Building A Beautiful Body

Intro

Most people don't like their own body.

Every one has a feature they notice every time looking in the mirror.

A national poll: if you could change anything about your life, what would it be?

The overwhelming answer, was “my physical appearance.”

This is the reason why the dieting industry is a $40 billion per year industry.

Why gym memberships are strong in a failing economy.

Mark Twain: “The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not."

Most Christians feel the same way about their spiritual body. Looking at their church saying, it's okay, but it could use some improvement. And they’re right.

The church can always use improving.

Today I want to show you how it can be improved.

A phrase found 3 times in Paul’s writing is “The body of Christ.”

When the Spirit describes what a church is like, it didn't say it's an organization, but a body. It's an organism. That's what we are called to be a living, breathing organism, far more than an organization.

A corpse is organized. Everything's together, but it's dead. It's lifeless.

There are more cells in your body than galaxies in the universe. Every cell is like a city. In every cell is a nucleus. Every nucleus has DNA. 46 segment's, 23 from mom, 23 from dad that program every single cell. How it’s going to act from conception to demise. How you're going to age, what you're going to look like.

It's so intricate that to translate that coded information from a single cell, into written form would fill 4,000 books. If you were to do a live reading and you could read 3 letters per second, it would take you 31 years reading.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. But as wonderful as it is, it's also complex, and because it's complex, it can get messy. We can get sick.

That's why Paul is writing this. You see the church at Corinth was this beautiful expression of the body of Christ, but over time it became an ugly body. It grew sick. It was torn by divisions, tolerated immorality, were lax in their discipline.

Recognize Variety (v. 4-11)

I think you notice if you look around we're all a bit different.

V4: Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

These verses are appositional statements. They grammatically parallel. Saying the same truth with a twist. Many gifts, one source. The way it's constructed its giving honor to the Trinity. V4: it's the Holy Spirit that is in view. V5: the son, the living Lord. V6: God the Father. Paul wants us to know that the trinity is involved in the body of Christ.

V7: To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Many people focus on the specific gifts themselves, but the point here is that there's not one gift, style of ministry, method of getting things done, one way that God works, one group that God works through .

I get that from looking around at the world. You go to different places. It all looks different. I’m glad because if every place looked exactly the same, where would we go on vacation? It'd be very boring.

Notice the variety of plants and animals. Scientists say there's over 10 million different species of plants and animals in our world.

There's a bunch of gifts listed. Some count nine. Others doing a full count of the New Testament count 15. Others 19. Others 22 gifts of the Spirit. It's funny how people will argue over that number.

The point is you have one. There is an infinite number of possibilities with our different personalities and giftings for a wonderful show of variety.

Unfortunately, many have a strategy of save them then put them in a mold.

You must read this version of the Bible. You must like this kind of music.

You must say words like this.

The tools in Jesus carpentry shop having a meeting. And before the meeting, the other tools think that brother Hammer should leave the meeting because he's too noisy. And brother Hammer says, well, if you want me to leave then, brother Screw also has to leave because you've got to turn him around and around to get him to do anything. Brother Screw says, OK, then brother ruler must also go because he thinks he's the only one who's right. Brother rule says, I'll leave, but if I have to leave brother sandpaper has to leave. He's so rough and rubs people the wrong way. As they argued, in walks Jesus to build a pulpit to preach from. And wouldn't you know Jesus uses the hammer, the screw, the rule, and the sandpaper. All of the tools that weren't getting along to do his work.

God can use people we don't get along with. We might wonder why God would.

The King can do what He likes! He loves variety. There's no clones in the kingdom. He made each one unique.

Not only are there different gifts, but different ways the gifts are exercised.

You get two people and both of them have the same spiritual gift, but it comes out different. I guarantee you if you give the same text of scripture to Pastor B and me, you are going to have two completely different sermons.

Billy Graham spoke to stadiums. Tony does one on one evangelism and would never be caught dead speaking in front a large group.

How did Jesus heal people? Sometimes he'd lay hands. Other times he'd speak a word. Other times the person would be leaving, and was healed. There was the time Jesus made a spitball and stuck it in a guy's eye.

Don't fight variety. Enjoy it. God made you without a mold.

Emphasize Unity (v. 12-13)

V12:  For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

Can you see a problem?

If we're celebrating and recognizing our variety, uniqueness our individuality, it can lead to anarchy because you've got members of the church all doing their own thing without cohesiveness

Variety to be balanced, needs unity. We exercise our gifts, but together for the same purpose and goal.

Just like a human body, the church has a head. The head isn't the pastor.

The head is who? Christ.

Just like in a body, the head is control central . Everything comes from the brain and nervous system, getting the message out to all the different parts. Jesus is the head, and he sends out the message.

The Holy Spirit is the nervous system, conveying the wishes of the head to all of the members so that they operate smoothly together.

Your human body, is a great example of how unity works.

Stomach sends a message to the brain, hunger. The brain tells the legs, walk toward the bbq. They walk. Your eyes now spot the meat, your nose smells the onions. And then the brain says to the hands, grab it, put bread on it, throw away the lettuce and stuff it in your mouth. You are satisfied and life goes on happily.

So variety of gifts and unity of purpose brings profit to all.

The gift that God has given to you isn't for your gratification. It's for edification of all.

That requires communication. If members don't communicate to each other and there isn't coordinated effort, it's going to be very jerky in movement, spastic and unsmooth. It'll be very destructive.

Unfortunately, what the world so often sees when it looks at the church is disunity. It doesn’t see a beautiful, wonderful, in-shape body, with smooth, coordinated efforts. Often it sees striving and fighting and a weakened church.

That's one of Satan's greatest desires. One of his biggest traps is that he would get us to fight each other because now we're so distracted that we're forgetting who the real enemy is. And now the heat's off of him. So as we recognize variety, but emphasize unity.

Maximize Equality (v. 14-20)

V14: For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

Now it seems the church at Corinth was emphasizing one gift over all the others. This was causing people who didn't have that gift to feel discontent, unequal, and they stopped participating.

They don't need me. I won't get involved.

So Paul, again, shows the church is like a body. Because every part is necessary.

There are no vestigial organs in the body of Christ.

You know what a vestigial organ is? Something thought to one time be useful, but now it's no longer useful.

Did you know it was thought that your appendix was a vestigial organ. But as time went on, they realized it is a very important part of your immune system.

In church there's no such thing as a vestigial organ.

One of the reasons churches malfunction is they put certain gifts on a pedestal, leaving the rest of the people saying, I don't have that gift. I'm not that important. And the result is gift envy.

I've seen people elevate one particular gift. Thinking that's what they want to be. So they get trained to be that, but God never called or equipped them to do that.

He compares a couple different parts of the human body. Two parts that are seen, so, we think they’re important. Two that aren't seen as much. We don't give them much attention. Your hands are visible. We see your hands. You wave with your hand. You shake hands. You embrace with your hands. If you're me, you talk with your hands.

We don't see our feet as much. We don't give as much attention to them as hands. Same with eyes and ears. The first thing you notice when meeting people is their eyes. That's how we communicate, through eyes. That's why it's bad when you meet somebody to not look in their eye.

Ears, while ugly serve a purpose. They direct sound. That's why they're shaped that way. Feet have a purpose. They transport us. You don’t walk on your hands. All these parts are important.

Now look at V17. What good would a six foot eyeball be? You couldn't talk to it because it can't hear. It can't go anywhere. It has to be carried. It's useless.

We make 6ft eyeballs when we put people on pedestals. When we elevate one gift over another, we are setting up people to fall. And the higher you put the pedestal, the further they will fall. And they will fall.

It also creates inferiority among the people who don't have that gift or calling. They go, I can't do that. I'm not that important, so I won't get involved.

In 1981 President Reagan was shot. He survived, but he was put in a hospital. He was out of his Oval Office for weeks. The Chief Executive Officer of the USA wasn't there running the country. Did the country shut down? No.

But what would happen if all the trash collectors of America went on strike? Studies say in 3 weeks, the whole nation would reach crisis point and potentially shut down. So who's more important The President or all the trash collectors?

All of them are important. Unnoticed does not mean unimportant.

V23 shows us those members of the body which we think to be less honorable God gives greater honor.

You can lose your eye and live, but lose your liver, nope.

But do you really think about your liver? Hey bro, how's your liver doing?

You notice we carry pictures of ourselves and family, but never carry x-rays?

You never say, let me show you my guts or skeleton. We don't think about it.

But it's so vital. Unseen, but important.

Here, it's the same. I am privileged to stand up here, but there are so many who volunteer and pray. They form a heartbeat of the fellowship. Unseen, yet vital.

Minimize Self-Sufficiency (vv. 21-22)

V21: The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,

In the previous Verses, it dealt with the attitude, they don't need me. I'm not as gifted as they are. That gift is so important, and I don't have it.

This attitude is different. It says, I don't need them. I am self-sufficient.

This attitude stinks even in the secular world. It stinks in the workplace. You have one uncooperative, prideful person and everything messes up.

It's worse in the church. Many people will say, I don't need the church. That is a lie. Of course you do. That's the whole point, but we're fighting our culture.

One of the hallmarks of American life has been this rugged individualism. This pioneer I don't need anybody. I'll go out there on my own.

You can't be a Lone Ranger Christian.

That goes completely against the intention of the church.

Jesus wants to build His church to have a community on display before the world. Showing what He can do with people who are redeemed.

When the world sees a considerate, loving, vibrant body, it makes an impact.

If they see a self-sufficient, biting and devouring group, it also makes an impact, but not for the gospel, but against it.

Conclusion

A mom invited friends to dinner. The 2 families were at the dinner table and this mom turned to her 6 year old daughter and said, I want you to say the blessing. The 6 year old looked up and said, I don't know what to say. Mom said, just say what you hear me say. 6 year old closed her eyes, bowed her head, and said, dear Lord, why on earth did I invite these people to dinner? Amen.

God has invited lots of people to His dinner. We wouldn't naturally have things in common, if not for Jesus inviting us. Now we have Him in common.

Wes and I at lunch

All of us have gifts.

If you discovered your gift and you're employing that, you're bettering all of us.

If you're not using it, then you are hurting us and hurting the impact we could have in this community.

Where Will You Serve?