Belonging to the Body of Christ
Romans 12:1-5
Jim Davis
The story is told about a gung-ho drill sergeant who always demanded the best from his soldiers. One day he stared in pained disbelief at a sloppy squad of new recruits wearing their uniforms for the first time. For a moment the sergeant was speechless with rage. The sergeant screamed in frustration, “Just step out here and look at yourselves!” (The Problem with Giving Up Chocolates, Http://www.sermons.com/freesamp/sepserm2.htm.)
It is hard to step out and take a look at ourselves, but there are times when all of us should step out and take a good, hard look at ourselves. You have heard of those who have had out of the body experiences. For a moment they seemed to be projected outside of their bodies as they hover above their bodies. They see themselves from without. There is a way you can see yourself from without, but you will have to step out of your body to do it. Wouldn’t it be nice to step outside of yourself and take a pure honest objective look at yourself?
The body of Christ affords the opportunity of stepping out of your body into the body of Christ. When you step into the body of Christ, then you can view yourself through the eyes of Christ. It is the surest way to take a pure honest objective look at self from without.
The call of the gospel is a call to step out of ourselves to become members of Christ’s body. The church is the body of Christ, and Jesus is the head of the body.
Ephesians 1:17-23
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. NIV
We are baptized into the body of Christ. Paul writes, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13 NIV). When we are baptized into Christ body we become members of his body.
If you have ever wished that you were someone else, here is your chance. You can’t be a member of another body without becoming part of that living organism—without becoming active in the life of that body. The body of Christ affords each of us an opportunity to be clothed with a new identity. Believing in Christ and obeying his command to be baptized into Christ is where your out of the body experience begins.
Galatians 3:26-29
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. NIV
An out of the body experience in Christ begins as we begin to accept the headship of Christ. It involves allowing Christ to control how we live in his body as he animates our bodies with his life. Here we can begin to view our lives through the eyes of Christ.
Membership in Christ’s Body is Essential
Stepping outside of ourselves involves giving up our self-sufficiency and isolation to find a larger purpose for living.
Romans 12:1-6
12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. NIV
Paul says, “. . . so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all others.” Belonging to others is the avenue for an out of the body experience.
God designed us so that we could do our best work as members of Christ’s body. The only thing not good about God’s creation in Eden was that Adam was alone, for this reason God made woman. Adam needed a relationship with another human being. I think the reason God waited to make woman was because he wanted Adam to realize his need for another. God revealed in Adam’s being alone our need for being a part of something other than ourselves.
Being a real part of another’s life brings our lives into sharp focus. Solomon says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored” (Proverbs 27:17-18 NIV). Our lives are not only brought into sharp focus, they are also made more fruitful.
Becoming one with members of Christ body redefines us. When we become one with our wife or husband we lose ourselves as we seek to create a new identity in the oneness of the marriage relationship. The relationship redefines us. It forces us to step outside of ourselves as we become a part of another.
The progress of the church is measured by the healthy function of the local body of believers as they strive to become one body in Christ. The strength of the church comes from being in touch with members of Christ’s body. Being in touch with members is the only way to step out and take a good look at self. It forces us to look at our lives from the vantage point of what others need from us, and it also forces us to see ourselves as the body of Christ sees us.
In our nation’s past, our forefathers were quite familiar with bearing one another’s burdens. If a man’s barn burned down, his friends, relatives and neighbors would come to his aid to raise a new barn, knowing full well that:
This burden was too much for one man to bear on his own.
And someday their barns may burn down or they may suffer loss in some other catastrophic way. They had a “barn-raising” mentality.
Today, our mentality is far from that of our ancestors. We still have the mandate to bear one another’s burdens, but we hardly know what that means anymore. If our barn burns down or an emergency medical problem arises, the government or the insurance company takes care of it and our friends, relatives and neighbors have little participation in restoring us to our former state. We don’t think we need each other in the way we used to.
The isolation of self-centeredness will keep us from stepping out to take a real look at ourselves.
Imagine a hotshot football player who says, “Hey, coach! Don’t bug me with a thick playbook and all this talk about teamwork and pulling together. All I need is a stadium, a big crowd, and the ball. Working with ten other guys is a hassle and learning plays is a drag. Just gimme the ball and have everybody get outa my way. I do better all alone.” (Charles Swindoll, Dropping Your Guard: The Value of Relationships, Key Word Books, 1983, pg. 37)
The church is the classroom where we learn how to get along with others. What we learn is a building block on how to get along in a sinful world. Learning how to love sinners begins in the fellowship of believers.
Galatians 6:10
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. NIV
Christian relationships provide the essential ingredients for spiritual growth. Spiritual growth requires more than knowledge; we need relationships with other believers.
In January 2004, police were shocked by what they found inside a house in the small own of Durham, Ontario. Responding to complaints from relatives, police entered the ramshackle house and discovered two teenage boys locked in cages.
Their biological aunt had adopted the teens more than a decade before. Through the years, the boys (now 14 and 15 years old) suffered at the hands of their adoptive parents. Ontario officials learned that though the boys did attend school during the day, they were sent to their cages at night.On weekends and holidays, they often were allowed downstairs for a bowl of cereal in the morning and then sent back to their cages wearing diapers, where they would spend the rest of the day.
The adoptive mother was described to the court as a domineering, controlling woman whose husband was an illiterate and dyslexic handyman, who beat the boys on her command.
Detective Kate Lang and Constable Tim Maw released the 15-year-old from his makeshift cage. They told him he would never be locked in there again.
The teen responded, “Really?”
The teens weren’t the only ones imprisoned. The aunt and uncle had created a prison for themselves. Think of the joy they robbed themselves and those children of—all because they could not step outside of themselves into the lives of those children. Cruel and unusual treatment of others is a sign we are locked up inside ourselves.
I wonder if this is similar to what many are doing to themselves as they seek super-independence. Our need for self-sufficiency has driven most into a self-made prison of isolation. To live a healthy life we must let ourselves out of our cages of isolation
There are multitudes attending church assembles all across our country who have never been truly assimilated into the body of Christ. They hold common beliefs and doctrines, but they have never broken out of their isolation long enough to truly become part of the body of Christ.
Ephesians 2:19
19 Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God's very own family, citizens of God's country, and you belong in God's household with every other Christian.
The Essentials for Assimilation into Christ’s Body
There are a few essentials if you wish to have an out of the body experience—if you wish to step out of your body into the body of Christ. There are some questions you must resolve if you want to come into the body of Christ. I want you to seriously think about what I am about to ask you to do. You will have to step outside of yourself and take an honest look at yourself to do what I am asking you do. I want you to think of three words that describe the three highest values in your life. Step out and take a look at yourself—be honest.
There are two major forces seeking to drive our lives: needs and values. We all have needs. Some needs are physical: food, water, shelter, etc. We also have emotional needs: love, acceptance, recognition, power. (The Problem with Giving Up Chocolates, Http://www.sermons.com/freesamp/sepserm2.htm.)
Some needs are immediate and overwhelming. Physical needs can become overwhelming. Emotional needs are not that overwhelming, but leave us dissatisfied when not met. Emotional needs may become destructive. (The Problem with Giving Up Chocolates, Http://www.sermons.com/freesamp/sepserm2.htm.)
During the Gulf War, CBS correspondent Bob Simon was captured by the Iraqis. At several points during his captivity his jailers told him they were going to kill him. Simon said that during his imprisonment, he spent a lot of time looking back on his life. He began to realize that he didn’t measure his life in terms of his journalistic accomplishments, his awards, his income, the famous people he had met, the fabulous places he had seen. He said what kept coming back to him, what wouldn’t leave his mind were scenes of his family—like the times he had spent walking with his little daughter along the beach. For Bob Simon, family is an important value, as it is for many of us. (The Problem with Giving Up Chocolates, Http://www.sermons.com/freesamp/sepserm2.htm.)
Love is a family value. So is honesty, tolerance, and many other standards by which people live their lives. We all have needs; we all have values. (The Problem with Giving Up Chocolates, Http://www.sermons.com/freesamp/sepserm2.htm.)
Why do some people rob and steal to fill their needs. It is because their values are driven by their needs. Young people have a need to be accepted by their peers, but do they allow their peers to redefine their values so they can be accepted. The need to be accepted may put enormous pressure on the young person to conform one’s values to the group’s value. (The Problem with Giving Up Chocolates, Http://www.sermons.com/freesamp/sepserm2.htm.)
However, there is another Force seeking to drive your life: God. Allowing our lives to be driven by either needs or values without God is dangerous. Too often self-preservation determines our needs and values. Most would do just about anything to keep from dying.
When Jesus was in the garden praying before his crucifixion, he prayed, “Not my will, but thy be done.” He stepped outside of himself into the will of God. God determined his most valuable need. He followed God to the cross.
Jesus gave up life in his body to maintain life with God. When you come into Christ body, you must step outside of yourself as you come into Christ’s body. Once you are in Christ body, you are moved out of the self-centered isolation the world has driven you into.
Conclusion:
An out of the body experience begins with a commitment to the body of Christ. It calls you to become committed to the church—to God’s family. The purpose of the church is to move you out of isolation into the living vibrant body of Christ.
Pouring yourself out for a wife or husband, or more importantly for Christ allows you to step out and take an honest look at yourself. In fact it forces you to do so.
Why not step outside of yourself and see your life as God meant it to be.
You can be baptized into Christ today as you accept his sacrifice for your sins.
Become a vital member of Christ’s body.