Set Apart for The Body

Because over the past year we have seen this zone grow massive in size from under 50 to now 200 - but then the growth suddenly just sort of just stopped. And for the longest time we were all scratching our heads, wondering why - is something going wrong? We didn’t feel anything was particularly wrong or out of place, everything was running smoothly, things were going well. But why then are we not seeing any more growth - why did God sort of just stop sending us people?

And to be honest I really struggled with this for a while - trying to figure this whole thing out. But I believe I got a Word from God about it as I was preparing for this camp.

And like I said this is not the message that I originally wanted to preach - I actually wrote this message this morning because I didn’t know if I wanted to give it.

When I was praying to the Lord about why the YA zone has been hitting a bit of a plateau recently - this phrase came to me: The Body.

And I was like what does that even mean - the body?

But the more I prayed on it, and thought on it and spoke to the leadership about it - I think I finally know what the Lord is pointing at for us to build: The Body.

As in we are lacking unity within this body. There are a collection of individuals here - who are great, as individuals, and who may even have their friendship groups and little cliques - but there is a LACKING heart for THE BODY. For THE WHOLE.

Can I just be honest with you and tell you that this issue really gets to me on a Church (capital C) level. Where I look at unity in the body and my heart breaks sometimes. We see churches more competing with one another than loving one another, we see different groups of believers finding more fault with OTHER believers than anything else, I’m just watching as the church crucifies it’s own - sometimes to a level that breaks my heart.

Like what is happening to the church - is this really the body that Christ died for?

If we want to be Set Apart then I want you to understand something - this is a topic that HAS to move your heart. Why? Because Christ died for THE BODY. Because He died for the Church.

And if we claim to be after the things of His heart then I want us to understand that we can’t be Set Apart and have no care for the Body.

Let’s Pray

Segment 1: Pride and Individualism

Romans 12:3–8 NIV

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 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.

This is Paul writing to the church in Rome - and he is specifically talking about this issue, the issue of unity within the body of Christ.

And he starts so strong here - he gets right to the root issue before he even talks about unity. It’s almost like Paul saying - you know why we don’t have unity? Because (in v3) - you think of yourself more highly than you ought.

The pride of an individual destroys community at its root.

A love for the body dies the moment ANY individual approaches the church with a mindset that they are greater than the body.

A desire for unity dies the moment an INDIVIDUAL thinks of themselves more highly than they ought.

And this is difficult because we live in an INDIVIDUALISTIC society - where the individual is promoted and seen as the most important thing, MY choices, MY free will, MY life. We take pride in our individualism.

But you know what - and I’m just going to say it straight today; that is NOT a biblical idea!

Scripture, talks about the opposite, in fact - Scripture talks about valuing others more than ourselves, it talks about thinking of others more highly than ourselves.

And so Paul here is calling this out - that perhaps the GREATEST threat to the unity within the church is pride!

It’s the fact that we think of our own needs, our own convenience, our own desires BEFORE anyone else.

We come to church and we’re like what am I going to get out of this? What do I like seeing in church? Did I like the message? Do I like the community? Do I agree with the leadership here?

We are killing the church with consumerism. People SHOP around for churches - people leave church the moment that things don’t go their way.

We’ll serve “the body” as long as it’s convenient for us. In a ministry that I like. And only the people that I like.

We’re slowly, but systematically killing unity within our church by reintroducing pride.

Paul’s saying no - the first step to unity within the body is to lose the pride. And in fact to think “according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

And you know what - if you read that on it’s own it does sound like “think about yourself and your gifts”. But that’s not what Paul means at all - if you read that within the context of the passage, about unity and the body - what it really reads like is “think about what YOU BRING to the table.”

Segment 2: Members of Each Other

Paul continues Romans 12:4-5

Romans 12:4–5 NIV

4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

This is a groundbreaking point that Paul makes that we hardly pay attention to nowadays because we’re too busy making church about ourselves. Did you catch it?

Paul doesn’t just say that as a church - you belong to God. No he takes it a step further and in v5 tells us that you each belong to ONE ANOTHER.

You don’t belong to just yourself when you join the church, you don’t even just belong to God - you belong to EACH OTHER.

That IMMEDIATELY implies that you have a duty to one another.

At least that’s what Paul MEANT.

But so often we plant ourselves in a church and barely contribute anything to it - it doesn’t affect us in the slightest. We have no idea who’s there, and we have no idea what’s going on in their life either, we definitely have no idea what they’re suffering with.

Church is just in and out business

You know what Paul’s talking about - it sounds RADICAL in this day and age but to Paul this was the norm.

Paul’s talking about OWNERSHIP of Each Other.

You BELONG to me - and I BELONG to you.

In other words what happens to you AFFECTS me DEEPLY.

It means your ABSENCE affects me

It means your SUFFERING affects me

It menas your PAIN affects me

You know what? Not only that - it means that I take OWNERSHIP for LOVING you too. I take OWNERSHIP for your wellbeing. I take OWNERSHIP for you thriving.

It means if you’re not doing well THEN THATS MY BUSINESS too.

That’s what it means to BELONG to one another.

It’s the complete elimination of the consumer church - where I’m here just for me, I’m here for a good time, I’m here to grow myself, I’m here to make sure that I’m doing ok.

Man sometimes we even have the audacity to PICK who we get to love. “Oh I don’t like the way they look and talk.” “Oh they swear and stuff. I don’t want to associate with them.” “I just don’t like the vibe they’re giving off” Are you KIDDING me right now?

What a joke we make of church sometimes. And we wonder why God isn’t moving in our churches.

What are we doing with our churches?

ILLUSTRATION: Nick and Yewon

You know these guys don’t even know that I’m going to talk about them - but I do want to talk about Nick and Yewon. Ever since they stepped foot into this house they have not just treated it as their own, to my eyes they have taken ownership of loving this body so seriously.

You know that they have someone over at their house nearly every night? These are people in need, pastoral meetings, their mentees. And without fail they minister, they love, they pour themselves out to the body to what I would say is a level where they begin to suffer for loving others.

Now, as their mentor I get to see a side of them that you may not see. And I can tell you - these guys pay a price for it. It’s not free. This kind of love is never free. And it breaks my heart sometimes as someone who cares about them to watch them pour themselves out so much and love so fiercely.

But even though I tell them to pace themselves, and tell them to play the long time - I would never stop them. You know why? Because to me - they’re being the church that Paul is talking about.

I can promise you that every gift they have is on the table - already being used to serve The Body.

Segment 3: Varied Gifts

Paul talks about gifts too. About how each individual person has been given a gift. He makes it clear that these gifts have been given to you by God.

He talks about those who prophesy, those who serve, those who teach, those who encourage, those who give, those who lead, those who show mercy.

And again - we sort of read this list and go like cool; so that’s what the list of giftings are. And then we sort of pick which gift we sort of like and leave it there. It becomes little more than like a spiritual gifts test for us.

But this list, and the WHOLE concept of gifts - CANNOT be disconnected from what Paul was saying RIGHT before.

If you can’t catch it from Paul - then Peter makes it plain as day

If not then I find Peter makes it even clearer in 1 Peter 4:10 “10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”

STEWARDS: IT DOESN’T BELONG TO YOU - YOU DON’T GET TO DECIDE HOW IT’S USED.

In other words your gift ISN’T for yourself! In fact YOU being part of the body is NOT for yourself - it’s ALL for someone else, it’s ALL for the other members of the body.

You aren’t here to serve yourself, you aren’t here for your own comfort!

It means that the MOMENT you choose to be a part of the body of Christ - your mind should go straight away to “How can I serve another?” “How can I love another?” “How can I build up this body?”

What’s this whole thing about being in a church and not serving? I don’t get it. This is a product of OUR CURRENT society. This idea is foreign and borderline unbiblical!

Segment 4: Serious Business

Are you catching just how seriously the writers of the new testament are taking being a part of The Body, how seriously they are taking being a part of the church?

And I say the writers of the new testament on purpose because there are passages ALL over that says SUCH SIGNIFICANT things about the church that we either glaze over or water down.

Acts 2:42–47 “42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

1 John 4:20–21 “20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

One of the greatest accusations of the church in this day, which I shared with you just last night is that the church has grown powerless, that the church is ineffective, that it has lost its ability to change the world, that it has lost its ability for revival.

And do you know what? When I read these passages and compare what the biblical authors envisioned church to be - and compare that with what we try to pass off as church nowadays? Yeah - I can see why.

And I’m telling you something - like I told you on the first night, if your generation is going to be the Set Apart generation; if you want to see revival stir in our own church, in Heart for the City Church and you want to see thousands added to our number and GENUINE revival start to stir - then I’m going to tell you something prophetically which you can either accept or not;

The fires of revival will start when the church figures out how to love itself. When the Body figures out how to love itself.

Don’t even start thinking about revival when we can’t even love each other properly.

No point thinking about obeying God and taking the city when we can’t even obey the greatest commandment “and the second is like it”

It’s pointless thinking about changing the city - when we can’t even build a home for those who are genuinely searching for one.

Like if we can’t even make newcomers feel welcome in our house - what business do we have taking the city?

If we can’t even love EACH OTHER here - what business do we have talking about loving the lost?

Listen to me carefully, Young Adults, because I want you to remember this: if you want to be that Set Apart generation that will sweep across and transform our city, and every sphere of influence that we come into contact with - it begins HERE. With loving each other. With loving The Body.

John 13:35 “35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.””

(Oh God guys. I’m just so tired of pleading with the church over this issue.)

People are like pray for me to love the church more. I mean sure..but why do you think Paul starts with a call to humility? It’s a choice.

The miracle of the church is that it is people from all walks of life transformed by Christ to LOVE one another - true. But it is a CHOICE to love, love is ALWAYS a choice.

ILLUSTRATION: Daniel Pau

You know - a couple of months ago at Central we were at 10AM service. And it was a pretty packed out service - more people than the service teams and the pastors could handle. We were all so busy talking to people and trying to greet everyone - it was just hectic. We had just moved into the new building as well.

That particular week - a homeless gentleman came into our church. But because it was so busy, I didn’t really get a chance to catch him since I was talking to people at the back. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, making a note to head over and greet him - but by the time I was finished with my conversation; service had started.

He sat at the back, and you could just tell he was uncomfortable. He had no shoes on, his clothes were wrinkled and dirty. He wasn’t familiar with church at all - when the offering bags came around he thought it was for rubbish so he threw his dirty tissues inside the bag (which made me laugh).

And then the MC did the thing where they asked everyone to put their arms around someone as we open up the service in prayer. And I gotta tell you - my heart immediately sank. He wasn’t sitting next to anyone, and I could tell there were newcomers around him who were already a bit uncomfortable with him and nobody was moving towards him. He was just alone.

So I moved to go to him - but you know who got there first? Daniel Pau. Without a word, or a question, Daniel knelt next to the man, getting right down to his level and put his arm around this guy, and prayed for him.

And can I tell you the honest to God truth - as I saw that image - that was the first time I had that thought which I shared with you in the first message. Maybe this will be the generation to finally win this city for Christ.

Altar Call

Write name on paper. Put in bowl. Link arms with person at the front.

Commitment to be a part of The Body.

Put name in the bowl - you’re commiting to serve the body. Practically.

If you’re already serving then you’re recommitting your service

Related Media

Related Sermons

Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.