An Organism or Organization?

Ephesians 4: 11 And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and  carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:15–16 should shape the way we should see the church.

Not as an institution but as a living organism.

He insists that the whole body is “put together, held together, and built by that which every joint supplies.”

In this post I want to focus to those two verses and ask a practical question.

If the church is a living body, is it a healthy one?

My dictionary tells me a joint is the point of contact between elements; a meeting place of two things or bodies.

It is the space between two adjacent things that are held together by another substance like brick and mortar.

The body of Christ, just like the human body must have each part working in synchronicity.

When I was thinking about this, grade eight science came to mind.

I know, I know, slightly miraculous considering my age.

Anyway, for some reason I remember the teacher described symbiotic relationships.

There are three types of symbiosis I want to describe and then relate to the workings of the relationships within the church.

Let’s see if biology can be connected to our theology.

We base all three of these categories on interactions between two organisms.

Mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

Mutualism is where both organisms win. Think of bees and flowers. The bee receives nourishment while the flower’s pollen is carried to other plants.

In a healthy church, members serve and are served. Each part recognizes its dependence on the others. This is obligate mutualism. Not just a mutual admiration society; participation is required for the body to thrive.

Commensalism is when one benefits, the other is unaffected. An egret beside a grazing animal feeds on the insects that were disturbed by its heavy path. The bird gains a meal while the larger animal is neither helped nor harmed.

In church life this shows up as people who attend and receive but do not contribute to the body’s functioning.

Can you see where I am going with this?

Do we have hitchhikers (commensalism) who do not actively participate in the ‘biological’ function of the body?

This is when the church acts more like an inanimate object rather than a life form.

Like a bus where individuals are riders who are unaffected by the presence or absence of the others. I’m here, you are here. We are all going in the same direction. We might be sharing the same air but I do not need you to survive.

That is not what would be described as ‘life’!

Parasitism is when only one benefits at the expense of the other.

Parasites siphon resources, sometimes camouflaging themselves so the host does not reject them. In extreme cases they alter the host to suit their needs.

When exploitative patterns like that occur in a body of believers whether in leadership or among laypeople it can make the body sick. Members lose their joy and desire to participate.

There is evidence of a widespread presence of parasites in the ‘body’ of Christ.

This is something that grieves my heart.

Because leaders are visible, exploitative leadership is often the most obvious example.

They can siphon time, money, influence, or emotional investment without returning life to the body.

But the same relational dynamic can exist in the pew. People who expect the body to orbit around their needs rather than recognizing their role as one of many.

When exploitation is tolerated or even defended the body’s circulation is impaired.

The result is not merely organizational dysfunction but sickness.

In a physical body the first symptoms of infection are pain and swelling at the source. It can then travel rapidly through the body. Energy ceases to flow well.

In a church, signs of this kind of aggressive or exploitive behaviour is spiritual abuse.

It wounds members and erodes trust.

My strongest instinct and desire for the body of Christ is for us to shed this idea of how we should function.

Jesus said his leaders should be different than those of the world. Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them, and those in prominent position exercise authority over them. 26 Its not this way among you, but whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant  27 and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave.

In his second letter to the Corinthians in chapter 11 Paul reprimanded them for how they insisted on following ‘super apostles’. Corinth was notorious for an appetite for  ‘fresh words’ from the skilled orators with persuasive speech.

But Paul called them out as false apostles. Like today’s leaders they cultivated followers among the rich and insisted on being highly financially supported. They were arrogant and verbally and physically abusive. And their false teaching enslaved the body of believers to fear.

But parasites do not only exist in the top of a hierarchical structure.

They are easy to pick on because of their visibility but this relational dynamic; the sin pattern of being a taker exists in the pew as well.

People are prone to make ourselves the centre of the universe.

By contrast, in a healthy body of believers, each recognizes the necessity of being one of many.

Western culture emphasizes the individual.

Likewise, in the western church it is all about each person fulfilling his or her own destiny and calling as an individual.

Paul tells us the individual exists not for itself alone, but for the life of the body.

The body is built up by that which every joint supplies.

Bear with me.

In the Old Testament God established the sanctity of the blood of every living thing.

He commands Israelites not to not eat anything with blood because it represented the life of the animal.

The precedent was set; the blood is holy.

It is by the blood of Jesus we are born again and made a member of His body.

Every connection point is meant to be a transfer of life.

Each joint is the place we can choose to lay down our life so that His life can flow to the other member of the body.

This is how the whole church is built up and sustained.

This is not likely taking place as much as we’d like.

It can be a little discouraging. Diagnosis is only the first step.

What can we do?

Bravely confront self-centred behaviour in ourselves and others.

Listen when others share any hurtful effect on them and ask for forgiveness and restoration.

Submit to one another in love.

And consider Him.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.

Pray with me,

“Lord, help. Your ways are not our ways. We look around and we look within and know that our bodies are sick. We have endured and even protected parasitic behaviours in leaders and peers. Where we have considered our own needs more important than those around us, please forgive us. Show us how to serve one another in love so that every joint in the body can be a place where Your life flows. Amen.

All the love my friends.