The Church Built Up (21) - One Body, Many Parts
The Church Built Up • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Last week we talked through the first part of 1 Corinthians 12 as part of our continuing series of messages from the book of 1 Corinthians. I want to read a passage from Ephesians as an introduction today.
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
The body of Christ built up in love as each part does its work. This verse is a great summary of the passage we will be reading from 1 Corinthians.
***Title slide***
At this point in the letter to the Corinthians, Paul is encouraging the church to operate in the unique giftings the Holy Spirit has given in order to form one body, built up in love.
Let’s read in 1 Corinthians 12, starting in verse 12...
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
The word one is present 6 times in these three verses. Paul is emphasizing the need for unity in the church. Not sameness…unity. We are all knit together as the body of Christ, and not just Crossroads, but all of the believers all over the world. We just have a unique calling to central Vermont. And within central Vermont, we also have a part to play in the larger body of Christ.
That unity comes from all of us being baptized by one Spirit, the Holy Spirit. The emphasis here is that the one body of Christ, the church is one body, made of many parts.
Paul uses actual human body parts as an analogy for us to understand how we are to work together. Let’s read the first analogy...
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
I think it is pretty common for us to feel we are not making that great of an impact. We may think that the things we have to offer are really not that great. It’s just a little thing that I can do and it really doesn’t matter…someone else can do it.
That’s what Paul is saying here. We need each other to make a whole body. Without each other, Paul says the body would look ridiculous. A body is not a body if all the parts are an eye…can you imagine?
I want to read verse 18 again because it gives such a great encouragement...
18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
If you have accepted Christ, you have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in you. He has uniquely gifted you and placed you here and now in this church. That was no mistake. You are here just as He wanted you to be.
You are part of the body of Christ and when you don’t think your part matters, you are in a way telling God He was wrong. He says you matter. He says he gifted you the way He wanted. He placed you together with the rest of us in just the right way.
20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
We need your part in the body - no matter how insignificant you think your part is.
Let’s keep reading...
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
What a great picture of the body of Christ.
In the previous verses, the parts wanted to be a different part. They weren’t good enough and wanted to be something “better”. Then in verse 21, the parts got a bit of an ego and thought they didn’t need some of the other parts. Both of those attitudes are not good for unity and full function of the body.
I want to read again from the middle of verse 24...
24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.
Let’s not lose sight of the fact that it is God who put us together. I don’t ever want to think that because of some master plan that I had, we’ve ended up with the church we have. Let’s get that out of the way. We are together because God knit us together.
The part that we play is to have equal concern for each other. I see that here at Crossroads. Do we miss it sometimes? Do I miss it sometimes? Yes, but we truly want each and every part of the body to feel valued and cared for.
A great example of this is in verse 26...
26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
The premise here is that we are all different in our gifting. And none of us have all of the gifts. God did this purposefully in order that we would come together and complete the body of Christ together. Each one of us is part of it.
Like last week, we have a partial list of the gifts and roles that are present in the body of Christ. This is only a partial list…there are many more listed in other New Testament passages. It is important that we are mindful of these gifts in us and in others. We need each other in the pursuit of fulfilling God’s calling for us as a body of believers.
Paul ends with a command - EAGERLY desire the greater gifts. In a few weeks, when we get to chapter 14, we’ll see how Paul compares a few gifts and what qualities make one gift greater than the other. Briefly today, the greater gifts are those that build up, strengthen, encourage and comfort each other.
In a few weeks, we’ll read what Paul means by showing us the most excellent way in chapter 13.
For today, I want to end with a passage from Romans 12 that will do a great job of telling us what to do with today’s message...
6 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; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.