The Body of Christ — Ephesians 4

0:00 Well, as you might possibly have guessed, I'm going to speak on the metaphor of the body of Christ today and just like to state my purpose. This is partly for my own sake. I might make sure that I fulfill my purpose, state my purpose of this message. My purpose is twofold. My first purpose is that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is head of the body might be glorified, he might be honored.

0:28 And my second purpose is that we might enter in as members of the body of Christ, might enter into what it what it means to be a a member of the body of Christ, and we might be able fulfill what God puts before us in participating in the body. And I'd like to pray before we begin. Father, just would like to ask you for your help in this message that I might fulfill this purpose and that your name would be glorified and the Lord Jesus would be greatly honored and that we might acknowledge in our hearts Jesus is Lord. And then too, Father, that we might realize that each one of us has been given a responsibility and a place to fill within this wonderful body and that your name is glorified when we do it appropriately. And so we ask that you would help us, that we might enter into what you have for us in the metaphor of the body of Christ.

1:31 So we pray that you would bless this message, and we pray in Jesus' name, amen. I had researched in the New Testament, looking up all the scriptures that that deal with the body of Christ. There... There's three main ones, Romans 12, first Corinthians 12, and Ephesians four. But I had noticed that that there...

1:54 That all all of the first five chapters of Ephesians, every one of them mentioned the body of Christ. The first three chapters, Colossians, likewise, mentioned the body of Christ. So there's a number of references to it. So as I went through these and and studied them, hopefully before the Lord, I I came up with, like, three themes that were represented in this metaphor of the body of Christ. And before I go into these three themes, which we have up here, I just want to mention, first of all, apologize.

2:26 I'm using the same lecture notes, same notes that I used twelve years ago when I gave the same message. So that's 12 years old. That transparency is 12 years old. You might ask, why did you choose to use the the picture of a boy that's blowing a trumpet to to illustrate the metaphor of the body of Christ? And so I'll so I'll I'll frankly acknowledge that I was in Microsoft Word, and I was I was looking through the clip art in Microsoft Word.

3:00 And I was I was looking for this picture, just the right picture, you know, this picture of of this woman who's carrying a lantern, you know, like the bride, carrying the lantern and a light in this world, and I just couldn't find. So as I was going through the clip art, I ran across this picture, and I and I thought, oh, that's a neat picture. I said... I thought I thought I thought, well, yeah, blowing a trumpet, that could be... That could represent the purpose of of the church that we would be trumpeters of this world sounding out the message of the gospel.

3:34 And this is just a boy, so it allows plenty of room for growth. And so I said, no, I'm good with this picture, so be it. So I came up with three themes. And the first theme has to do with relationship. How are we are our, or rather I should say, what are our relationships within the body of Christ?

3:58 And, of course, the the first the first relationship that we all have is a relationship with the head who is Christ. So Christ is the head of the body. And so we have to understand that God is using a metaphor here of of our bodies to to illustrate the body of Christ. And when we stop and think about the head, we think of how how remarkable the metaphor really is because because we know that the the head is... Has the brain and the entire nervous system is attached to the head so that the head is literally directing all the functions within the body, literally doing that.

4:38 And so it's a very apt metaphor for us to understand that Christ is the head and we're the body and he is directing. I thought it was kind of cute, even the metaphor of of the boy here that's playing because we have to think of all the coordination that's necessary to to come up with with a good musical piece. And and and so he's playing the... This trumpet, he's going through all this. But but But his head is directing the whole thing and orchestrating the whole thing.

5:14 And so Christ is the head, and he is the one that directs us in our relationship. And I think it's interesting too when you stop and think of your body and even the smaller parts of the body, every part is connected to the head. So there's this nervous system has each one of us being individually directed by the head. It's neat, isn't it, this metaphor? But each one of us are set in this body, so we're in relationship to one another.

5:43 And so I have a hand here, and that hand can't say, well, I don't need the arm. The the hand has to have the arm in order for the hand to operate correctly. So God has placed a metaphor before us. And and interestingly, it's... He's very graphic.

6:00 If you read through first Corinthians 12, it mentions the hand and the foot and and the ear and the eye, and and all of them are are are are mentioned specifically. So god is really using this metaphor of our bodies to make us understand that we all need each other. There's not one person that isn't needed. I want to define one thing first, though. Maybe I should have defined this in the beginning, is who who...

6:28 Who's in this body? Who... Who's participating in this this wonderful metaphor of the body of Christ? And and we wanna make sure that everybody understands that the ones that participate in the body are those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ and have become children of God, and they're the only ones that are actually participating. Now if you've not yet trusted in the Lord Jesus as your savior, we want to encourage you that this is a wonderful thing that you can have.

6:58 And if we speak and and and tell this this really neat, we'll call it story or metaphor, if we if we speak about this, we're speaking about something that belongs only to certain people, only to those that have really trusted in Jesus Christ are participating in this body. But it can be yours. All you need to do is trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you're born again. You become part of that body. So we'd encourage you.

7:48 I thought that's an interesting way of expressing it. Says it like that. God composed the body. You you can think of this this this master musician that's this Mozart or something that's that's going to going to compose a music piece, and and he works his way through it, and and he gets it just right. Well, God composed the body and he got it just right.

8:09 He got it just right. And and he put each of us in place there, and and now we need to function. And and and so, again, the the picture of the hand and the arm, if you'd say, well, I don't need that arm anymore. I'm just going to cut the arm off. Well, the hand can't say that, can it?

8:28 The hand needs the arm in order to operate itself. We need each other within the body, and that's part of the metaphor of the body of Christ. We need each other, and that's the way we operate in relationship to one another. Functionality. Now functionality requires that we stay connected to Christ our head, and we can well understand that.

8:51 For instance, how many of us well, probably there isn't one of us that hasn't experienced a cramp. So we're we maybe it's a pinched nerve, may... Whatever it is that causes this. And and suddenly, of our muscle... Muscles will just not up.

9:07 It's no longer being directed by the head. It's doing its own thing, and it's very painful, and and it and it shuts the body down. And and, many of us have have lay... Have have sat back in an easy chair just trying to deal with the pain, and we understand that we're incapacitated by by by a single muscle that's not obeying the head. And so so so God has used this metaphor so picturesquely so that we can understand that if we...

9:37 If if this body is to function, we have to stay connected with the Lord, with our head. Then finally, the theme of growth is a significant theme that follows down through the... All the many of the verses concerning the metaphor of the body. First of all, the gifts were given to build up the body. So if there's someone that's gifted in a certain way and he's able to minister to somebody else in the body, he's building up the body.

10:13 And so we might ask a question like this, how are we to ensure that growth occurs within the body of Christ? How how are we going to ensure that that will happen? Well, it's it's only gonna happen if we're responsibly doing our part in it. That that... That's that's one of the necessities for that.

10:36 And then we might ask, well, how are you even going to measure growth? Is is growth is it growth filling up all our chairs here? Is that is that growth? Or or how do you really measure growth? And it's interesting that that that is not what is brought before us in Ephesians.

10:52 It says Christ himself is presented as the pattern and the measure of growth. It's Christ himself. And so what is that saying? Well, it's saying that part of the fruit of the working and the functioning of the body of Christ is that each one of us individually would become like Christ. He would become the pattern and the measure by which we could find out whether we're really growing.

11:23 And so as we work and as we encourage and help one another within this body of Christ, we're brought, each one individually, to be more like our precious savior. And then in Ephesians four, it brings out truth and love as being two elements, important elements by which we can grow. Now now let me put on another transparency here. Before I do it, I'll just make the remark that the body of Christ is not the only metaphor at all of the church. We have the temple of God, and we have the priesthood, the household or the family of God, you have the bride of Christ, the flock, and the lampstand.

12:23 There's a number of metaphors that are offered to us. And if we really wanna get a full picture of what the church is like, we need to have all of those metaphors. But for right now, we'll just deal with the with the metaphor of of the body of Christ. Now the first one of of these of these themes within the body of Christ is relationship. And we are first of all placed in relationship to Christ, and for he is the head of the body.

13:08 Turn with me to to Colossians chapter one and verse 18. Colossians one eighteen. Now this verse is speaking of the preeminence of the Lord Jesus, but what I wanna do is to show just how much it's talking about the preeminence of the Lord Jesus. So starting the thirteenth verse, he has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

13:49 And then... And included in this exaltation of the Lord Jesus, it says, for by him, all things were created. He's a very creator God. He's he's he's raised up above all others. By all...

14:03 By him, all things were created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through him and for him. I I just kind of enjoyed the the added expression and for him. Do we realize that we're that we're created for a purpose, that we might be for him, that we might be be his possession, that we might belong to him. We were created for him.

14:34 He is before all thing and and in him, all things consist. I think mister Darby translates that subsist. That is it. It has it's... It it has the idea that that that our very subsistence here is dependent upon him.

14:49 He keeps us alive in this world. And then it adds this statement because we're brought into connection with him. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may have the preeminence. And this is our object that we would all enter into and really enter into the fact that Christ is the head. He is Lord.

15:16 He is the one that's preeminent within the church. And our safety lies in maintaining Christ as our head and as the one who is our Lord and has the right to tell us what to do. The next point I'd like to make is that our association is with a risen glorified head and that this lends character to the church. Because Christ is heavenly, you and I are to be heavenly. And and we won't turn to these verses, but I'll just mention them.

15:49 We have a heavenly citizenship, and that gives us a character down here. Makes us pilgrims and strangers in this world. Do do we understand what that's saying, brother? That's saying to us that's saying to us that we don't belong here. We really belong there.

16:05 And and if we understand that that is really part of this metaphor of the body because we... We're connected with Christ, and he's not here. He's there. That is that is... That's where he really is, and we're connected with him.

16:21 And so we also are to be heavenly in our character. We have a heavenly hope that is in the case of the Thessalonians, they were told... They were commended because they were waiting for his son from heaven. And so we're waiting for that moment when the rapture comes along and the Lord Jesus Christ comes out of heaven and he makes the shout, and we're caught up to be with him in the air. It's a heavenly hope.

16:48 And and and our character is to be heavenly. And and this is part of what God grants to us as a heavenly hope. And what is the result of all this? Well well, we become his own peculiar people. Peculiar?

17:01 Yes. We're we're... His peculiar people were were chosen. We're to be we're to be... We're to take on his character, and and it makes us different from the world that's around us.

17:15 It's what we're called to, brother, and the lord bless us that we might be heavenly in our thoughts and and be drawn towards our precious savior in that way. Turn to Colossians two verse 19, and we'll have the point that fruitfulness depends upon our standing... Depends upon our staying connected to him. I'm gonna start reading in the eighteenth verse of Colossians two. Let no one cheat your...

17:58 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding upon those things which he has not seen vainly puffed up in his fleshly mind. This this... If I were gonna put a brand on this, I'd say this is every wind of doctrine. You find that expression in in Ephesians four being led led about by every wind of doctrine. So so let's not be that.

18:23 Let's be mature. But how is this going to happen? How are we going to avoid being pulled aside by every foolish doctrine that someone pops up with? And the answer is that we need to hold fast to the head. So nineteenth verse, and not holding fast to the head from whom all the body nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments grows with the increase that is from God.

18:53 How are we going to grow with the increase that is from God? Well, it's only going to be by staying connected to our Lord, to allow him to be Lord to us. Let's make sure that we understand. We're talking about a metaphor, but we're trying to take this metaphor and apply it to ourselves. What does that really mean when we say stay connected to him?

19:14 Well, it it means it means the the true acknowledgment in my soul that Jesus is lord. I'm going to let Jesus tell me what I need to do, and and and that's practically what we're really saying. So how how are we going to be fruitful for him? Well, it's going to be by holding fast to the head, keeping the... Keeping our lord, keeping our vision on the lord Jesus, and letting him be the one that that directs us.

19:44 Then there's another thing in this relationship that I that I particularly enjoyed. So turn with me to Ephesians chapter one and verse 23. Ephesians one twenty three. I'm going to move it... I'm gonna move backward to the eighteenth verse that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened.

20:09 So he's getting ready to tell them something that somehow when he tells them this thing that they're they're they're they're somehow gonna be under... Going to be able to understand something that they couldn't have understood if you didn't tell them this. So that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of your calling, what are the riches of the glory of the inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of his mighty power. What is this mighty power? The mighty power which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.

21:03 And so the verse that we're getting ready to read here in a moment is going to be in the context of the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's been exalted to a place that's far above our very imagination itself. He's king of kings and lord of lords. He's God in heaven. What does it say about him?

21:26 It says, he's put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. And so in metaphor that God has put before us, there's there's the body and there's this head. And this this exalted head who's exalted above all things, he's associated with the church. He's associated himself with the church. And and one of the most beautiful ideas, I think, from the whole metaphor of the body of Christ is that he calls us here the fullness of him who fills all in all.

22:14 Here is the Lord Jesus, the very God of heaven, and he's chosen to place himself in connection with us, the church. And he actually states that we are his fullness. I think it is some way associated in my mind with the idea of a husband and a wife. And we guys, we know how we feel towards our wives and how our wives are sort of our fullness. They're the...

22:42 They're our... They're our complement, and and they they just... They... And they make all the difference and so forth. And and and I believe it's that kind of an idea that the lord looks at us as his fullness, that which which which he he chooses in his pleasure to have for himself.

23:04 And so so we are called the fullness of him who fills all in all. I just praise the lord for that one. The next thing I wanna go into is is the the relationship between the members of the body of Christ. And the first point that I would like to make is found in first Corinthians 12, if you wanna turn there. First Corinthians 12.

24:07 Further down the chapter, it says he composed the body. I just thought that was cool. He composed the body. He made it just the way he wanted it to be, and he's the head. And so we are where we are and we are what we are by God's sovereign choice.

24:26 Furthermore, every member of the body is needed. There are no vestigial organs. And we're gonna go to verse 22 in the same chapter. It says, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. There's no member of this body.

24:43 So if we look at our own body and try to say, okay, this is a neat metaphor. And so we look at our pinky finger and take the last joint of it and say, that really necessary? Well, chop it off sometime. See how necessary it is. I'm not really recommending it.

25:01 But we understand. And can the body not function at all without it? Well, the body will continue to function, but it is needed, and it should be obvious to us why. And and so the lord has made a comparison, a metaphor for us so that we can understand the necessity that we have for each other. Can't get along without the others.

25:25 And so so every member in the body is needed. The next point is God intends that we should lovingly care for one another. This is God's intention. And that is verse 25, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. So God's part of God's purposes is that you and I would be working together to encourage one another.

26:00 And if we look over there and see this brother over here that's discouraged, what do we do? Well, the answer is that we should have the loving care for that brother sister that we go to them and see if we can somehow empathize with them or somehow enter into their needs and encourage them in the Lord. So God intends that we should have this loving care for one another. God has composed us together in such a way that there's no excuse for division. And so we'll read verses twenty four and twenty five.

26:37 I'm gonna start with the second phrase. But God composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacks it, that there shouldn't be no schism, but that the members should have the same care of one another. So we're we're we're put together in a way that that ought to keep us from dividing, from division. First of all, no one can say that there's no place for me in this body. No no one can rightfully say it.

27:09 If we say that, we're missing god's point. And so so in the fifteenth verse of our chapter, it says, if the foot should say... Notice that this is very much a metaphor. If the foot should say, because I'm not the hand, I'm not the body, is it therefore not in the body? You you just...

27:27 It just can't leave the body. It's it's there. But whether it likes it or whether it doesn't like it, whether it would rather be the head, whether it rather be the hand. Whatever it would like doesn't change the facts of life. It is what it is, and the foot can't be removed from the body without without great distress for that foot.

27:47 So the other thing that we can't say is we can't say that there's no place for the other person. So the per... The... We we can't personally get discouraged and say, there's no place for me here. I'm getting out.

27:59 Okay? We can't... We we we ought not to be saying that because God says you're not understanding the body if you say that. The other thing is we shouldn't look over at the other guy and say, we have no place for that guy, assuming he's part of the body of Christ, assuming he's a member, assuming he's a true believer. And so no one can say there's no place for the other person.

28:22 Verse 21, the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again can the head say to the feet, I have no need of you. No. Much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. I just marvel at the graphicness of of the metaphor. So the next the next theme that I found amongst these verses on the body of Christ is...

29:31 First Corinthians 12 verses verses four through seven. There are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. There are differences of of ministries, but the same lord. There are diversities of activities, but it's the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the spirit is given to each one for the profit of all, first Corinthians twelve:four through seven.

29:59 So in this little portion, we're given the idea that though that we're all together in one body and we're there with great unity, but at the same time, we're there with great diversity. And so our unity comes really from our association with our head. Unity through a single source of power, direction, and sovereign choice, the awesome Godhead at work. And so first of all, it says there are diversities of gifts but the same spirit. We're different, brother, but it all comes from the spirit of God who is enabling and energizing us.

30:41 And the next one is there are differences of ministry... Of ministries, but the same Lord. We may be doing a lot of different things from the other guys that are around us, But Jesus is Lord. We're acknowledging him. The lordship of Christ gives direction and order within the body so that things are done right.

31:03 There are diversities of activities, but it's the same God who works all in all. And this is like the thoughts that we were expressing a minute ago about God composing us into the body. We're placed there where he chooses to put us with the gift that he chooses. It's the sovereignty of God. And for ourselves, we're to find personal fulfillment in submission to God's choices within a vast overall plan.

31:29 He knows what's going on out there, and he and he has this vast plan. Now now for us the... For us, there's diversity. Diver and and ministries and methods. First of all, the the spirit of God is...

31:48 Has granted to us many different gifts, and each one of us has a different unique gift. We're we're unique in in what we have. But not only do you have different gifts, but because of those gifts, we have different ministries that are made possible by the variety of gifts. I was trying to think of ahead of time some of the possible ways you could take it. Ministry here just simply has the idea of service, many different services to God.

32:17 And I was just I was just pondering in my mind. I was thinking, what what would be an example? Forgive me if I use your name here, but I said, okay. Nancy, I'll start with you. Nancy Margaret.

32:27 But she's got a gift to teaching. And so she... The lord is using her in a ministry with with the with the sisters and and leading a bible study. Miriam Eichenhower, similarly. There there are ministries that the Lord has granted to us.

32:43 I even thought of my own dear wife as she as she goes to to to the Cornerstone, and the Lord is using her there with her gift to teach a parenting class. And and it's it's part of the service that that God is giving us. What are some other things? Debbie Bingham has a great gift in evangelism, has a great desire to evangelize children. She has got organizational ability, and and the Lord is using her.

33:11 She's she's running these good news clubs. I'm I'm... Myself, I'm assisting her as one of them. The Lord has so many different ways. Brother Christian has got a gift.

33:22 He... He's got many gifts, actually. But one of his one of his major gifts is the gift of evangelism, and and the the Lord's opening doors from the eusit. He he preaches when the weather's good. He preaches out in in...

33:36 On the public square. I can't can't imagine preaching for two hours. Could you stand up with a microphone and preaching for two hours? The lord gives him, has up to this point, him energy to do that quite often. Christian also serves in a ministry down in the jails, having bible studies with the men down there.

33:57 Christian has has a particularly... A particular ability that... Or gift, I should say, that that I benefited from myself, and that is the the the zeal that he's able to pass along to others, that he's able to somehow energize us to to love the Lord more and serve the Lord better. And and I I appreciate that. And and that gives us an idea of ministry.

34:21 Our brother, Hadad, has, has a gift in teaching, and he has a bible study in his home. There have been those that have been blessed through that bible study and help. This could go on forever. Our brother Scott Doan is he's got his own set of gifts. I might not even understand all of them, but the Lord you know how I'm a engineer.

34:46 But but Scott has been used to the Lord and and CCS, and he he serves on the board there. And and his his administrative abilities come into play, a brother, Denzel, in connection with the one. So there's so many different gifts. I maybe spent more time than I need to on this, but do we get the idea? There's many ministries that can come out because of the variety of gifts.

35:14 But, you know, even even within those ministries, there's there's different ways that each one of us does it. And and so one person doesn't have to look and say, I sure wouldn't like... I sure wouldn't do it the way that person is doing it. We don't have to say that because because each... The Lord may lead the other person in a different way.

35:35 I know if if if you were to go with Wayne and I down to the city mission, we... You'd find that that our preaching would would vary quite a bit dip... There'd be quite a bit of difference in the way we preach down at City Mission. And and I I trust that both of us are effective in our preaching, but but the the idea is is that it doesn't have to be just just one way. That god has built into us this this diversity that that...

36:20 His purpose is that we would use these gifts for the profit of all. You and I have a responsibility to fulfill God's purpose and to use our gifts for the profit of one another. I'm sort of running out of time here. So I'm going to skip one thing I was going to do. And I know that's hard for you to believe that I would skip anything.

36:58 I'm gonna give myself about five more minutes here, and then I think I'll just shut off wherever I am. Okay? Okay. We're joined together to the head by joints and ligaments, through which nourishment is provided. Colossians chapter two in verse 19, very graphic presentation there.

37:24 Not holding fast the head from whom all the body nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments grows with the increase that is from God. Now let's understand again. This is a metaphor. So God is taking things that are true of our bodies, and he's and he's applying it so that we can understand about the body. Now, so I said, okay.

37:47 So how am I going to apply the idea of ligaments and joints? Ligaments and joints. And so so so I said, well, maybe someone else will have a different idea, but I'll... But I I get... I'm the speaker, so I get to give my...

38:03 Okay. So so the bands or ligaments of the spirit of god keep us from being separated so that nourishment can flow. And so so god god has so designed this body through his spirit that we're that we're sort of bound together in one through the spirit of god, and and that's what makes it work. That's what keeps us together so that nourishment can flow between us. And I thought there's this illustration of an arm that goes to How many of us have wakened up in the middle of night and are arms asleep and we're trying to find a position?

38:42 What's wrong? What's wrong with this arm? Well, the nourishment, the blood supply has been limited, and the result is that the arm goes to sleep. How many times does that happen in the body of Christ? Probably quite a bit.

38:59 A malfunction here that causes my fingertips to tingle and my hand to be unable to open and close. Do we understand that those ligaments are important, that God is using this metaphor to try and help us understand that the way that person over there is able to enter into the things of God is affected by the way I'm acting. I'm having an influence on that person over there. And so ligaments are important, and let's not despise them. Let's realize that we're in that body for a purpose.

39:44 The joints, on the other hand, are something that allows sort of an articulation. Is that the right word to use? The... Allows the... Allows this part to operate by itself apart from this part.

40:03 Now it's not that I'm removed from this part, but I'm able to make this part is able to do its thing and still be connected to this part here. This part can go, can move, but it stays connected. And so the joints are provided so that there can be individual exercises for each of us that we would be able to fulfill whatever God has put before us to do in the position that God has placed us in the body. Full functionality requires that every individual be in place fulfilling his part. I'm going to skip the next little part and go to growth, and I'm going to read quickly the portion Ephesians four verses 11 to 14.

42:31 That's verse 12. And and they're they're given for the equipping of the saints for the ministry and for the edifying the body of Christ. For for... First of all, I'm gonna say the edifying the body of Christ, but also the equipping of others so that they also could serve in the same function, edifying the body of Christ. So then Christ himself is presented as the pattern and the measure.

43:03 Our goal is to reach the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ to grow up unto him in all things. And so what is this saying? Well, it's saying that that Christ is the pattern. He's the one that we want to be like. He's the one that we wanna imitate to emulate.

43:21 We we wanna be like him. And and so he's put before us, and and the very the the very ability to emulate Christ is what's going to keep us from being from being tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine. So so it leads to maturity as we're... As we become as we become like Christ. And so the the objective and purpose in in this work of the body of Christ is to bring each one of us individually to be like Christ.

43:56 That's that's that's part of the function of this body. Then then there's two things that are given to us, two elements that are gonna help us in this. Truth and love are the two main elements. Truth brings order and direction, and love brings energy and lubrication. And thus it's accomplished, and thus we're able to grow.

45:17 We want to we want to do what he says, and we want to be like him. And, father, may it be so. We desire this, father. I I believe I could speak for each one here. This is what we really want.

45:29 We might be be like him, and then too, father, that as we do this, that we might be a help to one another and and that we might fulfill the beauty of this metaphor of of the body of Christ so that we have others before us, and we desire the blessing of others. And we praise you that this is what you put before us and that we ourselves have been encouraged by many through the years, and we we just pray that we might then participate in this great work of yours. We pray that for this particular church here, Lord, this local church, that you would bless us that we might live in the good of this. And, Lord, in many ways, we already do, but we want we want to do it better, Lord. And so we ask that you would help us, encourage us, and bless us.

46:19 In Jesus' precious name, amen.