Incarnation’s Impact on the Church

Saige Valfre

Incarnation Series • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

1 Corinthians 12:1–31

Ministry

Jesus’ Incarnation

Church

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Notes

Transcript

Introduction

Last week Beau preached on what the Incarnation is— the coming of our God down to Earth, in the flesh. He discussed five attributes in which the incarnation displays to us about God:

God’s Objectivity

God’s Love

God’s Nearness

God’s Initiative

God’s Humility

This was a great way for us to start off this incarnation series, and now we get to look at what the incarnation means for us as a church. Now Dylan will be speaking next week on incarnational missions, so I will really be looking at the inner workings of the church. Not just staff, but all of us in the church! How does Scripture say we should be acting as members of the body of Christ?

We are going to be learning from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church. The church of Corinth was a mess. In short, it was filled with factions and people trying to one up one another with their spiritual gifts. They had drifted far from what the church should be and so Paul wrote in order to correct them.

I have 6 descriptors of what we are as the church to help us understand how we should be functioning as the body of Christ all from 1 Corinthians 12:12-31.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 12

12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14 Indeed, the body is not one part but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. 19 And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. 23 And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, 24 which our respectable parts do not need.

Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, 25 so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. 26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, leading, various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.

We Are One but Many v.12-14

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 12

This is something that Paul presses in almost all of his letters to the church because it is such an important clarification: the church is one body, many members. When I say the church I am referring to two things:

The Universal Church

This is referring to the worldwide church—all Christians across the world

The Local Church

This is the physical church you are a part of— such as Gentian!

That being said, I am really focusing on the local church in this message—Gentian. We are one church and there are many individuals and families that make this church up. We cannot get past this. In fact, it is important that we don’t.

To emphasize this point, Paul points out the oneness of our faith.

We are baptized by one Spirit—the Holy Spirit

We are baptized into one body—the local church body

We all drink from, or are nourished by, one Spirit—the Holy Spirit

Paul goes even further in Ephesians 4:4-5

Ephesians 4:4–6 CSB

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

Why does this matter? Well, look what Paul had to say at the beginning of this letter to the Corinthains:

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 1)

10 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. 11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by members of Chloe’s people, that there is rivalry among you. 12 What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”

They were dividing themselves by who baptized them. Such a childish, grade-school act! But Paul corrects them well in verse 13

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 1

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?

Do you see where Paul points the church? To Jesus. Is He divided? Was He divided in His time on Earth? By no means. Jesus was consistent and completely unified with His Father in all that He did. And so should the church be. We cannot ever become a church that splits under different names. I am thankful that our church does not have this problem, that I can see, now. But Gentian has many years ahead of it. What will become of us? What will become of you?

Truth be told, we have some amazing leaders in this church. When there is a plethora of great leaders, there is opportunity for factions, but far be it from us, Church, to fall into that pit of lies, ever. We are united as one body, even though there are many of us. We are united, we stand on, Jesus Christ.

If you ever have the desire to stand opposed to one seemingly alongside another, ask yourself: Was that leader crucified for you? I will ask for you now: was Dylan crucified for you? Was Beau? Was Toby? Was Ashley? Was I? It sounds foolish saying, even. You stand on Christ. You build on Christ. We unite on Christ.

Do not think that this means we dismiss all theology and doctrine. I care the most that you know Christ and believe in Him and the authority of Scripture. But I also care about those second tier issues. We should strive to unite on those too. We should be willing to talk through things we disagree on amongst one another, always remembering that we stand on Christ.

This message of us being one body is not to say we don’t talk about things we disagree on. That is completely false and, I’d say, unbiblical. We, as men and women who stand on Christ and are united in Him, must be able and willing to discuss things we also disagree on. Be willing to be wrong. Be willing to be corrected. It is easy to stay united when you don’t touch the hard topics, but we must be united even in the hard discussions.

So yes, we are one body, but we have many members.

We Are All Needed v.15-16

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 12

15 If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body.

Paul expounds on this analogy of the church being a body by referring to body parts to help us understand. He focuses on those members of the body who may feel their role is not needed. To flesh this out for us, this would be like a church member who does not preach or teach saying “Because I can’t preach or teach, I can’t be a member of the church.” Ridiculous, right? Instead, we are all needed in this church body.

Because there are many members in this body, we are all different. There are feet, there are hands, there are ears, and noses and toes and arms, etc. The list goes on. These members are all different and have different functions and that is how it is supposed to be.

Something I love so much about the church is the cornucopia of gifts found in it. We have handymen, we have cooks, we have teachers, we have musicians, we have administrators, we have accountants, we have everything! And guess what? All of those different roles are needed. Just because you aren’t good at public speaking, does not mean you can’t be a part of the church. Just because you aren’t very handy, doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of the church. Just because you aren’t very artistic, doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of the church. Everyone has something to bring to the table. Every gift, every role, is very much needed for the proper functioning of the body of Christ.

We Are Arranged by God v.17-20

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 12

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. 19 And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Some of us look longingly at another’s gifts and say “I want to be able to do that. I want to be an eye!” But not everyone is supposed to be an eye. It is important that we understand it is the Lord God who arranges us into our roles. He does so through the working of the Holy Spirit.

Corey Johnson is a great example of this— he is our deacon of technology and he is perfect for that role. In fact, it was by God’s arrangement that he ended up there.

Now some of you might be doing some self-reflection and realizing that you don’t fit any role as of now. This does not mean that God has simply arrange you as a member of the body of Christ to be a viewer/critique. “God made me someone who comes to church on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s, comments on the worship and the preaching, and then leaves.” Furthermore, all you are doing, then, is benefiting off of the gifts of others and not putting anything in yourself.

I’ll just be very frank—God has not called you to that, you have arranged yourself into that role. I tell my students this all the time, God is calling everyone to something.

There are some calls that are true and the same for each one of us

to know Christ

to live holy lives

to make disciples

But there are other calls that are specific to each person. They are different. Some are called to serve on the worship team. Some are called to serve in the kitchen. Some are called to be interns. Some are called to lead small groups. Some are called to help with maintenance— we are all called to something. And I will tell you, an important part of the workings of the Holy Spirit in the church is how He calls us. I have gone through this with the students but I will touch on it briefly with you. If you want to know whether God is calling you to do something in the church, ask these questions

Do I have the ability?

Do I have a desire to do this?

Do I have the opportunity?

Do I have the church’s approval?

It is important that you don’t neglect any of these questions, but rather ask them all. Because you may say “I have no desire to serve in this role, but I have the ability, the opportunity, and others in the church telling me I should.” If that is the case, you should do it. You may also say, “I have no ability to do this right now, but I have a desire, the opportunity, and the church telling me I should try.” Perhaps you need to start in order to learn and grow in that role?

All-in-all, lean into your calling in the church. Come and serve. Ask where help is needed. Come to the staff and say “These are my giftings, how can I serve with them here?” We can help you find where God is arranging you. Just please, as a member of the body of Christ, don’t just benefit off of everyone else’s gifts. Put in your own.

We Are All Worthy of Honor v.21-24a

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 12

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. 23 And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, 24 which our respectable parts do not need.

This is so important for us to understand. When you look at a church event, such as the tree lot. There are main servants who are helping whose service is very obvious. Beau is literally living the tree lot daily. And when the tree lot finishes and we see the amount of money that is raised for missions, we should commend Beau for his hard work, absolutely. But if you ask Beau, I am sure he would be commending many individuals who came and did the little background things.

Serving hot chocolate to customers

Winding up twine from the trees

Building wreaths

Cleaning up at the end of the night

Helping open in the morning

Paul is pointing out that there are roles that we can very easily dismiss because we don’t see them or don’t find them important, but he says that we as the church should be clothing those in those roles with the most honor and respect. In the end, someone has to do it! Those who do the background, “little jobs”, are to be given the most honor and respect!

I can do this same thing with Toby. While we might be tempted to give him all of honor for our awesome worship every Sunday, we must not forget all the lay people, volunteers who are playing instruments or working sound. These roles seem “unrespectable” or insignificant, but they are to be honored the most, according to Paul.

Or even in the youth ministry. I could not do almost any of the events I have done or am doing if not for Evan Bradshaw, the Casteels, and, most of all, my wife Deztanee. You may see me announcing things and preaching, but they are doing all of the most honorable work in the background that enable me to function.

And so, in order for us to be functioning properly as the church, we must be giving respect where it is due to all the servants of the church. And you, members looking to serve, should not avoid these roles but embrace them if called to them.

We Act As One v.24b-26

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 12

Paul gives the reasoning behind honoring the seemingly less significant roles in order to help us take on the ONE mindset of having the same concern for one another. If that sounds confusing, his example is pretty clear:

So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it;

We must be so unified, so ONE, that when one of us suffers, we all suffer alongside him or her. We should be so unified that when one person has a praise, we all have a praise. This is one of the most important parts of the church that we can be so severely lacking: suffering alongside one another.

I have seen this in churches where everyone thinks they have to act like everything is okay at church. “Don’t talk about how hard life is at church, just put on the mask and play the part.” The church is supposed to be the very opposite of that. In fact, it is the church where you must run with your suffering so that we, the body of Christ, can come alongside you and suffer with you.

Do not rob your church from fulfilling its duty in weeping with you when you weep and mourning with you when you mourn.

And when I say these things, I do not just mean “Tell the staff about your sufferings so we can suffer with you.” You absolutely can do that and we will do so. But do not neglect all the others around you in your small group. Tell those around you whom you have relationships with. If there is no one, form relationships. Be more intentional in a sunday small group. Attend a home group. Get so deeply meshed into a group of people in this church that when you are suffering you run to them so that you can suffer together.

Church, please do not miss this. We were never meant to do this alone. The church is not just here to make you feel guilty once or twice a week. The church is not here just so you can look good once or twice a week only to go home into misery. We suffer together. We praise together. We learn together. We fall together. We get up together. We act as one.

We Must Be Different v.27-31

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 12

Paul points out different ministry giftings in the apostolic church:

Apostles

Prophets

Teachers

Those Who Do Miracles

Those with the Gift of healing

Those with the Gift of Helping

Those with the Gift of leading

Those with the Gift of tongues

There is much debate about how relatable all these giftings are to our days. Some would say that many of these giftings have ceased after the passing of the Apostles. Some would say that they are still happening and your church needs to be displaying all of them. And some of us try to sit in between. I will not press into each of these gifts, but I want to discuss the theme around these gifts that Paul is emphasizing: not only are we naturally different in the church, but we must be different.

Paul asks these questions rhetorically

Are all apostles? No. Are all teachers? No. Do all do miracles? No…

They are obvious no’s. He is trying to help us see that not only are we different in our gifts, but we must be different and we need to lean into our strengths. Grow in your gift. Rather than being an ear and trying to change to a foot, why don’t you just be a highly functioning ear?

To flesh this out even more: if you are helping with sound in the back, learn that sound board inside and out. Do your job unto the glory of God. And then suggest things to Toby regarding the sound. Take initiative. Grow in your gift. If you enjoy serving at any of our missions fundraising events, ask Beau to teach you more so that, eventually, you can run the tree lot! You can run the yard sale! If you are a student in the college ministry and you feel the calling to do more teaching, talk to one of the staff and lean into that calling.

We have to be different and we have to lean into the “different” of our callings. Look what Paul says in Ephesians 4:15-16

Ephesians 4:15–16 CSB

But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.

This is our goal in whatever your role is: the building up of the church. How does this happen? By the proper working of each member of the body. The church cannot properly function without the differences of gifts and roles. It will not be built up with 150 people who all play guitar and lead worship. It will not be built up by 150 preachers or 150 maintenance guys or 150 cooks. This is not how the church was meant to function. Lean into your different strength!

Paul closes this chapter by alluding to the next chapter

But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.

What is the better way? It is love. Overall, before any gifting, we are all called to be loving to one another. And Christ is whose example we follow of love. For His love for His Church led Him to sacrifice Himself wholly for us to be saved.

This is how we, as the church, must be loving one another. Submitting to one another. Honoring one another. Rebuking one another. Exhorting one another. Singing with one another. All of the acts done in this church, as well as all the gifts we have, must be wrapped in love for one another stemming from the love of Christ.

Conclusion

Now, in summary:

We are many members that make up one church— we are united on Christ

Every member of the body is needed

It is God who calls and arranges us in our roles

The seemingly least significant role is worthy of the most honor

As the church, we suffer together

Each of us must lean into our different strengths.

This message was very much directed to believers in this room, but I am not going to completely neglect you unbelievers here. I just want you to consider what you have heard and ask these questions:

- How does this shape your view of the church?

- How does this shape your view of God?

- Why do you think we care about the proper working of the church so much?

Come and tell us what your thoughts are. Tell us what you believe. Maybe, even, put your faith in Jesus Christ who unites us, across skin color, birthplace, profession, or gifting even.

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