Members of Christ's Body

Today’s passage begins with a warning: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” Maybe you don’t have much of a problem with pride or excessive self-confidence, but it’s a helpful reminder. I have my good days, but some days when I need this reminder too. What gets really interesting, is the solution to pride. God’s Word points in a direction we don’t expect. Really honestly, what’s your reaction to someone who is pompous or boastful? Most of the time, when we meet someone with an inflated ego, we’re tempted to prick it. We might be tempted to take them down a peg or two by highlighting their shortcomings. That’s the direction we go with our old nature, our sinful defaults: Tear someone down instead of building them up. Guided by God’s Word and Spirit, we’re invited and challenged to go a different direction. It’s a personal discipline, a measuring stick each person can use for yourself:

Think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. Romans 12:3b (NIV)

An honest judgement of ourselves is calibrated by the amount of faith God has given. Faith in Jesus puts limits on our pride and boasting. Here’s what I mean: Each of person wrestles with sin and temptation. We – I – fall short of God’s expectations for loving our Creator and King and loving our neighbour each day. We can’t fix our sinful shortcomings by our own effort. So, nobody has anything really to be proud of. All of us deserve the punishment God pronounces on sinful people. We share in Adam & Eve’s doom: the punishment for sin is death and damnation. We need to be rescued. In the gospel, we hear God’s amazing rescue plan:

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)

B/c of God’s love, b/c of his great mercy, Jesus came to take our sin and shame and punishment. Jesus died on the cross so we would not perish. Jesus rose from the grave on 3rd day so that – along with Jesus Christ – all who put faith in Jesus can have eternal life. Paul explained God’s gift of righteousness through faith earlier in his letter to the Chr. in Rome:

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Romans 3:21–22 (NIV)

If all our goodness comes from our faith in Jesus, then there’s no room for boasting nor pride. The way Jesus rescues us from sin and death is completely a gift. And God is very good at giving gifts! It’s an open invitation for each of you. You can receive God’s grace by faith in Jesus. Are you willing to trust him? Will you trust his promises? But God’s forgiveness of sins doesn’t mean we aren’t changed by our new connection to Jesus Christ. Paul tackles this question earlier in the letter too:

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Romans 6:1–2 (NIV)

But our transformation to become more like Jesus does not depend on putting in superhuman efforts or enormous self-control. With our cooperation – and sometimes w/o our cooperation – God transforms his people by his Word and Spirit, so we become more and more like Jesus. But remember what the measuring stick is? Faith How much faith has God given you? Do you trust God firmly enough to use God’s gifts to you so you can help others? Are you secure enough in your identity in Christ, that you don’t need extra attention, don’t need to boast about yourself or your accomplishment? Isn’t what Jesus does more impressive than what you accomplish? There’s a pointed reminder from OT prophet Jeremiah: This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23–24 (NIV)

Paul paraphrases this in 2 of his NT letters, saying: “Let those who boast, boast in the Lord!” In the power of the Lord, we keep on going as people the Lord has rescued. Life as a Christian is not a solo effort. The journey of faith is a team sport. This letter to the church in Rome uses a word picture so we can visualize how we’re connected to others who share our faith.

At the Jack & Jill ministry on Thursday morn. we sang “Head and shoulders.” Lots of different parts in the body with lots of different functions but all connected and working together. Until you watch a little child learning to tie their shoe or a someone w/ a head injury re-learning to tie their shoe, you don’t think about how all your body parts work together – even for a simple task.

God’s Word says that “in Christ we, though many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” We don’t often think about all the different functions of the church. Not until we have an itch to scratch – then it’s amazing how the body of Christ works together. I didn’t make it out last Saturday when the food was collected in our Annual Food Drive for the Salvation Army. It took a bunch of people: some seniors drove through the neighbourhood while teens, preteens, and adults ran up & down driveways and sidewalks to grab bags of groceries. For the relatively simple task of collecting donations, different people of all different ages used their different abilities. And the job got done.

The more complicated task of proclaiming the gospel and growing in faith requires the whole body of Christ working together with all our different gifts. Making more disciples and making better disciples is impossible as a solo effort. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes the whole body of Christ to make more and better disciples. If we hold back our gifts, the body of Christ doesn’t function at 100%. The church shouldn’t limp along. Ideally, the body of Christ should run like an Olympic athlete, each part strong and well-developed, moving with grace and power. So: what’s your part to play? What gifts and abilities and insights can you share for the benefit of the whole? God’s Word gifts several lists of the gifts a person might offer for the benefit of all the members. The list we find in Romans 12 is one of several. Yet Paul is very pointed in what he writes. First, he points out the source of the gift. Again, no room for boasting; your gifts arise out of God’s grace, not from you. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;

What is prophesying? Speaking the Word of God. Preaching, teaching, even praying is part of the prophetic role.

if it is serving, then serve;

Some people are wired so they find it easy to roll up their sleeves or step forward to help someone. Not for a lace in the spotlight, but b/c they see a need.

if it is teaching, then teach;

Some people are wired to explain stuff to others or train them: Mentoring, having apprentices, explaining stuff to a small group

if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;

Have you experienced the power of being encouraged just when you were getting tired or frustrated? It can give new courage, new enthusiasm, new energy. Paul knew about it. His 1st missionary trip was with Joseph. But nobody knew him by that name. In the early church, the apostles gave nickname: Barnabas “son of encouragement.”

If it is giving, then give generously;

Some of you are very generous. Can I remind you that our giving in 2021 was over-budget? Earlier this year, Crosspoint finished paying for nearly $2 million renovation project. That doesn’t count all the hours of volunteering, the meals that get provided, the cards, those who cut grass and cultivate the gardens.

If it is to lead, do it diligently;

Leadership is exercised in lots of different ways.

if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

What is mercy? Not pity – pity is helplessly feeling bad for someone. I rec’d a call from someone who felt pity for the homeless in Tburg. She was in tears on the phone – asked me to go as a pastor b/c she felt helpless. Mercy = compassion + action. Mercy was the basis for efforts towards homeless shelter.

Did you notice as we worked through this list, that each of these gifts reflects something of God’s character? God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Speak God’s word

Serve

Teach

Encourage

Give generously

Lead

show mercy

In Christ, those gifts are uncovered when people are washed clean of sin and get the HS’s help to stop giving in to temptation. Using our gifts well is part of our response to the teaching, encouragement, and mercy of God. When each member of the body contributes their gifts.