Romans 12:4-5: "For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another."
There are many partnerships and teams that are analogous to the Church. From a football team to an army battalion, humans naturally accumulate into different files and functions within the roles they are asked to play at any time. While the Church can be described like this, it is, however, something different too. For the Church is always ordered into three ranked categories of function and relationship.
1. Vertical–As Christians, our focus always begins vertically. That is to say that we are God-centered to begin with. This distinction, ultimately, forms the basis for all Christianity as it inexorably informs the other two functions.
2. Horizontal Covenantally–From our God-centered focus, we are then commanded to live covenantally to our brothers and sisters in Christ. That is to say that our love of Christ compels us to a sincere devotion toward every other Christian. We, in a real sense, belong to every other Christian by virtue of belonging to Christ. This is one of the main purposes of the Church: that we would grow in love to each other within the Christian community. In this way, we will be equipped and capable to accomplish the third function.
3. Horizontal Evangelistically–From Christ through the Church and into the world, it is our call. We are exhorted and ordained to love people who are not Christians and to lead them into the truth that is a personal relationship with the Lord Almighty through His Son, Jesus Christ. Needless to say that this alone is a multifaceted endeavor but it is an essential task for the Church at large.
Now for the connection:
Each of the aforementioned functions within the Church are set before every Christian. We are all called to commit ourselves to do each of them. However, within that command, our personalities, gifts, talents, resources, and histories are all taken into consideration, meaning that every person actualizes the three Christian functions in slightly different-though-equally-valid ways (think of the pastor or the businessman or the evangelist, et al).
The point, then, really becomes that we would simply commit ourselves to loving God, loving our brothers and sisters, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Let us take these three task with the serious devotion and commitment that Jesus has shown us, being obedient to the Father unto death upon the cross.
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