The Threefold Cord & The Body Of Christ
The human body is a miraculous thing; the heart beats on average 4,000 times an hour, pumping blood through several miles worth of veins to every cell and organ responsible for the operation of life. Everything from your brain to your spleen is an essential part of the system that houses our souls. But as incredible as our human, flesh and blood bodies are, the church as the body of Christ is even more intricately planned. Just as every part of our bodies has a specific function that the unit as a whole can’t make do without, each of us have a unique place in God’s church and a role that only we can fulfill.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
1 Corinthians 12:15-18
Sure, if you need your gallbladder removed you can always take medication to take the place of the organ, but the truth of the matter is that it pales in comparison to the original member. So yes, if someone is sick in the body of Christ we can temporarily step in for one another, but there is only one you.
Similarly there is only one Spirit flowing through every member. But there is a deeper comparison than what is often talked about in relation to the physical body, a visual example of just how fearfully and wonderfully made we are. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 points out that it is not good for one person to be alone and that “A threefold cord is not quickly broken”. Now, in the physical body there are three main parts- the torso, the legs, and the arms. Each of those sections are in submission to the head, being ruler over each part. The tabernacle as well, was divided into three parts- the outer courts, the holy place, and the holiest of holies.
There are also three essential components needed, as a believer of Christ and a member of the body, that will render the body’s growth and forward momentum nearly unstoppable. You see, prayer acts like the feet in the body- for if we want to move anywhere in the natural, the legs and feet propel us forward and sets the direction we are to go. In the same way, when we need direction in our lives, it is always prayer that steps in to guide us where we should go. The Word of God acts as the arms of the body- reaching forth to bandage the wounds of His people, guiding them gently towards his love. And the Spirit of God is at the very core of it all, keeping us balanced just as the torso does in the natural. It connects every part of the body to one another, it binds it together into one cohesive organism of joyful submission.
We are meant to humble ourselves one to another (Ephesians 5:21), and esteem each other higher than ourselves. Indeed, a threefold cord is not quickly broken. By submitting ourselves to the Spirit, by being faithful in prayer, and by reading the Word of God for answers to the most pressing questions of a bruised and broken world, Revival will not be merely a promise of our tomorrow. It will be a reality of our present, and a reminder of just how fearfully and wonderfully made we are as the body of Christ. Just as a human body works perfectly to accomplish set goals when working together, with each member operating in its own right, and when we all step forth in our respective callings there is nothing that we cannot accomplish. Next time you struggle with the question, “Where do I fit?” remember that you were called for a purpose, and we cannot reach this Revival without you. So pray, be lead of the spirit, and meditate on the word- it does more than you realize, not just for your personal walk with God, but for the body of Christ as a whole.
