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The Church -The BodyDizzy Dean, as some of you know, was famous baseball pitcher from a generation ago. During one game, he was hit by a line drive directly on his big toe. Not too big a deal. But he didn’t give it adequate time to heal but instead he kept pitching. Because of the pain he felt whenever he put any weight on that toe, he ended up changing his delivery. This put additional stress on his pitching arm, and eventually forced him into early retirement. A “little thing” like a stubbed big toe - ended up having major consequences. As we continue our studies in 1 Corinthians today we will finish our 3rd study in chapter 12, where we have seen important principles about the giftings of God. As we have seen, the church in Corinth was a divided church – the result was they became an ineffective church. In this middle section on spiritual gifts Paul give the principles of unity in the church. Unity as he likens the church to a human body, a living thing, with many parts and each part interdependent on one another. Like Dizzy Dean found out, that big toe may have be a small part of his physical body, but it was a huge part of making his body work together. That's the entire point of Paul's careful instruction to the Corinthians. That although we are many, when we function as one, when there is unity, there will be harmony in how we represent God. The Gifts of the Spirit are poured out on individual believers for three purposes. That we might worship God, we might build one another up, and we might show those who do not believe the power and plan of God. If I could take your attention to the side of our sanctuary today. That is the the written purpose of High Sierra Fellowship. That we will worship God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, is the first commandment. Secondly, that we might build one another up in the faith. Heb 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Finally that we might persuade all men and women about Jesus Christ. Jesus gave us the great commission, to take the his plan and his word to all the world. The gifts of the Spirit were causing division in Corinth, not much has changed today. Churches / ministry need to be united, to be effective. We need to be living and working together, so Paul gives us an example likening the church to the living, working, human body. READ THE TEXT 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-27 THE CHURCH – THE BODY. When any church is functioning like Corinth, they misrepresent God on earth. Because God is one, and God has chosen the church, to make known his plan and his purpose to the world. Eph 3:10 His intent was that now, through the church , the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, When any church, be that a local congregation, like Corinth or High Sierra Fellowship, or be that the church at large, all believers everywhere, are not representing God correctly, when there is disunity and we are not being what God designed us to be. So Paul lays it out, and makes sure we understand that divisions are not helping the cause of Christ nor are we being effective in ministry. Ps 133 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. God views unity within the family of God as a “good and pleasant thing.” He likens it to the anointing of the priest when the oil is poured on him, the man and the oil are one. He likens it to the dew on the mountains that they are saturated in moisture. That is where and when the blessings of God are poured out on the church, when there is harmony, and unity. Lets break our text into four thoughts.
The analogy is from something we all understand, our human bodies. We are designed to have harmony within our bodies, each part, although there are many are part of the whole. That is how God designed the church. When we speak about the church I want you to understand that there are two applications for the church. 1. LOCAL / UNIVERSAL. Local like Corinth, or High Sierra, a local congregation, called a body of believers who gather together under a specific calling to worship God, to build one another up in the faith, and to reach the world for Christ. Then there's the universal church, not a denomination, not a particular group - but believers all over the world, united under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Eph 4:3-6 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 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. Some followers of Jesus, call themselves Baptist, others call themselves Lutherans, or Presbyterians, or Pentecostals, or Methodists. We are all bound together by the blood of Christ, we are all united and made one. 2. MADE ONE BY THE SPIRIT. One in the Spirit, no matter the title, we are united by the Holy Spirit, for each one has yielded their own individual lives to the call of the Holy Spirit. But unity often gets a bad rap - there is unity, but at what price? Do we bow our understandings of God and scripture to the person with the least amount of faith? Do we compromise our doctrinal understandings to the lowest common denominator? Not at all. Each week I meet with between 6 to 12 locals pastors in a prayer meeting, each week we come together to encourage one another, to pray for each other, and to pray for this mission field we live in. We are all very different, we have different callings, different visions, and I suppose very different understandings of some parts of scripture. But our unity is in Christ, I am not there to argue the finer points of scripture with them, but I will celebrate their brotherhood with me under the Lordship of Christ. I'm not there to tell them, I'm right and their wrong -- God will show them that. Like our human bodies, is the church -- many parts but one body.
In Corinth the believers were elevating certain people above others. It started with division over leadership, some said, “I follow Paul, or Apollos, or Peter. Then it went into the functioning of the gifts of the spirit, they elevated some gifts above others. While it is true that some of God's giftings are more visible in how they work, it is also true, like Paul is pointing out, that each part like our human bodies has an important function. A few years ago science taught that some parts of our human bodies were not needed. We have “evolved”, beyond their use. Like our appendix, gall-bladder, or your tonsils, and anodes. Now doctors are finding out that these parts - although we can live without them, seem to have very important functions. Some for digesting foods that are hard to break down. Others for the fighting of infections. True we can live without many parts of our human body but we are not complete without all the parts. The church is like that, while there are parts we can live without, when they are there and working the way they should, the church is more of what God intended, and we do not have to compensate for the loss of a particular part. 1. EXAMPLE THE HUMAN BODY I think Paul brings some humor in as he gets the body parts talking. Mr foot is not going to say to Mr hand “I don't need you.” Sure he can walk without the hand, but he can't tie his shoes without him. Mr. Ear may not feel as important as Mr. Eye, but without Mr. Ear,-- Mr. Eye, would not know to look at the sound of the attacking lion. And it takes Mr. Head to tell Mr. Feet to get moving. All while Mr. Mouth and Mr. Tongue are screaming Helppppp! 2. GOD DOES THE DESIGN. Like our bodies have a design for each part, that is how the church is. We have a design, we have our part in this thing we call the church. So as we saw last week, God through the giftings of the Holy Spirit has given each one of us, each one of us unique abilities, unique talents, unique giftings, to be used for the common good of the church. What is your gifting? It is my desire as we continue these studies in 1 Corinthians we will all take the time to discover what God has for us. Where we fit in the church, how the church is better because we are being that part that God has assigned to us. I think too often people within the church are discourage because they can not be someone else, or they feel inadequate and are not using what God has given them. The story is told of a certain sea captain and his chief engineer who argued as to which of them was the more important to the ship. Failing to agree, one day they decided to swap places. The Chief went to the bridge and the Captain went into the engine room. After a couple of hours the Captain suddenly appeared on the deck covered with oil and soot. “Chief!” he yelled, waving a large wrench. “You’ll have to come down here -- I can’t make ‘er go!” “Of course you can’t,” replied the Chief. “She’s run aground!” If you are a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ, recognize that each one of us has a function and when we use our giftings from God, we honor him, we build others up, and we will be better able to share the gospel with the world. We have seen there are many parts but one body. Secondly that each part has a function.
Like the ships captain who needs the engineer- we need one another. No part of our human body can say to another part “I don't need you.” In fact many are totally dependent on other parts to do their job. The hand is totally dependent on the arm. Every part is totally dependent on our cordially vascular system, even too many of us do little about that part of our body. Like our human bodies, the members of the church should have an interdependence on one another. So then Paul turns their divisions on its head when he states, that some of what they think are lesser parts, are really the most valuable parts. Like Dizzy Dean with his big toe, he soon found out how important that minor part was -- even in pitching a baseball. 1. LESSER PARTS ARE MORE VALUABLE. Matt 23:11 (Jesus said) The greatest among you will be your servant. Luke 9:48 ... For he who is least among you all — he is the greatest ." In the human body, some parts seem to be lesser, and yet they are invaluable. Thats what Jesus taught that the greatest is not the one who seems to be the chief. But the one who takes the humble seat and serves. Not the big cheese but the one who is the least is great. In our human bodies some parts get more attention and yet they are not critical parts. We all trim our toe nails, we all comb our hair, yet do they play an important part in daily survival? We have other parts that we take for granted because they just seem to function quite well yet they are required for daily life. How many thought about your pancreas today? You need it, it’s important yet we pay no attention to it. That's the way the church is those who are behind the scenes often get little outward attention, yet they are often doing important jobs. Praying diligently, cleaning practically, watching the infants continually. Serving, and servants don’t get a lot of attention - other parts we primp and we adorn. The pastor, the worship leader, really are less important than the prayer warrior and yet we give them greater attention. Jesus modeled Servanthood. Servanthood, plays out in our lives, as a husband who advocates his rights to be served, and loves his wife by dieing to his selfish desires. Servanthood is seen in the wife who serves her husband, her kids, her home. Servanthood, is demonstrated by all believers who view their life as ministry. They serve their brothers and sisters, they serve their friends, family, even at work, and in our recreation. Like Jesus who left all the glories of heaven, and showed his love to fickle men and women, and said. John 13:13-17 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. Jesus was in very nature God, yet he took on the form of a servant here on earth. He humbled himself and became obedient – even to death on the cross. That is the example he gave and that is where we join this wonderful thing call the body of Christ -- the church. You don't become part of the church by signing a membership roll, in fact we do not even have membership here in the fellowship. You become a member of the church by humbling yourself before God. Knowing your need for forgiveness, and recognizing that it will only come by God's grace, then receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior. That is how we become members of his body. But then once we are members, we begin to function within that membership. Then the principles of Servanthood come into play as we recognize the parts of the church that we may think of as “lesser” - are often more valuable then the ones who seem more important. Vaughn’s Rule of Corporate Life: “The less important you are on the table of organization, the more you’ll be missed if you don’t show up for work.” 2. SOME PARTS NEED SPECIAL ATTENTION. If you have been involved in any godly church, you understand this principle, that like some in the body need “special attention.” There are people in the church that require more counsel, some are harder to love, some have personal problems that they bring into the church. Yet these same ones are not lesser in the body, I find they are actually used by God to help others use their gifts more. They help others to love more, to step out in faith more, be use their Spiritual gifts more. Unity in the church must go beyond those that are easy to be around, those who are easy to love, those who require less attention. Unity within the body of Christ is like our human bodies, recognizes that all parts are valuable, important, and interdependent. In Corinth, the poem they sang may have been. To dwell above with the saints we love, that will be glory. But to dwell below with the saints we know, well that’s a different story.... We have seen the many parts form one body, secondly that each part has a function, thirdly that we are all interdependent. Finally.
As each part of the body is used, we all become more of what God designed us to be. If one part suffers, we all suffer, if one part is honored we are all honored. When Billy Graham received a presidential award he stood there representing all believer everywhere. Billy did not represent himself, but the Holy Spirit who has allowed him to be used by God. It is the Spirit who has gifted him in certain areas and he stood there as a Christian, all Christians were honored. 1. NO DIVISION Paul's point, “that there will be no division” within the church. In Corinth, the church had union, they were known as a large church, with lots of activity, but there was little unity. Division caused them to be less effective then they could have been. It is very possible to be large in numbers, to have union among believers but not have unity within the church. Someone once gave poof there can be union without unity: “Tie two cats together by their tails and throw them over a clothesline. There you will have union, but certainly not unity!” How Does God's unity come? Col 3:12-14 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Like the old song, “Bind us together with love.” The Church of Jesus Christ is to be bound together by love, living in unity with one another. When one part of your personal body suffers, the entire body suffers. When one part rejoices all the body rejoices. When people at where God has gifted them, when they look to the gift giver and not just the gift. When they take their eyes off of other people, then the church is living in unity. Three things I would like to leave you with.
James 2:1-4 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Don't show favoritism, don't give preferences, have equal concern for all the parts of God's church. Rom 12:15 -16 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
So don't feel inferior, don't let others put you down and don't feel superior, and don't look down on someone else because of their gifting. 1 Cor 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. Be your part, know your calling, know your giftings, if you don't know where you are called start serving at wherever you can, and God will reveal to you his gifts of the Holy Spirit. Most people who are used by God to do great things, are already doing something for God. Matt 25:21 (Jesus said). ... You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things... First. - Have equal concern for one another. Second. - Know that every believer has their part. Finally.
1 Cor 12:29-31 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. Not everyone has every gift, not everyone has the gift others have, so Paul says: “Eagerly desire greater gifts.” Desire, gifts that build up, gifts that God will use in you to worship him, to build up the church, and to show the world that Jesus Christ is Lord. Then follow the most excellent way, the way of love. PRAY, INVITE, BENEDICTION, SING Series: 1
Corinthians -Through the Bible |
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