There has been a great deal of discourse about unity in the Body of Christ, as if she were dis-jointed, needing to become reassembled to do the “job” at hand.

As I thought upon this today, I heard the Lord say,

“The Bride of Christ is not a Mr Potato Head.”

In that moment, He showed me a Mr Potato Head, with his back open, and all his limbs cast around in disarray. He then showed me how my body worked in unity, with no thought to it. My hand belonged to my body as much as my foot and my mouth.

“The Body of Christ is not a Mr Potato Head.”

I thought about the picture and comment some more. Her parts have not come loose, and somehow become lost.

We are the united body of Jesus Christ. We cannot fall out of unity – we simply belong in Him.

Therefore, we do not need to strive for unity – we are already unified.

I can’t look at my hand and say, “Hand, get unified with my body,” because my hand is already a part of me.

So too, can we not say to one part of the body of Christ,

“We need unity, we need to unify.”

Just as each part of my body looks different, and functions differently, so too the Body of Christ.

Every part of my body has a different function and purpose. Even those parts that look the same have a different (although similar) role to play.

Each part of my body sounds different, moves differently. But each part is a part of the whole. They are all parts of my body. For me to look at my foot and say as it’s walking, “Get unified with my body, start doing what my right hand is doing,” is simply ridiculous.

Similarly, for me to say to my hand as it picks up a glass of water to drink, “Get unified with me, get with the program, come into unity,” is nonsensical. My hand is in unity with my body – it just is.

Now I understand that if we stretch the metaphor, we could talk about disfunction etc, but hear me out.

The unification of Jesus Christ is already here. We are the Body of Christ. We don’t need to do anything to be in unity. Neither do we need to look the same, sound the same, even agree with each other to be in unity. Rather, I suggest we just be the Body of Christ, and in just being the Body of Christ, a recognition of our profound unity will come.

If we can simply look to the commonality of what we have in Jesus Christ, rather than compare and criticise, we will see our place of shared inheritance. As we do, let’s step out into the sphere of influence we are called to and go do.

Hands be hands.

Feet be feet.

Go be the best hands and feet you can be. Recognize your connection to the Body of Christ and just go do what the Father says.

As we all simply do what He has asked us to do, each part of the Body will work in unity. We do not need to get unified, for we are already unified. Simply by responding to the voice of the Father and the heartbeat of Heaven.

From that place of belonging – different, yet the same body – let’s step into all God has set before us to do.

The Bride of Christ is not a potato head, needing arms to attach, legs to get with the program, etc. Rather, the Body of Christ is a beautiful, diverse creation. She is not lacking unity or togetherness. Composed of many parts, she radiates His glory. And as those parts simply fulfill their purpose, in Love, without comparison, criticism or condemnation, the world will taste and see that God is Good!

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 – Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

1 Corinthians 12:18 – But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

© Beth Kennedy 2024