One Body, Many Parts

A message delivered by Danny Niñal during the first Core Group Meeting of WHF-Auckland,

An Evangelical Free Church, on 22 July 2023, at the Niñal's residence.

Romans 12:4-5

4 For 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, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Two verses, 39 words, several subliminal points, and one central idea.

Let me start with the subliminal points. Of the 39 words, two phrases stand out for me, which have a meaning which can easily be missed. One is "... do not have the same function," (v.4) and the other is "... each member belongs to all the others."

Many of us, if not all, when confronted with a task, we tend to say, "I will leave that to the experts." It has become the most convenient way to say "I will not participate in that, you are good at it, you do it." When verse 4 talks about not having the same function, it highlights the idea that each one of us has something to contribute, and in fact, has a role to do. This role, when not done, can affect the whole thing. Perhaps it may define the success or the failure of a project. In this mission that we have now, as a Core Group for a church planting project, each one of us has a role to play. We are given different gifts and talents, so much so, that when we combine them together, it spells success for this project, because God will bless the unity of His people working as laborers in the harvest.

The second point is in verse 5, "...and each member belongs to all the others." The word belong can be taken to mean (a) possession, or (b) a part of. Oftentimes, in an organization, one person behaves like he owns the others, or possesses the power over the others. This is taking the word "belongs" in the wrong context. Here, verse 5 is consistent with verse 4 which says "One body with many members (or many parts). In this organization, we all work together as one, as we are part of the whole body, having different functions and/or roles.

Each of us has been given a special gift and called to a specific purpose. But on our own, we will not accomplish much. However, by joining with other believers and utilizing our own gifting, this unity brings meaning and fullness to the body of Christ. In Christ Jesus, we were set apart to belong to God. No longer a part of this world we have been made sons and daughters through Christ and called into a royal priesthood. In the same way, we belong to the body of Christ which is the church. Although the sum total makes up many members, we are joined together in such a way that makes us one body. We belong to each other in unity and service to bring the operation of God's kingdom into this world.

A great example of this, and the most common, is our physical body. It has many organs and parts but each part cannot exist on its own. Being a part of the body is what enables the various parts to operate within their function. The heart pumps blood throughout the body, the brain processes, thinks, and gives instruction, the skeletal system supports the entire operation and our muscles are what enable us to move about. They all work together to create a living human being capable of doing amazing things. When there is a problem in any of these parts, then it affects the entire system and as a result, the whole body suffers.

This leads us to the one and only central idea of these 39 words in two verses - Christ. Everything in these two verses is predicated by the phrase “So in Christ we…” What does it mean?

Allow me to put us in the current context. We live in a world that is driven by technology, and at a speed that is so fast, most of us could not catch up. For us now, in this day of technology, we travel through our rearview mirror. Because when we go to a place, it has already changed so much in so little time. Such is illustrated in our desktops (or mobile phones). We need Icons and Apps so that we know which one to click. There is the red right-side arrow for YouTube, the blue letter F for Facebook, the green X for Excel, and the blue Z for Zoom. But what do they do? Nothing but a decoration on your desktop, but when you click that blue letter W on your screen, it unleashes the power of the codes, with millions of lines, of Microsoft Word. And it allows you to write in many forms and in many ways, with so little time any document you want to write. Untouched they only add color to your screen. But when clicked, it opens up all the doors of that particular program or software.

Christ is our Icon, too. He made His presence among us, and now, all we need to do is click on Him, and He will unleash all the power and glory of God. And it allows us to do many things in many ways but in His time.

Adhering, therefore, to the message of Romans 12:4-5, this church, WHF - Auckland, will be Christ-Centered. Every activity is centered on Christ. And we go back to His Words, as our guide in all that we do. And each one of us has a very important role to do, to make this whole body function, as He has designed it.

God bless you all.