Each Member is a Dynamic Component of the Local Church/Perfectly Blended by God

Introduction

Take your Bible and turn to 1 Corinthians 12. We will pick up right from where we left off last week. So, note our text from last week’s message again.

1 Corinthians 12:21–23 KJV 1900

21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

In these verses, the Holy Spirit draws our attention to two essential facts concerning each local church. In fact, His statements are not what we would have expected. As we learned from this text, God highly values “feeble” members. The Holy Spirit heavily emphasizes how all members are essential to Him and the local church’s operation. Each is extremely necessary as the body operates each day. The eye needs and relies upon the hand. In the same vein, the head depends upon the feet. Therefore, every person who attends and associates with Calvary Baptist Church is a necessary part of our operation as a local church.

I ended last week’s message with how God uses the weak to confound the strong and the foolish to confound the wise. As I said before, God highly values the “feeble” members. The word “feeble” means sick, sickly, or impotent. We also find the terms “comely” and “uncomely” in those verses and today’s text. Essentially, the Holy Spirit refers to members of a local church who struggle with physical, mental, and social issues. It would seem to many on the outside that such people have very little to offer. It is amazing how God sees things differently than we do. In God’s eyes, those who seem weak outwardly are in the perfect position to be used by God. They are precious to Him.

Consequently, we must value and honor them as a local church. We must encourage, love, and build them up (edify). That is the intent of verse 23.

1 Corinthians 12:23 KJV 1900

23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

Now, this morning, we move on to the following three verses. Let’s continue reading.

1 Corinthians 12:24–26 KJV 1900

24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: 25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

As you can see, the Holy Spirit is sticking with this subject of the local church being a physical representation of His body. In an authentic sense, we are the physical presence of Christ right now in this world. Think about it this way! Each believer possesses His Spirit within them. We are called of Him to be His witness and ambassador to this world. He expects us to live as salt and light reflecting His desire to see souls saved and rescued. Christ also designated the local church as how we are to operate. Remember that many hands make light work. A principle established by God through the creation of the local church. Many believers working in unity make light work and, by the way, accomplish much for Him. We can conclude then that we are His physical representation on earth. Each local church that genuinely follows the teaching of Scripture is Christ’s body. 1 Corinthians 12 becomes the textbook chapter on how we are to operate as His body. We are many members, but one body. The fantastic news of this chapter is that God has given each believer a spiritual gift. Regardless of the world’s determination, every member is a necessary and valuable member of His body, the local church.

This is where “comely” and “uncomely” comes into play. The “comely” means fair, beautiful, or becoming. The opposite is the word “uncomely.” It is unbecoming, a reference to something not for public display. Within each body are comely and uncomely parts. Some valuable features are often displayed publically (i.e., nose, ears, eyes, hands, etc.).

On the other hand, some body parts are not displayed publically (i.e., heart, liver, lungs, etc.) All are important. Without lungs, we cannot breathe. The lungs are hidden but extremely necessary. Again, we must give “honor” or attention to those unseen parts more than the ones seen. We must care for our heart, lungs, and other unseen body organs to be physically fit.

However, today’s focus is this. The Holy Spirit brings us to these two points for today.

Here is the first one.

God’s Unique Blending Process

1 Corinthians 12:24 KJV 1900

24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:

The key phrase in this verse is “hath tempered…together.” In simple Greek, it means to assemble in a unified whole by mixing or combining different parts. In other words, it means to mix ingredients for a recipe. What is interesting about this phrase is the fact it is used only two times in the New Testament. The other use is found in Hebrews 4:2, which says...

Hebrews 4:2 KJV 1900

2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

Note that the gospel was not “mixed” with faith. The gospel was heard, but it was of no profit because it lacked one key ingredient. There was no faith. It is sorta like making a cake that is missing sugar. It looks good on the outside, but you know something is wrong when you bite into it. Thus, the illustration in Hebrews, the gospel is of no profit to a person unless they have faith believing it with their whole heart.

In our text, the context is spiritual gifts and the local church. Each local church is a called-out assembly of believers who unite to worship and serve the Lord as His faithful witnesses. Thus, God blends each local church with just the right people with specific spiritual gifts needed for that local assembly. In doing so, there are comely and uncomely parts.

Remember again that the Holy Spirit is using the human body analogy. The human body is a fantastic machine divinely created by God. The human body contains 206 different bones, 650 different muscles, and 78 organs. As noted, some of the comelyparts are the nose, eyes, hands, ears, hair, and skin. The uncomelydetails (inward and hidden) are the heart, lungs, etc. Now, think about it. God designed a body with many different parts, yet it all works seamlessly together. The human body is the epitome of synergy, energy, and unity.

From the moment a baseball player steps up to the plate, his entire body works with great synergy to hit that three-inch ball. From his cranium to his metatarsals (head to foot), every square inch overflows with parts and systems observing and taking in information. All five senses utilize 206 bones, 650 muscles, and 78 organs. As the baseball player stands at the plate, he knows the exact position of his hands and legs, even though he can’t see them. When the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand, his practice-trained brain sends signals to his arms, legs, and torso timing his swing at the right moment and in the exact location. At that moment, the fluid in his ears moves around, ensuring that he stays balanced as he spins his whole body. Then, crack! The ball explodes off the bat, soaring into the air and flying over 350 feet over the outfield wall for a home run.

What a fantastic machine God created! There is no way our bodies just happened to evolve from nothing into what we have today. In fact, believing in evolution takes way more faith than believing in Divine creation. That is not the point of our text today, but our point is this. God “blended” the body by mixing ingredients, creating an incredible body. It is the reason the Psalmist cried out...

Psalm 139:14–15 KJV 1900

14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvellous are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Each of us is “fearfully” and “wonderfully” made. It was God who made us. He designed and created us. Even in the womb, He developed every single person sitting here today. He perfectly blended you, making you who you are today.

In our text, the Holy Spirit says the same thing about the local church. God himself “tempers” or blends together each local church, including Calvary Baptist Church. Only He could bring us together and make us an incredible machine for His service. Yes, there are comely and uncomely parts to our church. However, each piece is vitally important. You are important to this church. No matter who you are, never forget that God created, saved, gifted, and placed you here. As such, He has a purpose. God doesn’t just do something without purpose.

This thought brings us to next stated point in our text.

God’s Intended Purpose in Blending Together a Local Church

1 Corinthians 12:25–26 KJV 1900

25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

We find there are two purposes indicated in verse 25.

God first seeks to accomplish unity by blending a local church.

Remember the illustration of the baseball player. The human body is designed to work together. Yes, there are many different parts, but none of us look at another person as just parts. No, we see each person as a complete human being. Everything about the body screams unity. As we know and experience, if one part is not working or experiencing pain, it causes significant problems. There is no unity and very little synergy. By the way, it matters not if the part is comely or uncomely. If it is not functioning, the entire body suffers. Sometimes, a body part stops working and causes the entire body to halt. All of which points to the fact that God designed us for unity. He made us so that all parts work seamlessly together.

Verse 25 gives us the same stated purpose for each local church. We are created so that there is “no schism” in the local church. The word “schism” means a division of groups that oppose each other. You may recall that was a big issue in the church at Corinth. Here, the Holy Spirit reminds them that division was not God’s intended purpose for the local church. Instead, He fashions each local church, so they work together, not in opposition. If a church is divided, it is not functioning as God designed it. And, by the way, this entire chapter is about you and me knowing our place within the church so that we work TOGETHER as a well-oiled machine accomplishing Christ’s overall mission of reaching the world for Him.

Now note the second intended purpose, which results from God’s blending process. The first is we are “tempered” together for unity.

The second thing God seeks to do through His tempering process is cultivating an atmosphere of care and concern for each other.

We are all part of God’s family. As such, we are siblings. Look again at verses 25 and 26.

1 Corinthians 12:25–26 KJV 1900

25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

The Holy Spirit says, “the members should have the same care one for another.” He even elaborates on this point by stating when one suffers, we all suffer. Additionally when one is honored, we all rejoice with them. In plain English, love one another, encourage one another, and look out for one another.

One of the biggest issues facing many churches today is the bickering, fighting, and division between church members. Why is that? The simple answer is disobedience to God’s Word. That is the simple truth. I believe part of that is the fact many believers choose to live for themselves instead of living for the Lord. Anytime we being to focus on pleasing our selves we set the local church as well as family up for failure. This is the reason why each of us must constantly be examining our lives according to the mirror of God’s Word. Every day, we all, including myself, should commit to serving Him, not ourselves.

Just this week, as I was studying God’s Word, I had an “Aha!” moment. An “Aha!” moment is when the Holy Spirit illuminates your mind with something essential and practical in His Word. I was preparing my weekly blog, which focuses on 1 Thessalonians. The book of Thessalonians was written for the local church in Thessalonica. This church was much different than the church at Corinth. Yes, the Thessalonican church had its share of problems. But one thing that stands out about this church is its love for others. In fact, the Holy Spirit commended them about that very thing.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 KJV 1900

9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

In two weeks, we are going to in 1 Corinthians 13. If you know anything about that chapter, you know the entire chapter is dedicated to Biblical love. The Corinthian church had a big issue with loving others. However, for the church at Thessalonica, Biblical love was one of their greatest assets. Thus, the Holy Spirit had no “need” to write to them about that topic. What a great testimony! My blog encouraged believers to love one another as Christ loved them. My thoughts led me to this passage in Romans 10:17

Romans 10:17 KJV 1900

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

How do we, as believers, do anything for the Lord? We do it by faith. In this verse, we understand that faith comes from hearing God’s Word. The word “hearing” means listening. We are to listen to God’s Word. As we do, it produces faith. In context, we understand it to mean “saving faith.” However, we can also apply “living faith.” Saving faith is the faith needed for salvation. Remember earlier, we were talking about the phrase “tempered together,” and I showed you the verse from Hebrews which used the term “mixed.” The point of the verse in Hebrews is that faith is a necessary ingredient that must be mixed with the gospel so that a person accepts its message. That is saving faith. However, God calls us to live out our faith as we continue after salvation. In other words, we are to believe the promises and principles of His Word and commit to obeying them. Thus, faith comes from hearing the Word of God.

Now, I shared all that with you to say this. If we truly desire to be the “blended” church that God designed us to be, then each of us has a sobering responsibility. We must be in God’s Word daily. It must be a vital part of our day. God’s Word is the one thing that produces faith in our life. Without it, our faith diminishes, and so does our commitment to obey it.

Let me illustrate it this way. In this chapter, chapter twelve, the Holy Spirit vividly illustrated each local church as a body. We know that a human body requires proper nutrition and sustenance to live. Without water, food, and oxygen, we die. It is interesting that throughout Scripture the Holy Spirit also describes His Word as bread. It is spiritual food. His Word is the spiritual nutrition and sustenance we need to live each day for Him.

Matthew 4:4 KJV 1900

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Now, as we have learned God has blended each church having two purposes in mind. He desires unity and care for one another. Let me ask you this question? What is a local church? Is it these buildings or this property? No! People who have placed their faith in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection for their salvation and are committed to living a life faith in obedience to His Word are the local church. We are the local church. Each of us then have responsibility to live by faith. We are to spend time in His Word and if we neglect it we become weak. You might even say that we are a healthy church when the majority of us are feasting daily on God’s Word. In the same vein, we are an unhealthy church when we fail to read, study, meditate, and obey God’s Word.

I have great illustration of this from the book of Acts. The very first local church in Jerusalem is the greatest example of our text today. This church just after Peter preached on the day of Pentecost was healthy and on fire for the Lord. Notice the Holy Spirit’s description of this church in Acts 2:42-46

Acts 2:42–46 KJV 1900

42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

What do you see here? They were unified and were caring for one another. Where do we find those two characteristics as God’s desire for each local church? It is in our text.

1 Corinthians 12:25–26 KJV 1900

25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

Now go back to Acts and note something further. How did they become such a church?

Acts 2:42 KJV 1900

42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Note the first thing they gave themselves to was the “apostles’ doctrine.” What is that? That is God’s Word. The local church of Jerusalem became the ideal church for a while because they made God’s Word top priority in their lives as well as their assembly. You contrast that now with the church of Corinth. Corinth had a lot of problems. Mainly, they were a divided congregation that did not care for one another as expected. What was their problem? Personally, I believe their faith was diminished because they were not spending time in God’s Word. Which would we rather be as a church? Before you answer that, let me show one other thing about the church at Jerusalem in those early days.

Acts 2:47 KJV 1900

47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

I believe you can see a direct connection between a church that is making God’s Word a priority to God blessing that church by adding more saved individuals to its membership. Which church would we rather be? Without hesitation, we want to be the church God is blessing.

Here is the point that I am trying to drive home. If you are member or faithful attender to Calvary Baptist Church, you are an important and necessary part of this church. We could not a church without you. Further, we, as a church, desire to be a healthy church. For that happen, each of you as a member or attender must personally commit to be daily in God’s Word seeking to obey and follow its commands.If we will, God will bless. We will be unified caring for one another. It is then, and only then, we will see God adding to our congregation.

Conclusion

Think right

Speak right

Act right