.519 --> 00:01:58.439 a warehouse club card, a streaming service we 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:01.379 forgot to cancel three years ago. Speaking of, 00:02:01.400 --> 00:02:04.439 I need to set a reminder on that. In a consumer 00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:08.580 culture, a member pays a fee, receives access, 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:11.900 and evaluates the benefits. If the experience 00:02:11.900 --> 00:02:15.300 stops meeting expectations, the member leaves 00:02:15.300 --> 00:02:19.699 and finds another option. But Paul is not describing 00:02:19.699 --> 00:02:22.759 a country club. He's not describing a streaming 00:02:22.759 --> 00:02:27.770 service. The word Paul uses is milos, a member 00:02:27.770 --> 00:02:32.650 or functioning part of a body. Paul's own imagery 00:02:32.650 --> 00:02:36.770 gives us the example, the eye, the hand, the 00:02:36.770 --> 00:02:41.090 foot. That one word changes the consumer way 00:02:41.090 --> 00:02:44.629 we often approach church. An eye does not sit 00:02:44.629 --> 00:02:47.090 around evaluating the body's weekly performance. 00:02:47.270 --> 00:02:50.770 A hand does not look at the foot and say, I've 00:02:50.770 --> 00:02:53.099 been shopping around and I think. There's another 00:02:53.099 --> 00:02:56.560 body that just has a better atmosphere. You know, 00:02:56.620 --> 00:03:01.740 good vibes. A member receives life as a part 00:03:01.740 --> 00:03:05.180 of the body, but it also contributes to the body. 00:03:05.699 --> 00:03:09.780 It is cared for and it cares. It is supported 00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:13.879 and it supports. It has needs and it has responsibilities. 00:03:14.780 --> 00:03:18.139 Paul's point is not that we simply attend the 00:03:18.139 --> 00:03:22.229 same place. His point. is that in Christ we belong 00:03:22.229 --> 00:03:25.729 to one another. This is why spectator Christianity 00:03:25.729 --> 00:03:30.050 is not just a minor bad habit. It contradicts 00:03:30.050 --> 00:03:33.490 the biblical nature of the church. You do not 00:03:33.490 --> 00:03:36.909 visit your own hand once a week to see whether 00:03:36.909 --> 00:03:40.849 it inspires you. And a foot does not become independent 00:03:40.849 --> 00:03:42.849 by refusing to function with the rest of the 00:03:42.849 --> 00:03:46.069 body. A member detached from the body cannot 00:03:46.069 --> 00:03:49.430 function as it was designed to function. and 00:03:49.430 --> 00:03:52.930 neither can we. That does not mean every Christian 00:03:52.930 --> 00:03:55.650 must hold a formal position. It doesn't mean 00:03:55.650 --> 00:03:57.889 everybody needs to teach a class, lead a ministry, 00:03:58.050 --> 00:04:01.270 or carry a key to the building. You don't need 00:04:01.270 --> 00:04:03.569 a clip -on name tag and a laminated schedule 00:04:03.569 --> 00:04:07.610 to matter in the kingdom of God. Participation 00:04:07.610 --> 00:04:11.550 is bigger than a position. You participate when 00:04:11.550 --> 00:04:14.949 you pray for someone by name. Notice when someone 00:04:14.949 --> 00:04:18.670 is missing. Encourage a tired believer or use 00:04:18.670 --> 00:04:20.990 your experience to help someone younger in the 00:04:20.990 --> 00:04:24.269 faith. You also participate when you receive 00:04:24.269 --> 00:04:27.829 care humbly instead of insisting you're fine. 00:04:28.670 --> 00:04:32.209 The question is not simply, what job do I have? 00:04:32.550 --> 00:04:36.550 The question is, how is the life Christ has given 00:04:36.550 --> 00:04:39.970 me strengthening the people he has joined me 00:04:39.970 --> 00:04:46.259 to? The deeper theology underneath Paul's body 00:04:46.259 --> 00:04:49.240 language is this. We are joined to one another 00:04:49.240 --> 00:04:51.500 because we have first been joined to Christ. 00:04:52.139 --> 00:04:55.819 Earlier in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul writes, For 00:04:55.819 --> 00:04:59.839 in one spirit we were all baptized into one body. 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:03.660 Our unity is not something we're manufacturing 00:05:03.660 --> 00:05:07.600 through matching personalities, shared interests, 00:05:07.779 --> 00:05:10.300 or agreement about what temperature the sanctuary 00:05:10.300 --> 00:05:13.660 should be. Which is good. Because the thermostat 00:05:13.660 --> 00:05:16.079 has probably caused more tension in churches 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:19.860 than several minor doctrinal debates. The spirit 00:05:19.860 --> 00:05:23.660 joins believers to Christ. And because Christ 00:05:23.660 --> 00:05:28.060 has one body, belonging to him brings us into 00:05:28.060 --> 00:05:31.720 relationship with his people. That does not mean 00:05:31.720 --> 00:05:36.160 every relationship will feel easy. It means our 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:40.480 connection rests on something deeper than natural 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:44.170 compatibility. Christ has received that believer. 00:05:44.610 --> 00:05:47.269 Christ has placed that believer in his body. 00:05:47.589 --> 00:05:51.350 And if Christ has called them his own, I cannot 00:05:51.350 --> 00:05:54.629 treat them as spiritually irrelevant to me. And 00:05:54.629 --> 00:05:57.370 because he has joined us together, dependence 00:05:57.370 --> 00:06:01.149 is not an embarrassing weakness. It is part of 00:06:01.149 --> 00:06:04.949 how the body works. The eye needs the hand. The 00:06:04.949 --> 00:06:08.110 head needs the feet. The visible parts need the 00:06:08.110 --> 00:06:17.310 hidden parts. And the parts that... Paul is not 00:06:17.310 --> 00:06:19.910 describing immature Christians who need to become 00:06:19.910 --> 00:06:22.730 independent. He's describing mature Christians 00:06:22.730 --> 00:06:25.910 who understand that God intentionally made them 00:06:25.910 --> 00:06:29.230 interdependent. Spiritual maturity does not mean 00:06:29.230 --> 00:06:32.329 needing the body less. It means learning how 00:06:32.329 --> 00:06:35.529 to belong to the body faithfully. It means receiving 00:06:35.529 --> 00:06:38.290 correction without immediately becoming defensive. 00:06:38.649 --> 00:06:41.480 It means asking for prayer. before everything 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:44.839 falls apart. It means allowing another believer 00:06:44.839 --> 00:06:47.540 to serve you without feeling like you failed. 00:06:47.959 --> 00:06:51.040 And it means offering what God has given you 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:55.519 without needing recognition in return. If you've 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:57.879 been keeping your distance, maybe because you 00:06:57.879 --> 00:07:01.339 were deeply wounded, exhausted, or simply became 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:04.740 comfortable slipping in and out unnoticed, hear 00:07:04.740 --> 00:07:08.180 this. Grace does not shame wounded people for 00:07:08.180 --> 00:07:11.459 struggling to trust again. Christ does not shame 00:07:11.459 --> 00:07:15.459 you for finding trust difficult. He gently restores 00:07:15.459 --> 00:07:19.540 us towards shared life. That does not mean forcing 00:07:19.540 --> 00:07:23.540 closeness overnight. Trust may need to grow slowly. 00:07:24.379 --> 00:07:28.139 Wise boundaries still matter. Healing often takes 00:07:28.139 --> 00:07:31.759 time. But grace does not leave us permanently 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:35.740 isolated. So take one honest step towards being 00:07:35.740 --> 00:07:39.509 known, and one intentional step towards caring 00:07:39.509 --> 00:07:42.509 for someone else. Tell a trustworthy believer 00:07:42.509 --> 00:07:46.430 where you're struggling. Ask someone how you 00:07:46.430 --> 00:07:49.709 can pray for them. Use what God has given you 00:07:49.709 --> 00:07:54.870 for their good. You do not have to be deeply 00:07:54.870 --> 00:07:58.170 connected to everyone, but we cannot faithfully 00:07:58.170 --> 00:08:01.990 choose to remain meaningfully connected to no 00:08:01.990 --> 00:08:07.490 one. You're not a consumer inspecting an event. 00:08:08.839 --> 00:08:12.639 You are Milos, a living member joined to Christ 00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:17.040 and joined to his people. Connection is not merely 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:20.920 another demand on your calendar. It's one of 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:23.899 the ways God strengthens our faith and teaches 00:08:23.899 --> 00:08:28.360 us to express and share it. You need what Christ 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:32.539 has placed in his people, and his people need 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:35.879 what Christ has placed in you. That dependence 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:41.480 is not a weakness. It is the design. So do not 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:45.100 settle for being near the body. Ask Christ to 00:08:45.100 --> 00:08:48.879 teach you how to live as a faithful member of 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:52.440 it. Thank you for listening to this extra shot 00:08:52.440 --> 00:08:54.120 of Grace on the Grind brought to you by Arrow 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:56.580 & Roots Coffee Company. Follow the podcast wherever 00:08:56.580 --> 00:08:59.279 you listen, leave a review, and share this episode 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:01.279 with someone who may need it. Until next time, 00:09:01.340 --> 00:09:03.679 keep your coffee strong and your faith stronger.