If We Are The Body

When we see bad stuff happening, we go "God, why are you letting this happen?" And you know what? He's looking at you and asking the same thing.
If we are the body of Christ, why does almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day? We're not doing everything we can. Because there's enough for everyone's need. Just not everyone's greed.
In 2005, about 72 million children of primary school age in the developing world were not in school. 72 million kids, who were at the age to be in school, weren't.
- Less than 1% of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen. Our focus is on defeating others, instead of educating our future. The money is out there, but we are too greedy.
- Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation. 1.1 billion people. 1,100,000,000 people, don't have adequate access to water. And that water they do have access to, isn't that healthy. Twice that many lack basic sanitation. So people get sick. People are getting sick and dying from preventable things.
Here in America, you have access to water pretty much 24/7. Go walk into your kitchen, there's water. Water to drink, to cook, to flush toilets, to water our gardens. 1.8 billion people who have access to a water source within 1 kilometre, but not in their house or yard, consume around 20 litres per day. In the United Kingdom the average person uses more than 50 litres of water a day flushing toilets (where average daily water usage is about 150 liters a day. The highest average water use in the world is in the US, at 600 liters day.)
Can you believe that? We use more water to FLUSH A TOILET then 1.8 billion people have access to everyday. Doesn't that bother you? In the US, we use an average of 600 liters of water a day- per person. One person in the US uses the same amount as 30 people who don't have water in their house. We take long showers, not thinking about how much water we're using, because it's not going to run out. Doing laundry, doing dishes. Millions of women spending several hours a day collecting water. Yet in the US, we can get it in five seconds. You can probably see a water source from where you're sitting right now.
1 in every 2 children is living in poverty. Yet we have 7 year old beauty pagent participants with their own TV shows. We have shows where parents will spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to dress their children up and show them off.
There are 157 million orphans in the world. There are 2.18 billion people who call themselves Christians. There is no way this can be right.
157,000,000 orphans.
2,180,000,000 Christians.
James 1:27 is pretty clear. "Religion our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans in their distress." If you call yourself a Christian, look after orphans.
So where's the problem?
Our problem is that we aren't being the body. We need to become the body, and save these little ones. We're getting too comfortable in our faith, just taking the forgiveness, and not giving back. That's not what being a Christian is about! We serve because we are saved, not to be saved. When you realize that freedom, you can't help but share it with others! It's like having the cure for cancer. You're not sharing it because you want to save yourself, you're sharing it because you can't help share! Good works are the fruits of salvation, not the roots.
It's like an apple, it doesn't have to think about growing apples, it just does! It doesn't make apples so that it will be kept care of, it makes apples because it is taken care of.
We are the body of Christ. Every one of those things I mentioned can be fixed. There are multiple organizations that have made it their mission to eliminate one of those problems.
A body only works if everything works together, and does what it is supposed to do.
And as a church, we need to be welcoming. Church is not a museum for good people, it’s a hospital for the broken. We all need healing. So don't judge others. You know you do it. Put yourself in their shoes. Because people notice, when you won't make eye contact, or avoid passing them. They notice when you talk about them. And although the saying goes, "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me", words do hurt. Sticks and stones hurt physically, but physical wounds can heal. Emotional wounds are so much worse.
We don't want to be excluded, so why do we exclude others?
We're all human, we're all messed up. We all have secrets, and things we are ashamed of. We've all sinned, we've all hurt others. No one is better then anyone else. So don't try to be.


It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in trying to fade into the faces
The girl's teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances
Tells him that his chances are better out on the road

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ

if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way