Do you have a function in the body of Christ?
The short answer is yes. The apostle Paul said, “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12.12, NASB).
Christ’s church is described as a body about seventeen times in the NT. This metaphor emphasizes that each member of Christ’s body (each Christian) has a function to perform, just like the parts of the human body.
To put it another way, there’s no such thing as a vestigial organ in the body of Christ. Do you remember “vestigial organs” from high school biology? A vestigial organ is a body part that has no apparent function. It includes things like the appendix, body hair, or the tail bone. It can also include bodily reflexes like goose bumps and hiccups.
That won’t work in the body of Christ. Earlier I read from 1 Corinthians 12. Twice in that chapter, and again in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4, Paul gives lists of spiritual gifts or spiritual abilities. Those gifts are for the good of the body, and each person must use the gifts they have to help the body.
How do you know your function in the body of Christ? What gifts or abilities do you have? There are several ways to answer that. One easy way is to start with the needs that you see around you, especially in the local church. What needs to be done?
One answer comes in the form of a prayer I found several years ago written by T. L. and LaDonna Osborn in their book, New Miracle Life Now. It reads:
HEAVENLY FATHER,
When there is a need for teaching, TEACH through me.
When there is need for truth, SPEAK through me.
When there is a need for love, LOVE through me.
When there is a need for music, SING through me.
When there is a need for understanding, LISTEN through me.
When there is need for guidance, ADVISE through me.
When a gift is needed, GIVE through me.
When a helping hand is needed, REACH and TOUCH through me.
In Jesus’ Name I pray this prayer, AMEN!
Remember, you have a place and a function in the body of Christ. So, find something that needs doing in the body of Christ, and do it! Don’t be a vestigial organ!