Being the Body

by Pastor Gina Johnson

We're going to get to that picture in just a moment. But if some of you see that and already recognize that, then you might have an idea of the direction we're going in. I want to tell you about someone that you're all familiar with, just a really short snippet of his life, and that would be Arnold Schwarzenegger.

My first memory of Arnold Schwarzenegger is very blurry. I had to be real young and little, and I think he was wearing like a Speedo and looked really oily and had longer hair. Then from there, I have memories of several movies that delighted me as a young child and preteen with his goofy accent. We would all run around the house, trying to say, “I'll be back” or any other words we could remember from his different videos. That's Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then when he got into the whole politics side, I followed none of that whatsoever, but it was just one of those interesting things like, “Wait, no, no, that's Arnold Schwarzenegger. He's not supposed to be doing that.”

But let's go back to Arnold Schwarzenegger, age 15. He goes into a gym for the first time and he wasn't strong and he wasn't famous, but he definitely had a vision of himself that he wanted to achieve. He definitely had a calling that said, “This is not what I want my body to be like. This is not what I want my mind to be like. This is not where I want to be.” He took bodybuilding not to just a place of “This is a fun hobby or I'm going to do this, to impress the gals or impress the guys.” It was part of his well-being.

The discipline and training that he put into his body was so important to him because it was setting a stage for how he carried the disciplines and the way he took care of himself throughout his life. He wanted to build a body that was so strong and so defined, that it would take him to a new place, that it would give him a new start, that it would earn his way into greater things. I think we all know that it did, but it took a lot more than just the bodybuilding.

I'm sure there were others around him who were perhaps as driven and as focused, but did they go as far as him? Their lives were perfect the way they were, but maybe they just didn't have the gusto he had. He trained every day. He trained early. He trained when he had any spare time. Everything in between work and sleep, he was training.

And it wasn't just about lifting weights. It was about making sure he was disciplined, that he was dedicated, that he had the focus and the endurance for whatever was going to come ahead throughout this investment within himself. See, Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't have to go and join a gym. He made the mentality that he was going to change his life in such a way that he could represent the gym.

So I want you just to hold that story right there. Now let's look at the other side.

I know this girl that used to always think going to the gym had this one purpose, lose weight, get in great shape. And most of the people there were already caught up in their working out and very self-centered, and how would she ever fit in there? So she would join the gym, and she'd get a trainer, and she'd work out for a little bit, and she'd see some changes. But sometimes she'd let stories in her mind keep her from going, or she'd let the fear of what she saw around her, the slowness of the progress get in the way. So then from there on, it was just lots of fun for her to pay for a monthly membership and carry around a key fob.

But it wasn't until there was a time where she was talking to someone else, and they were complaining about how they don't ever go to the gym, how they've been paying for their membership, and they were complaining about how they feel and how their body looks, and she had that moment of like, “Well, if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black. I've been telling my friend for the past several months that I'm going to start going to the gym.”

When I first came here, I went to the gym four or five times a week, and I always felt good, and I was always doing great. But now I got a membership and I go to the gym when I can psych myself up to go to the gym. The funny thing is, going to the gym has nothing to do with anyone else in my life but me. That's why it matters so much, because it's about taking care of me, and the more that I take care of me, I'm in the right mental state, physical state, spiritual state, the more that I can go and be that representation of the gym for other people.

Well, that's basically two sides of the same coin. You know, one person was showing up and building the body, while the other person thought it was a cool thing to do for a little bit, but when they saw what they weren't getting, they gave up on it. Or they went ahead and got the membership, and they claim to belong, and they claim to know what's going on there, but they're not really ever taking advantage of those membership benefits.

So, church, I want to start off by saying something first, here and foremost, because I know it's hard when you're in a small congregation. This is the story we tell ourselves, to have our minister stand up there and say, do more, give more, be more, because it's like, “Gina, look around, we're all maxed out.”

So, I want to start off by saying, like, you are doing well. You are all doing fabulous. We gave praises the other week about what we did with the Christmas in July. If you come up here, on any Circle of Joy day, and you walk by the room the ladies are in, you hear the laughter, you see them all around the table. Sometimes, maybe as low as like eight, but usually I see about a dozen women in that room having fun. And I've walked into my office over the past several days, and Judy Gabbert has brought me bags and bags of clothing that are from her late sister to see if I could use them, or my family could use them, or I could give them to a new home. Kendric and Chloe, last week they had a wonderful young student from Northwest volunteering to learn how to do what they do. And this week they have a young man named Gabe.

So, guys, you're doing great. You guys are being the body. You know, you are. You're doing those things.

But I just want to check with you for a minute because I know you've showed up. I know you're committed. I know you all pray. I know you serve. But are you sure there isn't a part of you that has started a sink into that, “Well, First Christian Church, I got a membership card. I'll go when it's convenient. I'll hide when it doesn't look as convenient.” Can you look at that and go a little deeper with me? Can you recognize that God's not just inviting us to this building? He's not just inviting us to come and pay our dues and claim the benefits we get of being First Christian Church. Being the body has nothing to do with this building.

Yes, this is a place to recalibrate. This is a place to get fueled up. This is a place to come together as beautiful students and teachers, family, and help each other grow. But being the body is what happens when we not only show up in this place, but we take it beyond these walls. I believe that as we have had a lot of significant things arise and ebb and flow throughout this past two and a half years here, I believe that we are getting called to go deeper. Deeper into the spiritual understanding of who we are, deeper into our connection with this community, deeper into the representation of what this means to be the body, to be the church.

I want to look at three different scriptures with you guys this morning and recognize that I'm not just talking about how we live on Sundays. This is how we live in our rhythms, in our daily lives, in those sacred moments, and in those very public moments. So in Acts 2, verses 42 through 47, it says:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

So the church, the early church, was not perfect. But boy, it was devoted. They were devoted to the teaching. They were devoted to showing up. They were devoted to the prayer and the fellowship. You know, it's easy to hear that phrase, “They had everything in common.” We're like, “What? There's no way.”

What they mean by that was their motives and their purpose. They were here to continue the work that Jesus set forth before them. They weren't worried about performing. They weren't worried about the lavish size of the building they were meeting in. They were about participating and building spiritual life together. They were about recognizing that Jesus didn't come to model an example and then say, “See ya, you're on your own.” He said, “Follow me.” He said, “I'll show you the way. So now take what I have shown you and continue on.” And what was the result of that? What happened as they embodied devotion, embodied community?

What happened is the Lord added to their number every day. See, you guys do a lot, as I said, with the gathering, with the praying, with the giving generously. But now we have that invitation to say, “Can our daily lives look like Acts 2?” Can what we show each other when we come together in these spaces, sometimes with food and fellowship, sometimes a Bible study, sometimes just putting our minds together so we can collaborate on what else the Lord is calling to do. Can we take that spirit, that love and that energy and have it with us throughout our daily lives? So then people start to get curious.

Why are they always so upbeat and enthusiastic? You know, there's a lot going on over at that church, but people are still showing up. You know, I heard that they're starting this ministry. Did you hear about that Giving Tree? I could have swore that church only has like 15 people. How are they launching new ministries? Because we keep showing up, we keep them curious, we keep them invited, and we keep them feeling loved and welcome when they come.

And so there's the challenges. How can we continue to be the Acts 2 church, not only in these walls, but when we go beyond these walls? And that's just about embodying that devotion, embodying that community. And as people see that spark, as people see your joy, as people see that you continue to persevere regardless of what is going on around you, then people are going to lean in, they're going to ask questions, and they're going to want to be a part of it.

Everyone's always looking for that perfect way to invite someone to church. I'll tell you what, be yourself with a smile, with joy, with positive energy. And you know, just keep doing that. Keep extending yourself in love. And that invitation to church, it'll come on its own.

I can give you a script. You can probably find one on the internet just as quick. But I bet if you keep creating relationship, the part that creates community will happen organically. The second verse that I want to go with is in Matthew 28. It's verses 18 through 20:

Then Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.

There was a little boy who belonged to a really large church. And they had all this cool signage all over the place. And as they went to exit, there was this really colorful, bright sign that says, “You are now entering into the mission field.” And as a little boy is walking out, he looks up and he stops and he backs up a little. And he says, “Hey, mommy, I thought we were going to lunch.”

And she takes him and she says, “Well, we are, but we're going into the mission field.” He's like, “The mission field?” She says, “You know, just know that someone where we go to eat lunch might need to see your smile. They might need to hear your kind voice. They might enjoy your patience.” And he sat for a second and said, “Well, okay, but do I still get to throw French fries at my sister?”

So, there you go. You know, we're always entering into the mission field when we walk through these doors. Maybe it's at a restaurant. Maybe it's in our own home. My dad always said to me when I talked to him, like, “Dad, you know, what if I get in churches and I can't grow them?” And he's like, “I just want you to know you already have a church. Your disciples are sitting on your living room floor.” I'm thinking those guys, man, really? But it's the truth. In every space that we are in in life, whether it's our children, whether it's our friends, whether it's our coworkers, whether it's the stranger we meet, like, hey, we're having a cup of coffee at Burger King. And so are they. And we decided to make a friend that day. Everywhere we go is our mission field.

And the mission field is never too far away. It's always right here, right now. And if you listened, Jesus said, go and make disciples. Not just sit around and wait till you have the exact amount of courage and everything feels perfect. Don't just sit around until you see a crowd of people doing it for you. Go and make disciples.

When the body embodies movement and motion and the mission, then things start to happen. He said, teach. He said, baptize. And it's interesting because he's not asking you to do more. He's asking you to take what is already within you. Maybe you need to clear some things out of the way, but he's asking you to take what is already within you, what you already carry, and just let it be displayed in the world. Let it be exhibited in the world. And maybe when you come here on Sunday, you've already shown up. We’ve gone over that multiple times.

So maybe when you're here on Sunday, stop and think, why am I here? And by the end of this service, where am I being sent? What am I going to learn this morning about myself? What am I going to remember? What am I going to embody that when I go through these doors, I can create a mission field wherever I am? That's the question. Because when you leave here, where are you being sent? Where are you going to follow this great commission and go forth? And make disciples.

The last scripture that I want to share with you all this morning comes from John 13. It says:

So now I am giving you a new commandment. Love each other just as I have loved you. You should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

You know, it never really is about what logo we're displaying, how good our live stream is running, whether or not our pews are packed wall to wall. It's never about how much is in the offering plate or how many Sunday school and small group classes we offer.

It's really about embodying love. It's really about recognizing that Jesus said, they're going to know by your love. People are going to recognize what kind of fruit you're bearing when you stay close to the vine, when you stay close to the gardener.

A lot of times we think that we need to go back and find what was that magic formula we did back then to get things the way they used to be so we can feel that again. Well, newsflash, we can't get things back to the way they used to be, but we can really enjoy and be grateful where things are at right now and together enjoy as they come into a new place.

And you know, I don't even want to use the word better because it's easy for me to say, we're never going back there. We're going somewhere better. No, back then, whatever your back then is, the times that you picture this place and it just brings all this joy to your heart because there were so many people and there were young kids and there were different small groups. So, you go there and it makes your heart smile, but then you always take it to the frown because we're not there anymore.

Well, I'll tell you what, go back there, grab all that enthusiasm and then recognize that there's a place that's the same kind of different, but there will be something in that place that you'll recognize. That'll be the love and the energy and the excitement. That'll always be a perfect example of what we can do. But now let's do it again and let's do it in a new way. It's so important that you recognize that and show that you embody the love of the church.

It takes persistence. It takes consistency. It's not something where just one day I decide that I'm going to go out in the world and be kind and see myself and everybody. I'm going to hold the door even when I'm in a rush. I'm going to give a smile even when I don't feel like smiling. But you know, then a few days later, I'm just going to let my anger or my worry or my sickness or whatever story I'm telling guide me throughout the day.

We all do it. I'm guilty too, but can we lock arms and say, you know what? We do want to embody devotion and community. We do want to embody love. We do want to embody the presence that we have through Christ Jesus.

There's a teacher that I love to read and his name is White Eagle. And he says, your spiritual body must be built with as much attention as your physical one. You cannot think your way into strength. You must live it. We have a spiritual body that we are called to put time into, that we are called to put study into, that we are called to give rest to. And the more we do those things, the more we stretch, the more we cut away from spiritual laziness, of fear of being vulnerable and not being able to move, the more that we release religious programming of who we're supposed to be and we actually embody who we are, disciples of Christ. We are the church. We are the body. We are love.

The more that we do those things, the more that we will see the Lord will add to our number daily. And what will he add? Well, yeah, he'll add community. He'll add love. He'll add the presence of the spirit more and more throughout this place and throughout this town.

One more story as I come to the close. So the late Kobe Bryant, another person in sports for those of you who have followed, used to train every morning starting at 4 a.m. And there was another player who would show up just a little bit before him because he wanted to be better. And so finally, this other player, this rookie came to Kobe and said, “You know, I saw you here and it seemed like you were trying to beat me.” And Kobe said, “You know, I saw you here and it seemed that you were trying to beat me and I just wanted to let you know that you never will.”

Now, I'm sure there were some other fun words exchanged as those two athletes talked about this, but it wasn't about arrogance. It was about Kobe's devotion. He wasn't training at those early hours for the cameras, for the opportunities to make more money. He was doing that for his legacy, for what he was building. And yes, glitz and glam and attention and all sorts of other things did follow. But if you go back to it, he was working on building his body, his legacy.

That's what Christ calls us to do, to have the private yeses, to have the set routines, to have those moments where we stretch and those daily moments where we do those reps that are grace, that are filled with love, that are filled with strength and devotion. And then I can ask you, you know, what part of the body are you going to be this week? Are you going to be those big, strong shoulders that go out there and lift? Are you going out there and share that smile? Are you going to be the hands reaching out? What part of the body are you going to be this week?

And just recognize that in that, it doesn't matter if you're the strongest or the fastest. It doesn't matter if you have the most money to give or the most time to give. What matters is that you're showing up. Because being a part of the body isn't going for who's the best one here, who's going to make it all happen. It's locking arms, training together, recognizing that this membership we have here means nothing if we don't use it or if all we do is scan, sit down, walk out, wait for the next Sunday.

Being the body and doing church isn't something we just do for an hour on Sunday. It's something that we do and we recognize that every time we show up, we grow. And every time we serve, we get stronger. First Christian Church, this is going to be bodybuilding at its finest over this next, today plus the next three weeks. We're going to see what it means to be the body.

So, your first charge this week is this: You know who you are. You know you've been showing up. You know that you've been putting in your sets and reps. Now let's take it beyond these walls and show people what it means to be the body of Christ.

Please pray with me. Our most gracious and loving God, we give you our thanks as we have this opportunity to be together in your word, where we know that it's what we receive that will empower us and motivate us and set us on a course for kingdom work. And so what we are meant to hear, may your spirit translate to our hearts and minds that we are nourished, that we are strengthened, that we are able to step into the world with the endurance of sharing your love, your peace and your grace with everyone we encounter. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen.