Offer any personal stories of when an early-warning system may have failed or was ignored. What damage resulted? Include thoughts on how this damage could have been avoided.
3. Although it may seem paradoxical, pain serves a vital role in uniting the cells of the body. Our cells cooperate to send and react to the alarm of pain, urgently demanding attention and rerouting resources as needed. When this pain message fades, certain areas can become detached, and we can disregard the neediest members. How does this apply to our connection with members of Christ’s Body, locally and across the globe? Give specific examples.
What does this imply regarding our response to those who are suffering? How could pain and suffering serve to unify the church?
4. Read 1 Corinthians 12:24-26: “God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
The apostle Paul recognized that a healthy spiritual Body functions much like a healthy physical body. As members, we are instructed to share the pain of all other members, to feel the pain of the weakest part. We are invited to become the tangible presence of God, especially in times when those suffering feel separated from God’s love. Have you observed a time when the stronger members of the Body became an expression of the love of God? Explain.
Closer to home, tell a story of a time when you were in a particularly painful situation—how did others attend to you? Was it enough? Did you feel a sense of God’s concern for you?
5. We face risks when tending to the needs around us. For some, repeatedly responding to the most urgent crisis will lead to burnout from overexertion. For others, being inundated with images of suffering will cause them to become numb or disinterested. It is also possible to lose motivation when a solution to a huge problem does not seem possible. Take heart. God has not called us to resolve every painful situation we see. God has, however, given you a particular interest, some personal expertise, and a unique opportunity. Search your heart and describe an area of need that you are particularly drawn to.
How can you make a difference in an area that might not be attracting much attention? What is the value of smaller contributions over an extended period of time—say, to a needy person in your neighborhood or congregation?
6. Within the Body of Christ, just as in all groups of associated people, conflict and irritation are bound to happen. Dr. Brand suggests that we observe the remarkable way our joints are designed and use this as a source of inspiration for avoiding friction. How would you extend the metaphor?
Think of the roles of various components such as cartilage, canaliculi (channels), synovial fluid; consider the process of lubrication, as well as the amount and distribution of contact. Where does grace become critical, and how would you apply it?
Reflect: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). The friction of a joint such as the knee is only one-fifth that of highly polished metal—about as slippery as ice on ice. In view of what you have learned, pray in gratitude for “the gift of pain” and for the privilege of helping reduce the pain of others.
Part Six: The Body’s CEO (Chapters 19–23)
1. Seven times in the New Testament, Christ is identified as the Head of the church. His leadership style employed the perfect blend of coordination, instruction, and delegation. The functional hierarchy of our nervous system mirrors this structure. Many actions are initiated by reflex, others by direct order, and the “will” of local neurons can override most muscle activity through “the final common path.” Are you aware of any organizations that successfully lead with such a healthy balance? If so, please identify them.
Explore how we can apply the concept of “the final common path” to relationships in our personal lives, our professional positions, and our participation in church (as leaders or members).
2. When on earth, Jesus was the leader of a small group of followers. Now that he has ascended, he serves as Head of a new Body, the church, composed of men and women from all over the world. Talk about this distinction.
As an individual member of the Body of Christ, in what ways can you prepare yourself to listen and respond more attentively to Christ, our Head?
3. God makes his presence known to the world through imperfect people like us, representing all races, sizes, IQs, personalities, and genetic traits. This involves a sort of abdication in which God sets aside omnipotence and adopts a behind-the-scenes role in human history. God’s own reputation, as well as that of believers, is tarnished by human failures. The personal conduct of some celebrities professing to be Christian, and even of some church leaders, has contributed to this blemish. Without delving into gossip or specific details, talk about how you deal with reports of this type, and how you think God would want us to react.
What, if anything, can we do to restore the image of God in the world?
How do you respond to this “Divine Trust”?
4. As members of a spiritual Body, we each participate in the marvel of direct contact with the Head. The practice of spiritual discipline is one way to enhance this active relationship with God. Dr. Brand mentions a few ancient and current spiritual disciplines: meditation, fasting, prayer, simple living, worship, celebration, and methodically repeating certain prayers. Are you currently practicing any of these or others? Please share your experience, including what benefit you may have discovered.
Have you adopted any other routines that assist you to hear God’s voice and center yourself in God’s will? Share something of your personal experience with this intimate relationship.
5. Dr. Brand tells us of the three people in whom he saw the image of God most clearly. What stood out in their descriptions?
Is there anyone in your personal life who reflects the image of God in a way that has profoundly affected you? Take a minute to talk about what you have observed, and how it encourages you.
Make a commitment to share your observations with this person as well. We all need encouragement.
6. We have studied several spiritual lessons regarding the likeness of God in our bodies. The final image is that of the hands of Christ. As his hands, we are entrusted with the mission of reaching out in a variety of ways—to offer comfort, to meet needs, to provide healing—in short, to be the very presence of God. Share any new or refreshed commitment you have made to be an active member of the Body of Christ.
Talk about your willingness to take action, in light of this responsibility we have been given, and address any apprehension you may have.
In your final conversation, take time to sum up the sense of awe and wonder you have gained regarding how we are created, and our trusted position of honor in the Body of Christ.
Reflect: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2). Each of the trillions of cells in your body has direct access to the brain, able to connect and communicate across the brain’s hundreds of trillion synapses. Respond with a personal prayer expressing your desire to hear and follow God’s will.
PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITIONS
“A deeply meaningful book and a much-needed corrective to our opinions about the natural world, what membership means—in our bodies and in the Body.”
Sheldon Vanauken, author of A Severe Mercy
“An enthralling book that I wish I had had the insight to write.”
C. Everett Koop, former Surgeon General
“Reflections and stories by a humane tender of wounds. Paul Brand’s book, like his life as a doctor, is wholly admirable.”
Richard Selzer, author of Mortal Lessons and Confessions of a Knife
“An unusual medical, biological, and spiritual work.
A great appreciation of the human body, life, and belief in God fills this book.”
Joseph E. Murray, Nobel Laureate, The New England Journal of Medicine
PRAISE FOR FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY
“In a world divided by races and faces, healers Philip Yancey and Paul Brand knit us together by blazing a magnificent journey through the human body—inspiring discovery, cell by cell, of God’s marvel of a blueprint for his unified church. A shining collaboration, their book validates well that if every cell matters, so does every life. Yet only in relation to each other do we come alive. In proving that view, Yancey and Brand achieve an uplifting and awakening balm for today’s bruised and fraying church. This book is a glorious achievement, and it arrives kindly with soothing correction. But best of all, it’s right on time.”
Patricia Raybon, author of My First White Friend and Undivided: A Muslim Daughter, Her Christian Mother, Their Path to Peace
“I have greatly appreciated my friend Philip Yancey’s work over the years. I enthusiastically commend this book in which Philip offers his wisdom and the wisdom of Dr. Paul Brand to a new generation of readers. I anticipate that it will be of great value to Christians and non-Christians alike.”
John M. Perkins, cofounder, Christian Community Development Association, president emeritus of the John Perkins Foundation
“I have long loved the collaboration between the marvelous theologian Philip Yancey and his mentor—orthopedic, humanitarian surgeon Paul Brand. What a blessing to reread this work after thirty years, to immerse myself in the story of Dr. Brand’s work with lepers in India and the Bayou, and in the resultant lessons about the miraculous workings of the human body, the beauty of human friendship and caring, the profundity of God’s love. Brilliant, charming, and wonder inducing, this is a modern classic of science and faith.”
Anne Lamott, author of Traveling Mercies, Bird by Bird, and Hallelujah Anyway
“This book is a testimony to the peculiar mystery of God’s presence—the Word made flesh, as John’s Gospel names it. For people whose spiritual lives have been too disembodied, Dr. Brand’s attention to living bodies invites us to return to our true selves. At the same time, Yancey has rendered enfleshened truth about our existence in words. I pray you can receive this combination of wisdom and craft as the gift that it is—a word in season, inviting each of us deeper into the life that is really life.”
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author of Reconstructing the Gospel
“Dr. Brand is a legendary medical doctor, and Philip is a doctor of the soul. Together they have written one of the greatest books on life . . . in a world where far too many lives are disgraced and desecrated. May it make you a champion of life, just as both of these men have been, and may we be death’s greatest adversary.”
Shane Claiborne, cofounder of The Simple Way and Red Letter Christians, author of Beating Guns
“God’s imaginative genius with his physical creation always has astounding parallels in the spiritual realm, and it’s no different with the epitome of his creation, the human body. In their timeless Christian classic Fearfully and Wonderfully, my friend Philip and his coauthor Dr. Brand draw amazing parallels between our bodies and the Body of Christ, which leave the reader startled and breathless with wonder. This remarkable book had a profound impact on my life when I first read it years ago, and its insights will astonish you for sure!”
Joni Eareckson Tada, Joni and Friends International Disability Center
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr. Paul Brand (1914–2003) grew up in India, studied medicine in London, and practiced orthopedic surgery in India and the United States. He achieved world renown for his innovative techniques in the treatment of leprosy. He wrote Clinical Mechanics of the Hand, still considered a classic in the field of hand surgery, as well as The Gift of Pain (coauthored with Philip Yancey) and God’s Forever Feast. Before his death in 2003, he received many honors, including the prestigious Albert Lasker Award and appointment as Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Philip Yancey has written twenty-five books. Early on he crafted best-selling books such as Disappointment with God and Where Is God When It Hurts? while also editing The Student Bible. More recently, he has explored central issues of the Christian faith, penning award-winning titles such as The Jesus I Never Knew, What’s So Amazing About Grace?, and Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? Yancey’s books have garnered thirteen Gold Medallion Awards from Christian publishers and booksellers. He currently has more than fifteen million books in print, published in over forty languages worldwide. Yancey worked as a journalist in Chicago for some twenty years, editing the youth magazine Campus Life while also writing for a wide variety of magazines including Reader’s Digest, Saturday Evening Post, National Wildlife, and Christianity Today. In 1992 he and his wife, Janet, moved to the foothills of Colorado where they live now.
Please visit us at ivpress.com for more information about Dr. Paul Brand & Philip Yancey and a list of other titles they’ve published with InterVarsity Press.
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©2019 by Philip Yancey and the Children of Paul and Margaret Brand
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