We Are The Body Of Christ

January 26, 2025:
Readings: Nehemiah 8:2-10
1 Corinthians 12: 12-27
Luke 4:14-21
3rd Sunday of Epiphany 2025 Homily
The Season of Epiphany should say something very strong to us, knowing that Christ is with us. Sad to say, many of us have a lack of understanding that Christ is with us. If we look at the life of Christ, we can see that He became one among us, identifying Himself with man’s pain, feelings and emotions. For 30 years, He was being prepared. He now comes in contact with John the Baptist in the wilderness. John was preaching a Gospel of repentance. The Temple wasn’t teaching the people the truth about God. John was hesitant at first to baptize Jesus because he felt he was not worthy. Christ told him it had to be done for righteousness’ sake. After He was baptized, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He stayed there for 40 days without food and was hungry. Jesus was tempted by the enemy to turn a piece of rock into bread. but He did not succumb to the wiles of the enemy. Then Christ was brought up to the pinnacle of the temple and told to jump off for surely, the devil said, the angels would rescue Him. Then He was brought up to the high mountain overlooking the vastness of the whole city. And the enemy told Him that all of these things would be given to Him if only He would bow down to worship him. But Jesus overcame each and every temptation.
If we become fearful, if we are not sure, if we are anxious, we are actually giving leeway to the enemy. We see Jesus in the Gospel today going to Nazareth and entering a synagogue to read. He read from the Book of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And after He had read this, He said, “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus was very certain in knowing His mission, and that was to destroy the works of the enemy and restore man to the family of God. When Christ was tempted by the enemy, He never wavered. He overcame the devil. He did not have doubts. He had the assurance that God had given Him an assignment. We have been blessed with the things of God. He has equipped us to be like Christ. We live in a time when the Scriptures are being fulfilled.
1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets,third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.” The purpose of the gifts is to restore the Body of Christ. From the very beginning, He had already empowered us. But have we taken the things of God wholeheartedly? Are we following His principles? Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Christ came to build the Body. He did not need a temple. He did not need a building. He came to work- the work of Service. It’s time for us to wake up and discover what our parts are in the Body. Scriptures tell us we should be one. But there are so many divisions. We are not to attack others who may not necessarily have the same beliefs as we have. Faith without works us dead. We need to find out what our task is to build the Body. We have been equipped by the Holy Spirit to do the task.
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