Bones in the Body
BONES IN THE BODY By Rev. Tony Cooke
Various Scriptures remind us that the Church is the Body of Christ in the earth. For example, 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” Ephesians 5:30 tells us, “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.”
Realizing this, have you every stopped to think about what kind of “bones” are in the church today? I believe that not all of the bones in the church are bones that are supposed to be there. Let me mention a few…
1. There are WISHBONES in the Church.
A wishbone is the individual who, no matter how good things are, is always wishing for something better. The wishbone can be identified by his unrealistic expectations, constant disappointment and discontentment, and always looking at the greener grass on the other side of the fence. Instead of being thankful and being a part of the solution, he is always focusing on imperfections in the church.
2. There are JAWBONES in the Church.
As you can probably guess, jawbones are those bones in the body that are talking when they ought not to be, and saying things they ought not to say. I am convinced that the devil cannot destroy churches without the help and cooperation of people, and that the most powerful weapon in his arsenal is the undisciplined tongue of a believer. Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
3. There are FUNNY BONES in the Church.
Although you may talk about bumping your "funny bone" there’s really no such bone in your body. The bone of the upper arm is called the humerus, behind which is a nerve called the ulnar nerve. When you hit your elbow a certain way, an uncomfortable tingling sensation goes up and down your entire arm, making it feel numb for a time. In the church, the funny bone is that person who is touchy, who wears their feelings on their sleeve, and gets offended easily. To be effective in life, we’ve got to have some toughness about us. We can’t be moved by other people, even when they’re wrong. Psalm 119:165 says, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”
4. There are DRY BONES in the Church.
Dry bones speak of church members who are bored, listless, and lifeless. Dry bones are folks who have lost the joy of their salvation. God showed the prophet Ezekiel a vision involving dry bones (you can read about this in Ezekiel 37).
5. There are TRICK KNEES in the Church.
Naturally speaking, people sometimes have legitimate injuries to a certain joint in their body (shoulder, elbow, ankle, knee, etc.). There are others, though, who have feigned difficulty with a certain joint—often the knee—as a convenient excuse to get out of certain responsibilities.
For example, one man’s wife asked him to mow the yard, to clean out the gutters, to fix the fence, and to clean the garage, but he couldn’t because his trick knee had just acted. However, when his friend called and wanted to play golf, it was remarkable how quickly it felt better! When he was asked about how his knee could go bad when chores needed to be done but recovered when he had a chance to play golf, his response was, "That’s the trick!" The Trick-Knee Christian is the one who makes excuses instead of embracing responsibility.
In the New Testament, there are two basins, and each of them tells a very powerful story. The first basin is the one from which Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. This was the basin of accepted responsibility. The second basin is the one in which Pilate washed his hands. This was the basin of abandoned responsibility. God needs us to embrace Kingdom responsibilities!
6. There are BACKBONES in the Church.
Anatomically speaking, the backbone is the column of bones that supports and sustains man’s entire frame. We use the term figuratively to describe fortitude, firmness, determination, and dependability. In the Body of Christ, the backbones are those members who serve God with fervor and without reservation. Those who are the backbone of the body are those upon whom God knows He can depend.
Churches will never be strong if they’re full of wishbones, jawbones, funny bones, dry bones, and trick knees. May God help all of us be part of the backbone in the Body of Christ!
