A Christian must see not only that he is a believer but also that he is a member of the Body. Since he is a member, he needs other members. It is impossible for one member to live without other members. In order for a member to survive, he needs to have other members. Many people leave the denominations because they realize that denominationalism is wrong. But this is not enough; they must go on to see the Body and get into the Body. The church is not a denominational organization; the church is the living Body of Christ. A Christian is not a member of a denomination but a member of the Body of Christ. We have to see that we are members in the Body and that we cannot be separated from other members. We cannot be independent, and we cannot go on without the other members.
The Body of Christ is built up by the mutual supply of the members. In addition to seeing that we are members, we have to see that every member has a ministry. Every member in the Body has a special function, and that function is its ministry. The verb form of the word ministry means "to serve." The ministry of a member is the special portion that a member receives from Christ. With this special portion he supplies the Body, and this is the service of the members. The Body is Christ, so our ministry is simply Christ. Everyone who belongs to the Lord has a special portion which he has received from Christ, and each portion has its characteristic feature. This feature becomes the special characteristic of his service. Ministerial service to others is based on the Christ one has within him. One does not serve others with the doctrine that he understands; he can only supply the Body with what he has received of Christ. The measure of our ministry is determined by the measure of Christ in us. Our ministry is based on these two factors: the Christ we have gained and the aspects of Christ that we have gained which are different from what other members have gained. If we only knew Christ in the same general way, what would there be for us to minister to one another? What would we have that would enable us to build up the Body? That is the most basic consideration in all ministries.
A Christian needs a ministry that is particularly his, not just a general ministry. We must gain something of Christ that others have not gained. It is this particular gain that enables us to make up that which is lacking in other members. Ministry involves a special knowledge of Christ; it is not a general knowledge of Him. Every organ in the body has its special function. The eyes see, the ears hear, and the nose smells. Every organ has its special function. In other words, every organ has its special portion. Other organs may temporarily do what another member does, but they are not dedicated to that particular function. For example, you can sometimes use your mouth to pick up things, but you cannot dedicate the mouth to this use. If the ears do not function according to their particular capacity, the body will not hear anything, and the growth of the body will be frustrated. If you have acquired something special and have some special knowledge of the Lord, you can supply the Body with it. If you have a special knowledge of the Lord, this special knowledge will constitute your specific ministry. Only specific ministries can serve the Body and cause the Body to grow. This is why every member has to continually seek and gain from the Lord what the Body does not have and convey it to the Body. When every member fulfills its ministry, there will be growth in the Body of Christ.