- Maturity and Stability. Maturity and stability are produced by service in the body of Christ. In I Timothy 3:13 it says, "Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus." (NIV) That "excellent standing" means a grade or degree. Those who serve well get a firm foundation in their Christian walk. In other words, when they serve the body, they grow. I could list name after name of the many servants at Calvary Chapel, names that most people attending this fellowship would not even recognize, because they are people working behind the scenes serving the body.
Let me give you five things that occur within the body of Christ and their importance in being rightly related to the body:
- Discipleship. As I see it, discipleship takes place in three categories in the body of Christ. This is clearly illustrated in the life of Jesus. This first category is the large group. Jesus discipled people first by teaching them in large groups - the multitudes. To me, that's Sunday morning. We will grow in the Lord as we meet together corporately to worship and sit under the teaching of the Word of God. The large group meeting is part of our discipleship. It has a place in the Christian life.
The second category is the small group. Jesus called the 12 disciples, and the Bible specifically says He called them "that they might be with him." Mark 3:14 (NIV) That's one of the main reasons He called them. He spent a lot of time just with those 12 men and developed a special relationship with them. The small group is where you become relational. It's where you get to know others more personally and begin to build relationships.
Small groups would include various church ministries such as home fellowships, men's and women's Bible studies, children's ministry, youth ministry, prison ministry, and a host of others. I try to take part in our prison ministry once a month. Over time those team members have seen my imperfections, and I have seen theirs. We even joke with each other about our differences. But one thing is happening. We're getting to know each other and we're becoming relational just through that ministry time together.
The third category of discipleship is the smaller group. Among the 12 apostles Jesus would often take Peter, James, and John to places with Him that the other nine didn't get to go. And even among those three, there was one, John, who became known as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." John 13:23 (NIV) John had the kind of relationship with Jesus that was unique even to the other 11. The smaller group is where you have three-on-one, two-on-one, or one-on-one discipleship.
I believe the large group, the small group, and the smaller group are all vital parts of discipleship, and no part should be excluded. But it's in the small groups that we become relational, and in those relationships not only will we grow, but through our lives others will grow too. In turn, our investment in the lives of others will contribute to the growth of the body. Small groups, home fellowships, and relational ministries are a necessary part of our Christian walk. By becoming relational in the church of Jesus Christ, we will mature as Christians.
- The Grace of God. The grace of God is manifest through the body of Christ as we exercise our spiritual gifts within the body of Christ.
I Peter 4:8-11 says:
- "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ..." (NIV)
Peter gives two broad categories of gifts: speaking gifts and serving gifts. You may have a speaking gift and not even know it yet. That speaking gift doesn't necessarily have to be worked out on a stage on Sunday mornings. It can be worked out in a Sunday School class, in a home fellowship, in a three-on-one or one-on-one discipleship. Or you may have a gift to serve. There are a multitude of ways to serve the body that not only will bless others, but you as well. So as we get involved and get plugged into ministry, the grace of God will be manifest through the gifts He has so graciously given us.
