Never Underestimate How Much We Need Each Other

When I was a boy, one of my favorite hobbies was assembling model cars, airplanes and ships. Opening each box, I’d see an assortment of parts – some small, some large – all waiting to be placed in their designated spots. 

 

It’s similar in putting a puzzle together. Whether it consists of 24 pieces, 100, 500, 1,000 or more, there’s a specific spot for each piece. Border pieces don’t fit in the middle, and vice versa. To successfully assemble a puzzle, you must find the right place for every piece and put every piece in its place. And if just one piece is missing, the project is incomplete.

 

Have you noticed this is true for the human body as well? We each are a mass of bones, skin, hair, tendons, organs, nerves, blood, and other “pieces.” Some parts are expendable – we cut our hair, trim nails, lose teeth and grow new ones. But other parts of the body are essential. We literally can’t live without them.

 

Take the human brain, for example. We can’t do without a brain – although it seems that some people are doing their best to try. No one can live without a heart, even those who seem heartless. The same can be said for our lungs, liver, kidneys, and other internal organs. One definition of good health is to have all of our human parts in the right places and doing their jobs properly.

 

This is one reason the Bible uses the human body as a metaphor for the Church. In 1 Corinthians 12 the apostle Paul writes, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ…. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many…. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12-20).

 

Shift this analogy to the Church. There’s a tendency to focus on the senior pastor, the pastoral staff, maybe the worship leader and a few others. But just as each part of the human body is essential, so is every member of the congregation. We all have different spiritual gifts; we also have different interests, abilities, learned skills, experience and resources that we can contribute.

 

As Paul observes earlier in the same chapter, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).

 

There’s another side to this we should consider. Just as each of us is needed and we can contribute what we have and who we are to the benefit of the whole body of Christ, we also need each other. The human heart performs unique, critical functions within the body, but apart from the lungs, the brain, or other organs, it can’t function. 

 

Similarly, someone might be extremely gifted and talented spiritually, but apart from the fellowship of believers who possess other abilities, that person won’t accomplish much – if anything – for the kingdom of God. Where would the Rev. Billy Graham have been in his global ministry if it were not for folks who did the advance planning and preparations, lined up venues, promoted his crusades, invited guests, counseled those who responded and did necessary follow-up, among other things?

 

But this goes far beyond big, headline-grabbing events. I often think of Hebrews 10:24-25 in which we’re told, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another….” Trying to be a “lone ranger Christian” can be a lonely journey as best, a path to spiritual disaster at worst. We all need encouragement, accountability and support.

 

This is especially true as we attempt to deal with big decisions and the inevitable challenges of everyday living. Sometimes pride tempts us not to ask for help or counsel. Other times we don’t want anyone to advise us not to do what we’ve already decided upon. But shunning the wisdom of others is flirting with danger.

 

I like the way Proverbs 18:1 puts it: “He who separates himself seeks his own desire; he quarrels against all sound wisdom.” Another proverb states it a bit differently but offers the same conclusion: “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15).

We should no more attempt to live for Christ without partnering with other believers than we would try to leave our homes without our heads. It doesn’t work. Each of us is an important part of the body of Christ. We’re needed. But we’re only one part. We need others as well. 

The Awesome Wonder of People Living in Unity

As I was growing up, it seemed patriotism was an indispensable quality of being an American. Taking pride in seeing our flag unfurled against an azure sky. Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance – to the United States of America – without feeling abused. These days, however, it often seems our nation is more untied than united. And that makes me sad.

 

That’s not to say I believe the U.S.A. is perfect. Far from it. Or that people don’t have a right to speak out against injustices and inequities they see. After all, the preamble to the Declaration of Independence first declares, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….” 

This is a noble and reasonable ideal, but I don’t think it can be achieved through disunity. As Jesus Christ told the religious leaders – the Pharisees – who were mustering opposition against His ministry, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a house divided against itself fall” (Luke 11:17). We see this principle being worked out in virtually every aspect of life.

 

If you’re an avid spectator of any sport, you see the importance of unity being emphasized in any contest – at least by the victorious teams. Whether it’s football, basketball, baseball, or even doubles tennis, all championship teams display unity, at least on the field, the court, or in the arena.

 

Years ago, I was in another country, meeting with business and professional men who were trying to build an effective marketplace ministry in their cities. Knowing soccer was the most popular team sport there, I used analogies from soccer to explain how they could achieve unity despite the diversity in their abilities and spiritual gifts.

 

Frankly, all I knew about soccer is what I had observed in watching my daughters participate in the game, but I knew enough. The goalie, defensive players, midfielders and offensive players all have different roles and responsibilities, but they must perform as a unit to win. Conversely, most of the players can do their jobs very well, but if one key player fails, the scoreboard will reflect that.

 

Over my lifetime I’ve had a few health issues – major and minor – that needed to be addressed, so I’ve learned quite a bit about the human body while going to various doctors for treatment and surgery. God created our bodies to be marvelous examples of unity. You could say health is a reflection of a body’s ease, just as disease and sickness is a sign of its “dis-ease.”

 

Years ago, Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey collaborated on several books about the human body, focusing especially on the problems of pain and suffering. If you haven’t read either Fearfully and Wonderfully Made or In His Image, I highly recommend them. They’re still in print and give compelling insights into how the heart, lungs, brain, lungs, kidneys and other organs work together in unity to keep a human being healthy. They also explain how the nervous, vascular, circulatory, skeletal and other systems also must function together to keep a person alive and well.

 

The apostle Paul also alluded to this in exhorting members of the ancient church in the Greek city of Corinth to strive for unity. It’s almost as if he were paging through the medical tome, “Grey’s Anatomy,” as he explained:

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink…. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body…. But in fact God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body…” (1 Corinthians 12:12-26).

 

I’ve condensed this insightful passage for brevity, but Paul’s conclusion stands out: “But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:24-26).

 

If you’ve ever gotten up in the middle of the night and stubbed your toe in the dark, you can understand the “if one part suffers, every part suffers with it” reference. That’s how it is when people are in unity, whether on a sports team, in a nation, or as members of a church congregation. We revel together in our victories, and suffer together in our defeats and hardships.

 

Elsewhere, the apostle again wrote of the priceless value of unity: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (Philippians 2:1-2).

There’s an awesomeness, a sense of wonder when we see people working in unity, pulling together and supporting one another toward the accomplishment of shared values and goals. Would that we could see more of this in our nation, as well as in the body of Christ, despite our differences in doctrine, practice and tradition.