The Body of Christ

What has 5 toes and isn’t your foot? My foot.

A man asked his date to meet him at the gym but she never showed up. I guess the two of them aren't going to work out.

Why should you never brush your teeth with your left hand? Because a toothbrush works better.

When life is over…what part of the body is the last to stop working? The pupils. They dilate.

So we’re talking about the body of Christ today…in a way. And a in a bit we’re going to talk specifically about our body here.

The year was 112 AD.

Trajan was the emperor of Rome. He had previously appointed a man to be governor of Bythinia …which was what is now in the region of what we know of as Turkey.

This man’s name was Pliny the Younger. Pliny was an avid writer…we have over 247 of his letters to various people including the historian Tacitus and Emperor Trajan.

One letter, written in 112 AD, was a letter to Trajan, asking how he should deal with these people called Christians.

There were laws on the books at that time that said you all needed to worship the Roman deities…and bow down to the emperor as well.

Well, if you’re a Christian…you only have one God. And there in lied the problem.

Christians wouldn’t do that…many wouldn’t do that. That simply said…there’s only one God…and he’s not that man in Rome.

So, Pliny wrote a simply letter to Emperor Trajan to ask about what he should do with these Christians. He had never presided over a Christian Trial…and he needed to find out what the protocol was.

So we have two things happening. First, those who followed Jesus did not recognize the Emperor as anyone more special than anyone else. Also, they did not participate in the imperial cults for worship of the emperor and (g)ods.

Secondly, they met together for purpose and meaning…without a permit…which was necessary under Roman law. And, Roman law was not going to give them a permit. Any group such as we have today…unions or women’s clubs or whaterver, needed a permit, …and dues…and all were under thumb of Rome. Sometimes all of these groups were shut down for reasons that there were some that were “talking” negatively about the empire. You can see how Rome kept control of everything.

Well, these Christians, were becoming a problem. Yes, Christians were persecuted…but in certain areas they were tolerated as long as they worshiped who they were supposed to etc. etc.

Here was his problem. He had people, Christians, that he didn’t know what to do with. He said I have Christians who are from all ages, from very young to very old. And from all walks of life.

Now some of course have “repented” and come back over to the dark side…so should they still be guilty now....he was just looking for advice.

Now, this was not a little task. For he had already executed some who would not denounce Jesus. He just wondered if he was doing the right thing.

Here’s what he wrote about them…Here’s what I found out...

I’m paraphrasing here …they come from every age…from children to mature adults. The come from both male and female. They come from all ranks of life…peasant wealthy servants and masters. In fact he makes specific reference to two deaconesses who were “servants” through the week for someone else. They were ministry leaders in the church…but servants through the week. And here’s what they did.

They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food—but ordinary and innocent food.

I think he was both trying to do his best to be a good roman but he was also intrigued about this group who followed Jesus.

These groups he was investigating had been doing the same thing that they had been doing for nearly 80 years. After Jesus was crucified, rose, and then ascended, they were meeting together, eating together, praising God together, remembering Jesus together, talking about life together, and being accountable together…leading a life God called them too…and staying away from sin…together.

They were living like Jesus called them to together. Loving God with everything they had. Loving their neighbor as they loved themselves. All because of Jesus and through Him…with His strength…literally, with His spirit.

The first part of the book of Acts, that’s Luke’s second book…Luke was the first…records how this group started. How the church started to work, live, meet, follow Jesus together.

His spirit, was with them, individually and as a group too.

Paul talks about this group and says this group that this group is the body of Christ. Look around the room. We just ate together. Probably shared a little bit of life together…how we’re all doing.

1 Corinthians 12:12–27 CSB

12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14 Indeed, the body is not one part but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. 19 And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. 23 And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, 24 which our respectable parts do not need. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, 25 so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. 26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.

Ministries -

Individual endeavors -

All moving with and listening to the spirit of God....as one body…Jesus. So that the world will know John 17:23

John 17:23 CSB

23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.