Chapter 3: The 2 nd Side of the Paddle – The Church The other side of the paddle represents the Church. Much like the first side of the paddle, plenty can be said about the church, and countless studies that have been done. This section is not meant to be an exhaustive look at the doctrines of the church, but an encouragement to you to be a part of the church. Paul uses a fascinating analogy to teach us about church involvement. He tells us that being a part of the church is like being a part of the body. Specifically, he talks about it being Christ’s body. We are followers of Jesus when we are involved in the church, effectively acting as Christ in the way that we encourage each other and influence the world. Inside of this analogy, we have the local body, which would be the group of believers that we meet regularly within our own geographical area, and there is the universal body, which would represent all Christians around the world. By getting plugged into our local body, we help the universal body influence the world. The problem arises when we stop being involved in the church and separate from the body. Paul says that as Christians, we each represent a different “part” of the body. When we are involved and participating with the body, then it is like your eye showing your foot where to step. They work together, each doing a different job, but to the same end. By comparison, when we are not involved with the church, we are like an eyeball that is not connected to anything. We are not helping our feet watch where to step, or telling our head to duck under a low hanging branch; disconnected from the body, an eye is as good as a discarded grape, just waiting to be squished. Each of us has unique things that we have been gifted with -- talents, and abilities that God has given us. He has a
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