Becoming a Body Builder

I’ve recently been thinking about an idea I got from the Apostle Paul. He talks a lot about the church being the body of Christ, and also that we are called to continually work to build the body of Christ.

So in a sense we are called to be Body Builders...

Arguable one of the most famous body builders of our time is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Here is a guy who was a skinny kid from a middle class working family in the middle of nowhere - but he had a dream. One of the things that I admire about him is that he was intensely focused, he worked hard and followed his dream and ultimately became very successful.

Becoming a champion takes patience and perseverance and determination and grit. Anyone who has participated in any kind of sport understands that training takes time you start small and work your way up. Success in the field of athletics is a lifetime commitment to hard work.

What we see on the field may appear to be magical and we often think of our sports hero’s as being phenomenal, but I can guarantee you that their success did not happen overnight. Let’s face it no athlete has ever achieved greatness on raw talent alone. To achieve this level of success in professional sports takes a laser-focused commitment to plain old-fashioned hard work. This principle is the same in our own Christian walk and in every aspect of life. Success takes hard work.

So why would you expect that becoming a champion for the cause of Christ would be any different? In our case, as Christians, being Body Builders is going to take a different type of training.

It takes time spent in prayer and time reading your bible. It also means that you need to be connected to a good ministry that feeds your mind and strengthens your spirit. Being members of the body of Christ requires us to be in a community. Let’s remember what Paul says about why we need to come to church.

Hebrews 10:23-25

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another

Church is a place where we come to hear words of hope and to be with like-minded people who are facing the same adversities as we are, in their everyday lives. We come to learn and to stir up one another in love and good works. The relationships we build with each other and with God are very important and they take time to nurture and grow into maturity.

So what does it mean to be part of this body? Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians that we are all part of One Body with Many Members.

1 Corinthians 12:12-21 & 27

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.

But as it is, God arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single organ, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Because we all receive the same spirit in baptism we are all members of the same body. But God in His infinite wisdom has given each of us different gifts and talents, which make us unique. Paul is leading us to the idea that unity in the church is important because we are all part of something bigger, the body of Christ. We are called to use our gifts and talents to grow the church.

To be Body Builders.

Ephesians 4:11-12

These gifts he gave (as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) were meant, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

So what does that mean to equip the saints for the work of ministry?

First of all let’s understand that the Saints he’s talking about in this passage are not the stained glass kind. He is referring to you and me. So the purpose of the church is to equip its members so that they can go out into the world and do the work of ministry.

I think too many people have the false impression that ministry is the pastor’s job. If we understand what Paul is saying here – it is just the opposite, the saints are the ones who have the duty of serving in the world. Our leaders are responsible for training them so that they can go be successful representatives of Christ.

Let’s think of it this way. Psychologists have established that the rolodex in your head will allow you to catalog on average about 75 names with faces. Each of us have this circle of friends and acquaintances that we know and come into contact with daily. Your Pastor knows about 75 people. This is his immediate sphere of influence in the world. Now lets say that each of these 75 people influence another 75 people and so on. This number begins to grow enormously.

This is why it is so important for the saints to do their part in the body building process. Because your influence in the world far out reach the number of people that your pastor can touch by himself. This is your mission field. This is where you are called to serve. These are the people that you have an opportunity to influence.

OK but most people when they read this passage in Ephesians walk away feeling either really confused or very relieved. Let’s face it apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers – these are not phrases that fall into most of our job descriptions. That’s talking about the Pastor NOT me. But you also will notice it doesn’t say the Pastor is the one that is meant to do the work of ministry. That job belongs to the saints.

So our next objection to this whole doing the work of ministry business is this idea that we are not properly equipped. OK I get that. Most of us don’t walk around with an encyclopedic memory of Biblical wisdom. That’s OK. Remember what Jesus said to the 12 when he sent them out for the first time.

Luke 12:11-12

Do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say, when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.

This whole idea of being used by the Holy Spirit for ministry in the world seems BIG and scary. We have to remember that it is not I but Christ that lives within me, giving me the right thing to say at the right time. God can use you in your circumstance to reach those closest to you. Which is something your Pastor may never be able to do.

The church does not grow because of great programs or excellent music or a charismatic leader alone. These things help but it grows most effectively through the efforts of its members being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in the world. This is work that you can do every day.

There is an old Chinese proverb that says, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So as Body Builders in the church we need to be willing to take those first steps. We need to understand that we each play a vital roll in growing the body of Christ. God has given each of us gifts and talents and we use those every day to make a living. Remember, we are people of influence simply because we exist in a larger community. God can use you in that community if you are willing to be open to His leading and step out in faith.

So by now you may be asking yourself OK so what can I do?

Let’s go back to Corinthians and read the next chapter. 1 Corinthians 13 is known as the Love chapter and though Paul waxes poetic here, his message is very simple. Without love I am worthless. I think this is the key to being successful as a Body Builder in the church. Keep your purpose simple – focus on love.

I believe that this is exactly what Jesus did. He kept his focus on a singular purpose to demonstrate love. There are a couple of key things to remember about the ministry of Jesus Christ.

First is the great commission. He told his followers to go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that He had commanded.

The second is the great commandment, when asked what was the most important part of the law Jesus said these two things, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. So you see Jesus kept it simple by focusing on love.

Making disciples is simply about demonstrating love in a lost and lonely world. Loving your neighbor as yourself is not a selfish idea - it is a sacrificial one. So start with that idea. Start by making a simple change in your thinking. Resolve to treat your coworkers and your boss and the lady at the cash register in WalMart with dignity and respect. This is the beginning of loving your neighbor as yourself. Some people call this the Golden Rule.

Luke 6:31

Jesus said, Do unto other as you would have other do unto you.

Remember this is a process and a life long journey toward Christ likeness. Don’t beat yourself up if you fail of fall short. It is a journey of a thousand miles, which takes a lot of steps. Continue to move forward and stay focused on that singular purpose.

Let love lead you in all that you do and the Kingdom will grow.

We will become successful Body Builders.

<>< Amen ><>