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5F. Many Ministries Combine 
In this household Body of Christ, different members play special roles, like the organs and limbs of a human body but though each part is unique, all combine to act as a single person. Paul writes, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ."(18). Members of the Household Body siphon their strength not only from Christ but also from one another. Like a bicycle wheel, the Mystical Body is most effective when its spokes are attached to the Jesus hub, and to their Christian friends at the rim.
Jesus Disciples
The very first Body of Christ was the group of disciples gathered together by Jesus. Lewis Garnsworthy, when Bishop of Toronto, asked his clergy to follow our Lord's example and draw twelve lay people into leadership for mutual support and encouragement. In reality, many ministries combine to make the church effective.
Bees in a Hive
Consider the lowly bee as an example of shared ministry. The queen at the heart of a busy hive can produce her own weight in eggs each day. She appears all important in the life of the colony but she is just one part in a vast organization with 10,000 cells for honey bees and 12,000 cells for larvae! Many other ministries beside hers help the hive flourish. Guard bees hover at the door to fight off enemies. Further out, scent fanners point the way for those flying back to the hive. Scout bees hunt out new sources of food. Others collect and bring in water, or plaster up broken down cells. Undertaker bees carry out dead insects, while others beat their wings rapidly to air-condition the bees' home. Every class of bee is important and the colony could probably not survive without any one of them.
Many Ministries Combine
There are no stars in the Household Body. Paul Brand who worked for many years in India with lepers wrote, "In our society, a janitor has little status because he is so replaceable. Thus, we pay the janitor less and tend to look down upon him. But the body's division of labour is not based on status; status is, in fact, immaterial to the task being performed. The body's janitors are indispensable"(19). The simple act of flying a kite illustrates how much we need one another.
- Who flies the kite? I, said the boy; it is my joy; I fly the kite.
- Who flies the kite? I, said the wind; it is my whim; I fly the kite.
- Who flies the kite? I, said the tail I make it sail; I fly the kite.
- Who flies the kite? All are wrong; all are right; All fly the kite.
Questions for Discussion
1."Effective sustained growth involves presence, proclamation and promise." Discuss
2. Which of these aspects of ministry does the worldwide body do well, poorly or not at all?
Notes
(18) 1 Corinthians 12.12. (19) Paul Brand
"We are living members of his mystical body"
