You Matter: Discovering Your Unique Role in Our Church Family
Connected: Finding Your Place in Our Journey of Faith • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Text: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
Introduction:
The human body is complex in its functionality and its interdependence of its parts.
Transition to the spiritual body of Christ, emphasizing the beauty of diversity within unity.
Main Idea: As a Christian You Play a Vital Role In Christ’s Church
Did you realize how much you matter to God? It's absolutely true! His love for you is not just deep; it's everlasting. And in His providence, He has chosen to indwell you with His Spirit. Just think about that—the Spirit of God, living inside you, equipping you with a unique gift. This gift isn't random; it's bestowed upon you because God has a specific role for you to play in our church family.
Why does God gift us in such a way? He does so with purpose—so that you can use your unique gift to serve and strengthen our church. You see, you were given this gift not for your own praise, but for the glory of God. Your spiritual gift is intended to highlight His greatness, not ours.
Whether you're contributing behind the scenes on the kitchen team, teaching with passion and truth in our classes, or supporting someone through challenging times, it's all for the glory of God. Your service, your teaching, your care—it all makes God more known and celebrated.
God has placed you here, in this church, with your unique gift, for such a time as this. You are important to God, to our church, and to me. When you start to embrace this truth, that's when God truly begins to work through you.
So, listen up! You matter!!
This is what Paul is driving at in this passage of Scripture.
He is dealing with a church that is not only divided, but a church that is divided over Spiritual Gifts of all things.
In order to address this head on, Paul takes the tack of encouragement rather than rebuke.
And His way of encouragement starts in verse 12…
1. Christ’s Body has Many Parts (Verses 12-14)
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. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
Explain: Why do you suppose that the Apostle Paul would talk to the church at Corinth about this imagery of the church as a body and all her parts?
Because this church was struggling to get along. There was much strife and division among them, and so Paul wanted to give them a powerful visual illustration on how a local church is supposed to function.
There is the global church (The Global Body of Christ)
There is the local church (The Local Body of Christ)
There are the individuals that make up both - Who are they? They are born-again, followers of Jesus Christ.
And each of these born-again, followers of Jesus Christ are gifted by God with a special gift enabling them to be a valuable part of the local body of Christ. The local church is the main outlet for the Christian to exercise and grow their gift for the glory of the Lord.
The body is one - Let’s think of this in the local context. This local body has many members. We also have regular attenders and we have those who are visiting and checking us out.
But notice in the text the expectation of the one body is membership.
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (μέλος)
μέλος, ους, τό (Hom.+)
a part of the human body, member, part, limb lit., of parts of the human body (cp. Did., Gen. 8 A, 7)
How can I say this? Because of the imagery that Paul uses of a body. There is no question that my pinky is part of my body. It is connected and belongs to my body.
Paul says in this passage that my pinky and “all the members of the body, though many, are one body.
There is no question that my pinky is part of my body because my pinky is attached to my body and I can unequivocally demonstrate it belongs to my body because it is attached.
For the local church there is a process that we go through to connect people officially to this body. They go through a process, membership class, application, testimony before the congregation, to submit themselves to this particular body. And what membership means is very important. It means, through a formal process they are promising to be a fully attached body part, using their gifts and talents within this local congregation to ensure her growth and furtherance as the local body of Christ.
Now perhaps you might say, well, I should be able to have all of this without officially submitting myself to this body.
And I would say that is very simular to someone saying, that I didn’t need to be formally adopted into the Green family to be raised as Joe and Shirley’s son, but it sure helped me not only know I was officially their son, but I was able to act accordingly as their son. I was part of family meetings and, even as an adult son, making challenging decisions for the betterment of my parents because I could! Decisions I couldn’t make if I were not legally their child. I was all in…
Certainly this starts on a global scale before a local one. This is what Paul means when he says...
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.
But the church body is not limited to the global scale - there is the local as well. After all, what church is Paul writing to in this letter? The local church of Corinth.
And the point we mustn’t forget is that when we are born-again, the Spirit of God baptizes us INTO the family of God on a global scale - meaning I become a family member of Christ’s church at the point of my salvation. So those people that Nathan Muse, our missionary to Australia, has led to Jesus are now brothers or sisters with us even though they are literally on the other side of the world.
We are all drinking from the same spiritual well.
But then were do members go to express their gifts and function together in the Spirit?
They find and join a local congregation.
We are global members of the church
We are local members of the church.
There is no such thing in the New Testament for long term regular attenders in a local church.
Paul’s point here is that we are all part of the Body of Christ globally and must be locally.
And because of this truth, we each play a vital role in the body of Christ. God gifted you to use that gift to build His church. He entrusted you with this gift to glorify Him in His body.
Which is why Paul says, “For the body does not consist of one member but of many.”
Paul’s point? Membership in the body is important to Paul so that member can perform God’s intended function within the body.
What does a spleen do? I bet you it’s pretty important.
The spleen plays several crucial roles in the human body, primarily related to the immune system and the cleanup of blood cells. Here's a breakdown of its functions:
Immune Response: The spleen is an essential part of the lymphatic system, which helps the body fight infection and maintain bodily fluids. It contains white blood cells called lymphocytes, including B cells and T cells, which recognize and attack foreign pathogens like bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms.
Filtering Blood: One of the spleen's main functions is to filter blood. It removes old and damaged red blood cells from the bloodstream. This process is known as phagocytosis, where phagocytes engulf and break down cellular debris, dead cells, and microorganisms.
Platelet Storage: The spleen stores platelets, which are critical for blood clotting. It releases these platelets into the bloodstream when needed, such as when there's a significant injury to help prevent bleeding.
Red Blood Cell Recycling: Within the spleen, old red blood cells are broken down. Hemoglobin from these cells is salvaged and converted into bilirubin and iron. The iron is recycled and used in the production of new red blood cells, while bilirubin is excreted in bile, helping to digest fats.
Production of Red Blood Cells: Although this function is mostly active before birth, the spleen can become a site for hematopoiesis (the production of all types of blood cells) under certain pathological conditions in adulthood, such as certain types of anemia.
Who knew the spleen was so important?
You are pretty important too! We need you so we can function at our full capacity. We need your spiritual gift that God has entrusted to you. He gave it to you so you could use it in the local church. If not this local church, some local church.
What are you doing with your gift?
I don’t know what my gift is.
Do you know the best way to discover you spiritual gift? Start serving and it will become clear to you how God has gifted you.
Review: As a Christian You Play a Vital Role In Christ’s Church
Christ’s Body has Many Parts
2. Every Body Part Matters (Verses 15-20)
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.
Explanation: No member of the body can say they are not needed, just as no part of the human body is without purpose. Do you see what Paul is doing in these verses? He is doing two things. First, he is shutting down the sin of comparison.
Second, he is showing them the foolishness of the argument that a particular member is not necessary.
The foot comparing itself to the hand and then dismissing the necessity of the foot because it doesn’t compare to the hand. This is ridiculous.
The foot is a crucial part of the body just as much as the hand.
The same is true of the ear saying it is not useful nor necessary because it is not an eye!
And please notice the foolishness of the argument. “I am an ear, but if I can’t be an eye, there is no point for me to be a part of the body.” That is a huge swing of position.
The argument becomes even more strange.
Imagine that I am a eyeball up on the stage right now. Just looking at you. I couldn’t even blink because I’m just an eye and I don’t have an eyelid. Weird and creepy!
Imagine that I am a giant ear up here? Flopped on the stage. Gross. I couldn’t see, I couldn’t smell, I couldn’t communicate. It ridiculous.
Do you know what is just as ridiculous? You comparing yourself to someone else and saying because I am not gifted like they are gifted, I shouldn’t be a part of this body. That is absolute nonsense.
And it is an attack of God’s sovereignty.
Look back at the text…
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.
Do you see what I mean about an attack on the sovereignty of God?
God arranges the members in the body, each one of them, AS HE CHOSE!
Think about this for a minute. God brought you to this body. God desires for you to be used in this body. You may think you chose this church, but GOD CHOSE YOU FOR THIS CHURCH to accomplish HIS will in this church and community.
So, stop downplaying your role and your responsibility.
By the way this means stop being so easily offended…
God did not put all the same gifts here at ABC. He gifted you in a particular way to accomplish a particular thing. Or many things.
So when you refuse to do anything and you sit on your gift. You refuse to exercise your gift you are acting like a very immature believer and it is not pleasing to the Lord.
If you are too busy to use your gift in the body of Christ again, your priorities are out of whack and you need to repent and get at it for Christ.
“As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.”
“80% of the work around a church is done by 20% of the people.”
Are you a fan of Christ or a follower of Christ?
“The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them.”
― Kyle Idleman, Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus
Argumentation
Illustration: What does a pancreas do?
Application:
Encourage self-acceptance among your members.
Remind them that regardless of their role or how they perceive it, they are vital to the church’s life.
Encourage them to identify and use their gifts, however modest they might seem.
Review: As a Christian You Play a Vital Role In Christ’s Church
Christ’s Body has Many Parts
Every Body Part Matters
3. Each Body Part Depends On the Other (Verses 21-26)
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, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Explanation: Every body part matters so there is no Christian in the church that is unimportant and does not matter. Each play a vital role.
But we do not play these roles apart from one another. The raw fact of the matter is we are dependent upon one another. We NEED each other to make this local church function correctly.
This is Paul’s point in his continued metaphor of the human body.
How ridiculous would it be for the eye to tell the hand or the head tell the feet that they don’t need them? It would be ludicrous.
They are actually dependent on one another. I mean, how could the eye grab something if there was no hand and how could the head get anywhere without feet? Maybe they could figure ways out, but those ways would be awkward and not natural at all.
But when the body parts appreciate the other parts and not take them for granted, well, now we can get some things accomplished for the glory of God,
Paul goes on to say that there may be some body parts that SEEM or APPEAR less significant but rest assured, they are not.
The MacArthur Study Bible Chapter 12
12:22–24 Paul’s answer to the pride of the more visibly gifted was to engage his analogy again and remind them that the more fragile and less lovely, in fact, ugly parts of the body which are not publicly “presentable” (v. 24) are given the greater respect for their necessity. He spoke of the internal organs.
12:25 God has designed visible, public gifts to have a crucial place, but equally designed and more vital to life are the hidden gifts, thus maintaining the perspective of unity—all are essential to the working of the body of Christ.
Whatever role you play in this body you are vital and crucial. You make our body whole. You make us function better than we would without you.
Division comes when one body part thinks they are more important than other body parts.
Thank the Lord, Jesus didn’t think like this.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Wow! This is our God! He was not interested in status, but instead that the will of the Father was achieved.
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
What an amazing model our Savior is. He came to accomplish the will of His Father at great cost to Him personally.
saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
We, as followers of Jesus Christ have the same privilege and opportunity to follow the will of the Father.
The Father saved you and gifted you by His Holy Spirit. It was His will to gift you the way He did because He had a purpose for you in His church. Your gifting is by His sovereign will for HIS plans and purposes.
So how should you view your gifting? Three ways…
With gratitude -
With joyful anticipation - In other words, be excited to use and grow in your gift.
With dogged determination -
How shouldn’t we view our gifting?
With jealousy and contempt for other gifts in the church - We should be content with how we are gifted even if others are more gifted than we are. We should support one another in the areas of our gifting, building one another up in our most holy faith!
We should genuinely love one another as we serve the Lord together in this body.
This is what Paul is saying in verse 26…
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Illustration - Have you ever smashed your pinky toe into an end table? I’m not talking about stubbing your toe, I mean smash your toe!
It is not pleasant.
When I have done this, it wasn’t just my little pinky toe that hurt, it was my entire body that languished in pain. Even my hair hurt on the top of my head!
This is the church - we suffer together, we rejoice together. We serve the Lord together.
We all do this together with our respective gifting. And we honor one another as we serve together.
Thank the Lord that the parts of the human body are not in competition with one another. That would be terrible.
So it should be with the body of Christ in a local church. We are, each one of us to understand How God has gifted us, we are to use that gift to better the church
Application: Foster a culture of honor and mutual care. Urge members to look out for one another, especially supporting those who are vulnerable or feel undervalued. Highlight the importance of empathy, compassion, and practical support within the church family.
Review: As a Christian You Play a Vital Role In Christ’s Church
Christ’s Body has Many Parts
Every Body Part Matters
Each Body Part Depends On the Other
4. Your Part is Indispensable (Verse 27)
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Explanation: Every believer is a critical part of Christ's body, with a unique role that no one else can fill.
Think about this for a minute.
You have a unique personality crafted by God’s creative genius.
Just like there are no two snowflakes that are the same, so there has never been another you.
As a follower of Jesus, you have been gifted by God when you were born again.
Where do we see the gifts of the Spirit?
1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28-31 - This is perhaps the most comprehensive passage, where Paul lists various gifts such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues. He emphasizes that all these gifts are the work of the same Spirit, given for the common good.
Romans 12:6-8 - Here, Paul outlines gifts that include prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and showing mercy, urging believers to use them in proportion to their faith.
Ephesians 4:11-13 - This passage identifies gifts given specifically for building up the body of Christ, including apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
1 Peter 4:10-11 - Peter encourages believers to use whatever gift they have received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. He specifically mentions speaking and serving.
So, you are uniquely created by God to begin with and then, after you are saved, God gives you a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Now, prepare to have your mind blown.
As christians no two of us are the same even if we have the same gifts. Why? Because our unique personalities augment the spiritual gift God gives us to make that gift uniquily yours.
If you have the gift of teaching, no one will ever teach like you. God made you and remade you into something different than anyone else.
This is true with every other gift mentioned. Wow!
Now, take it a step farther.
God brought each one of us to this church and has uniquely gifted each of us so that this church, because of her unique personalities and spiritual gifting, is unlike any other church that has ever existed. Woah!
This means God has sovereignly planted this church in Alledale, MI for such a time as this to accomplish things that only we can accomplish because God has uniquely gifted us to do so.
We ofter look at other churches and think, wow! We should do things like they do. And there may be things we can learn from them. But they are not here - they are where they are at. And we are not there. We should celebrate what they do in their context and we should be passionate about following the Lord’s will in ours.
If they are bible preaching, gospel focused churches we don’t need to compete with them, we simply need to follow the Lord in our context.
Argumentation - What is my point? Look again at what Paul says in verse 27…
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Dear Allendale Baptist Church - God has sovereignly brought you as an individual here to be a MEMBER so you might accomplish His will. He has uniquely made you and uniquely remade you by imbuing you with His Spirit and also gifting you with His Spirit so we can be the church that this community needs to accurately see Jesus as their only hope.
Illustration - My pastor to me - “Mark, stop trying to be me. God made you to be you not me. You make a lousy me but a wonderful you.”
Application: Challenge each member to embrace their identity and role in Christ's body. Encourage active participation in church life, emphasizing that their contribution is not just valuable but essential.
Review: As a Christian You Play a Vital Role In Christ’s Church
Christ’s Body has Many Parts
Every Body Part Matters
Each Body Part Depends On the Other
Your Part is Indispensable
Conclusion:
Recap the main idea, reinforcing the message that every member of the church is indispensable. Call to action: Invite members to commit or recommit to serving according to their spiritual gifts, to ensure the body of Christ is functioning healthily and growing in love.
Connection Group Reflection Questions
1. What did we learn about God from the text or Sunday’s message?
2. What did we learn about the importance of the individual Christian from the text or Sunday’s message?
3. What can you do to improve in the area of understanding our gifting?
4. What does God desire from us at ABC, or you personally as an individual?
5. If you or we as a church were to practically apply what we learned from this passage or message, what would that look like? What changes will we or you make this week?
6. Summarize what you learned in one sentence, and how does God want you to respond in obedience?
7. This week, who would benefit from this truth, and who will you share it with?