Loving God by Loving the Church the Way Christ Does – Nourish the Church – Pt. 4

Ephesians 5:29 – “After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church…”

Coming from an Asian background, food is literally one of the most important things in life.  Our various parties revolve around what food is going to be given for the meal.  Our get-togethers always involve food.  And even when somebody just comes over to say hello, food becomes a main point of the conversation.  For example, one of the first greetings you will hear from my family when you first come into the house is “Have you eaten yet?”  It is almost like that is one of the key things that need to be done before any other fellowship can occur.  But I would assume that food is not only a central matter to my family but also to many other families whether Asian or not.  In history, sharing a meal was one of the most important ways a person got to know another; and come to think of it, it is still one of the key ways to get to know someone or why would every date have a meal involved?  Surely, nourishment is important to life.

Interestingly enough, we also find that one way that Christ shows His love to His church is by feeding and caring for it just as He would His own body – “After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church.”  If we want to show our love for God by exemplifying His same love to the church then we must also seek to nourish the church in whatever way we can.  Jesus found this to be so important that He, before His Ascension, made sure to tell Peter that he needed to feed His sheep, or in other words, nourish the church (John 21:15-19).  But how can we nourish the church?

First, we can nourish the church by using our spiritual gifts to help the body of Christ.  Throughout 1^st Corinthians, Paul reminds the Corinthian church that each person is important to the Church, for each person is a member of the body of Christ.  One is like the ear, which provides hearing, while another is like the eye, which provides sight.  No matter what part of the body and what its role, it was beneficial to the body to have that member perform its duty.  Especially now, with our better understanding of the body, we can fully appreciate this idea, for even if something as small and “unnecessary” as the gallbladder malfunctions, we feel the pains whenever we eat that greasy burger.  Each part must do its duty so that the whole body can perform optimally.  Paul’s whole analogy about each person’s spiritual gifts basically summed up to one sentence in 1 Corinthians 12:7, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  We must all use our spiritual gifts not to help glorify ourselves but to help the church grow more into the Perfect Bride of Christ.  For some of you, it may be by joining the praise band or choir and letting your voice be used to glorify God.  For others, it may be to start a blog and allow the insights God shares with you to help encourage others.  Whatever the gift, let us seek to use our gifts to nourish the church.

Second, we can nourish the church by providing our tithes and offerings.  In the Old Testament, the Lord asked the people of Israel to provide a portion of their sacrifices and the firstfruits of their harvest to the priests and Levites to make sure that they were fed and well taken care of.  Throughout the Levitical law are splashed countless of references about making sure that the Levites were taken care of and not forgotten.  This was basically the tithe.  It was the set aside portion that the Lord wanted to have to make sure that those who were serving Him and the people would be provided for.  In today’s context, it is the portion of your salary that you set aside to provide for your church’s ministry.  The offering on the other hand was the additional giving of something past the tithe.  It was going over and beyond the “necessity” of the tithe to provide even more to help the ministry or to worship the Lord.  It was the freewill offerings at the Tabernacle and Temple, where people brought more than what God had asked for, because they wanted to praise Him.  During that time, the people of Israel made sure to bring their tithes and offerings for if they did not the Levites did not eat.  Some families such as the one that housed Elisha even made sure to provide for the prophets whenever they came into town.  Today, we can also nourish the Church by providing it with our tithes and offerings.  We can make sure to help support our church and pastor in the ministry through giving.  We can make sure to provide for missionaries in full-time service so that their focus may be on sharing the Gospel instead of providing for their family.  We can make sure to help support various organizations that are reaching out to share the Gospel.  Spending some time preparing a sermon when my dad was on vacation taught me how difficult it is to be a bivocational pastor.  To have to deal with work during the day and to come home tired yet still have to study for Wednesday night Bible study as well as the Sunday morning service is very tough.  One needs resilience and strength and that is without the additional evening services, Sunday schools, prayer meetings, and visitations.  It is a tough and unthankful job, so let us try to do our best to provide for the ministries through our tithes and offerings.

Third and most important, we can nourish the church by sharing the Word of God with other members of the body of Christ.  What better nourishment can any person receive than the Word of God, for “’Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4).  There is nothing better for a weary heart, a hungering soul, and a thirsty spirit than the Word of God.  For only in the Word of God can we find true wisdom that points us to the Comforter, the Bread of Life, the Living Water, and the Author of Salvation – Jesus Christ.  We should always seek to teach and preach Jesus Christ.  He must be the first, the last, and everything in between.  He should always be the focus.  This is not only a job for the preacher but for every member of the church, for each person can share something that can be an encouragement to another Christian.  1 Corinthians 14 emphasizes that there are multiple speakers so that all may learn and all be encouraged not just a few.  Sometimes even the “lowliest” church member can encourage the greatest evangelist.  It only takes a few verses out of the Word of God to nourish a heart and renew its life.  Let us never forget that even if we can’t give of our offerings, even if we have yet to know what our spiritual gift is, we can serve by sharing with any fellow Christian something that God has laid in your heart and taught you today.  You might be surprised at what encouragement you might bring.

One way to love the church the way Christ does is to nourish it.  You can do so in multiple ways, whether through serving with your spiritual gifts, giving of your tithes and offerings, or sharing the Word of God with a fellow believer.  All ways are important.  Let us just remember that no matter what we do, we always return the focus to Christ, for that is where hunger and thirst if fully satiated.