1 Corinthians 12:14-20

This last year I got the privilege of working with the LCMS National Youth Gathering Planning team.  This involved me flying to either New Orleans or St Louis whenever there was a planning team meeting. During these meetings we would discuss most important things. Things like the mass events, the web site, and the hotel actives; and since I was with media; the daily news videos and DVD. But with all that important information being discussed I cannot let the most important thing that we discussed at length go unsaid. How many third graders would it take to kick your tail?  It is an important question.  Because when a rogue band of warrior third graders comes up to you in dark school yard you need to be aware of your chances of survival. Even when those who seem to be pretty powerless unite together and are a member of the group then they can be an amazingly powerful force, which I personally fear.

In our verse today Paul talks about how the body is one and has many members. What I am asking  today is, what are the roles of those members? Because I am a member of many different organizations.  I am a member of my home church, however I have not really done anything with them since I left for Sem, except say hello thanks for the support.  I am a member of a Gym and we all can see how that is turning out. I know people who are members of museums, art galleries, show places. I am a member of the movie theater down the street. I just went into Dicks sporting goods and they asked if I would like to become a member; I said if it involves coupons and junk mail then count me in. Is this the member ship which Paul is talking about.   A membership witch gives us some discount or gets us on some prior notice to an event. There are some memberships which do spread good will in the community, such as Rotary, but are those memberships which do good still the idea which Paul was talking about .  The Simple answer is No

The church has adopted the Term Membership and we treat it in the same way the rest of our memberships get treated. This simply is not what Paul intended by the word member? Member in the epistle is a body part. How can the eye be without the ears attached and functioning, the body would have no hearing.  We all play are part together, Not sitting by waiting to be served, but rather like those rogue  warrior 3^rd graders who can together take out a full gown adult.

The cool thing is, we did not have to sign up to be a member of the body.  Jesus Came and has made you a member of this body, the church.  And together we work with Jesus in protecting the body, bring in lost people into the safety of the body, and yes even acting like a rogue bunch of third graders on the devils work.

1. How would the church look different if we all viewed ourselves as members of the body.
2. Share a time when you saw the Body  acting like members of each other.