EVERY JOINT SUPPLIES…
“From whom the whole body fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to
the effectual working in the measure of every part, make increase of the body
unto the edifying of itself in love”
Ephesians 4:16 KJV
Paul in the above scripture was
using the human body as an analogy of how God structured the Body of Christ
which is His Church. Jesus is the head of the body and from Him all
instructions go forth to different parts of the body so that we all can do the
work of the ministry that God committed into our hands and the whole body can
benefit and grow into perfection with this effectual working together and
building up the Church until it become perfect according to the pattern set by
the Living Word and written in scriptures.
All grace, power, wisdom,
authority, knowledge, grace, glory and other godly virtues has been given by
the Father to the son to administer the Body of Christ so that we can
eventually become the image and likeness of the Father. Jesus the patterned son
hereby came to the world and He had drawn into the Kingdom of God certain men
and women who are willing to lose sight of the earth and its values and link up
with Jesus; these are the few that were chosen as remnant by election of Grace
to take ministry work in this day and hour to the next level. No wonder Jesus
calls us brethren as co-heir of all kingdom verities needed to do kingdom work.
Still using the analogy of the
human body, Jesus the head of this organization received from the Father and
declared “all power in heaven and earth has been given to Me”, and he turned to
His body and said these signs shall follow those that believe and the glory the
Father gave Him, He gave it to the saints for the effectual work of the
ministry for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ.
First benevolence went to the
five-fold ministers and secondly to the supportive ministers like ushers,
choir, encouragers, intercessors and even administrators, and even floor
members so that we all can exercise the gifts given us to do our specific
assignment and as we all do our parts, effectual growth and perfection is seen
in the body as none were negligent of doing their duties and responsibility
such that there is no schism within the body. We need one another to function
aright and bring the body to perfection.
“For the body is not one
member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am
not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall
say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the
body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole
were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members
every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him” 1 Cor.
12:14-18
It is established from the
writing of Paul above that the body of Christ and many members form an alliance
of one body. There are variety of functions within the body of Christ in
connection with their unity of aim which is edification, growth and maturity.
They are all of them, as then subsisting, among the gifts which when He
ascended up on high, leading captivity captive, Christ received from the
Father, that He might give them unto men to do the work on His behalf. It is
paramount that we mention here that we need one another and there is nobody
better or higher than another but we are all servants of the Most High God. If
you are an Apostle, it is just a job description and it is not a liberty to
Lord over the souls that Jesus Christ purchased with His blood.
“And if they were all one
member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body.
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the
head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of
the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the
body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant
honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely
parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more
abundant honor to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism
in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another” 1
Cor. 12:19-25
The individual parts of the
Church are not self-sufficient but work hand in hand with others members so
that we can be a unified force where God commanded His blessings even life
forever more. God sometimes put anointing and great grace in some members that
we count feeble to show His sovereignty and how He bestows grace as He will.
There should be no schism within the body. That is why God “Beseech you to walk
worthy of the calling wherewith ye were called”.
“He makes the whole body fit
together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other
parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love”
Eph. 4:16 NLT
Our call was to be God’s
people; this not a mere speculative distinction, but one that must have
practical form and that must lead to suitable fruit, with every branches
supplying through the leaves photosynthesis, the energy needed to produce what
the tree of righteousness needed to manufacture the fruit of the Spirit. All
will go well with the body or an organization when all the different
departments performed their particular jobs effectively knowing that we need
each other and each will also benefit from what others done or produces.
Evangelists bring in newly won
souls into the body while the pastors shepherd them but the teachers in Sunday
school disciple them until they have the mannerism and discipline that Christ
had. As members of His Body, the Holy Spirit will input in us spiritual gifts
for His service that we might confirm and build up others in the faith and that
we might dispense the saving doctrines of His grace to the unsaved.
Apostles, prophets, pastors,
teachers, evangelists, are the gifts of the risen Christ to His Church. There
should be no rivalry among them. Each has his own work to do, as each wheel in
a watch has its special function. None can do the work of another, and none
should try to do it. The Apostles laid the foundations of the City of God, and
the work of each is represented by a different stone. The pastor prepares the
ground and sows the seed for the harvest which the evangelist reaps; but God
will proportion the reward between them. The teacher is as much needed as the
evangelist, but neither is so essential as God, who gives the increase. Without
that all labor would be in vain. The joints are the points of union where the
supply passes to the different members, furnishing the body with the materials
of its growth.
We learn that the prime duty of
all these agents [Eph. 4:12] is not to baptize, marry, and bury the saints, to
comfort and console them, and to get them somehow into heaven. Their duty is to
perfect, that is, to adjust the saints for the work of ministry that they may
contribute to the building up of the Church. A minister is a failure if he does
all the work himself. The people must all be at work bringing their own supply
to the body so that we all as one can grow and mature.
These concerted unified working
together for a common purpose is according to the effective working by which
every part does its share and bring rich supply for the upliftment and growth
of the whole body: The evidence of maturity is that the leaders and the saints
are all doing their specific jobs, this is the effective working. This means every
part and joint provides what it can supply in a coordinated effort. When this
happens, it naturally causes the growth of the body (both in size and
strength), but especially growth for building itself up in love. This love make us all to bears
the infirmities of the weak, and seeks for, and follows after those things
which make for peace and godly edification. [1 Cor. 8:1].
Our coming together as one body
implies the fulfilling of two conditions. (1) There must be an end of all
childishness or infantile immaturity (2) there must be found in us an active
energetic principle, bent on doing the true thing and doing it lovingly so that
we can walk into perfection, doing the will of the Father from a pure heart.
“For His body has been formed
in His image and it is closely joined together and constantly connected as one.
And every member has been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of
all, and as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body, we are
built up and made perfect in love” Ephesians 4:16 TPT
The criteria for being part of
the body of Christ is to be born again and constantly being changed into His
image in an ever increasing splendor. The days of superstar is over forever!
The days of one man show is over forever. No one man carry all the grace and
gifts needed to build up the Body of Christ in love.
IT IS EACH JOINT SUPPLYING THAT
WHICH God gave them so that in adding to what other part of the body supplies
then the whole body can grow and walk towards perfection in Christ.
Communion with the Spirit, sensitivity
and discernment void of arrogance and pride helps to determine what we do and
how we come in to fit perfectly and work with other members so that the Body of
Christ can be perfected and move forward in love. We cannot be built up if
self-centeredness and egotism prevented us from preferring others above
ourselves and willing to stood down to wash other saints feet and caring for
their short comings such that God’s work can be brought unto perfection.
The joints “unites or fastens”
together the different parts of the body frame, the blood vessels, cords,
tendons, organs and muscles. The meaning is, that every such “means of
connecting one part of the body with another” now minister nourishment, and
that thus the body is sustained. One part is dependent on another; one part
derives nourishment from another; and thus all become mutually useful as
contributing to the support and harmony of the whole. Thus, it furnishes an
illustration of the “connection” in the members of the church, and of the aid
which one can render to another.
If the head of a local assembly
is at loggerhead with the key board or the piano player and strife is in the
air, dysfunction will set in hereby affecting the music department that is
supposed to lift up the saints as we worship the king. That is why walking in
love without any dissimulation cannot be over emphasized for the good of the
perfection and working of the body. In the same light the communication link
with Christ the head is negatively affected when such part of the body walk in
the flesh or sinful continually or in disobedience to the divine mandate on
what to do within the Body of Christ such that his ineffectiveness often affect
the proper functioning of the whole body. Like a symphony, seen below, when all
plays their part very well, the glory of God will be revealed with the Body of
Christ and we will mature and be perfected.
“It came even to pass, as the
trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising
and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets
and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is
good; for his mercy endures forever: that then the house was filled with a cloud,
even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to
minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house
of God” 2 Chron. 5:13-14
This is in proportion to the
“measure” of each part supplying what is needed for the effectiveness of the
whole body; “Each Joint Supplying” that is, in proportion to its power or grace
bestowed upon him by Christ, the head of the body. Every part labors to produce
the great result. No one is idle; none is useless. But, none are overtaxed or
overworked. The support demanded and furnished by every part is in exact
proportion to its strength. This is a beautiful account of the anatomy of the
human frame.
Enzymes are produced by the
mouth to break down the food being masticated, the big and small intestines
also producing enzymes to further break down the food while the pancreas, liver
does their part too until the food become little molecular like fats, proteins,
poly saccharides and absorbed into the blood streams to supply the necessary nutrients
for all the different parts of the body.
In a commercial bank there are
many staffs like the Branch Manager, secretaries, cleaners, cashiers,
administrators, marketers and many more, they all must have mutual love and
respect for one another and do their jobs effectively else there will be no growth
and profiting in that establishment; for example if marketers do not source for
funds, maybe there is a foul mounted cashiers or the cleaners leave the banking
hall unkempt every time; though it is one person not doing his/her job well, it
will negatively affect the whole operation.
No matter your calling, you are
beautifully and wonderfully made, you are a vital important part of the Body of
Christ, certain grace and gifts have been given to you so that you will not
fail in your assignment and you are not less important to the next person in
that God’s operation. Imagine a Church where the intercessor has gone to sleep,
demons will just be having a field day or a ministry where the choir has gone
to sleep spiritually speaking, how will they bring the congregation before the
Throne Room in worship right before the Word of God for the day is declared.
The supreme advantage here is
that we have all been adopted and given inheritance as God’s children [Eph.
1:4-6], such that we have power, authority, gifts of the Spirit, anointing,
wisdom, knowledge and all manner of spiritual verities given to us according to
what we were called to do in the body such that we do not lack what is needed
to join to what other parts of the body supplies. Where such unified working
together among brethren within the body of Christ is experienced, the Church
shall grow and be perfected.
“He did this to prepare all
God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body
of Christ. And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith
and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching
to the very height of Christ's full stature” Eph. 4:12-13 GNB
The conclusion of the matter is
that Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Pastors, Evangelists, Deacon and
Deaconesses, Choir, Ushers, Intercessors, Lay man, and even valet parkers all
along with all the saints are the joints that make up and edify the body of
Christ. No joint edifies unless it supplies its part of the work and we are all
endued with what it takes to do the works. No joint is qualified nor expected
to supply every part of the work but only to do their part very well for the
whole body to benefit withal. All that all of the Body of Christ supplies
individually are needed for the body to function as God intended and to edify
itself in love.
Joses Hizkiah
+2348023219298
