A Diverse Unity (Part 2)

OPENER:

“The purpose of spiritual gifts if to make much of God by continuing the ministry of Jesus and conforming His people to His image.”

1 Corinthians 12:12–31 ESV

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. 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. 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. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

The God who gives UNITY to the Body also gives DIVERSITY to the Body.

“One Body...” One of the things we talked about this past Wednesday night (PLUG) and something we talked about a few weeks ago during our series through 1 Corinthians is that one of the chief “core values” of American/Western culture is the autonomy of the individual. Right? Everyone has the “right” to establish their own belief systems and if I believe it’s true for me, it doesn’t matter what you or anyone else thinks, it IS TRUE. No one has the right to tell me what I should believe and I don’t have to commit to anything I don’t feel like committing to.

This has infiltrated the Church. Listen to me - look what Paul says...

1 Corinthians 12:13 ESV

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.

One Spirit/One Body - There is no such thing in the Bible as an autonomous, “free-acting” non-committed Christian. There’s no such thing in NT as a member who just didn’t have time to be active or exercise their gift.

Not being “connected” to the Body may be CONVENIENT but it is not HEALTHY.

NEED A GOOD ILLUSTRATION - PARACHUTE IS ONLY GOOD IF I’M CONNECTED TO IT, RIGHT?

Every member is of EQUAL VALUE to the Body.

One Baptism/One Spirit - regardless of background, of social status, of economic status, of life situation. Paul says, “Jews or Greeks, slaves or free.” It doesn’t matter where you’ve come from or what kind of “sin” you’ve been saved from - God didn’t need “extra grace” for you. We don’t get saved by grace and then inch closer and closer to God and earning his favor by becoming better behaving moral people.

There is no hierarchy of members, here, either! We don’t separate the leaders from the followers based on how much money people make or what kind of car they drive. You know who I like to put in leadership positions? Those who are serving and exercising their spiritual gifts.

There’s not a hierarchy of those who have “more of the Spirit,” either.

Paul warns against looking down on ourselves and comparing ourselves to others who may seem “more gifted” or spiritual and against us comparing others to ourselves.

ILLUSTRATION - SNOBBY 1ST CLASS FLYERS

We share an equality of the Spirit/relationship with God and to the Church.

EQUALITY OF CARE - because of your status as an equal member of God’s family you and I owe it to each other to care for one another.

The beauty of home groups & Sunday School - the staff CAN’T be at everything/make EVERY visit - if we don’t know, too!

Every member is of equal value to the body which means that God has built an INTERDEPENDENCE into the Body.

Not every member is EQUALLY GIFTED.

This is, again, why Paul makes the illustration that the individual members of the body should not compare themselves/their “effectiveness” or “giftedness” to others and we should not be comparing others to ourselves.

In fact, Paul says, “It’s easy to bestow honor on the parts that you see…it’s easy to glorify those parts and hold in disregard our more “unpresentable” or “less honorable” parts. I think you can probably use your SANCTIFIED imagination to guess what he’s referring to there but here’s what he’s saying - “those parts that are less honorable and unpresentable are actually treated with more care and those are parts that you simply cannot live without.” They are vital to your body.

These areas - again, just THINK, here - these areas that we deem “unpresentable” are shown a special modesty. Their function is not public (or shouldn’t be) and they are kept hidden, but they are essential to the body’s survival. In the same manner, the persons with deceptively ordinary and unprestigious gifts are as necessary for the proper functioning of the community as those who put on a more glittery display. All are of equal value; but if there is to be any overcompensation, it is to be for the less favored.

“The church is not to be like its surrounding society, which always honors those who are already honored. It is to be countercultural and bestow the greatest honor on those who seem to be negligible.”

MISERABLE MEMBERS:

NOT exercising their gift.

Exercising the WRONG gift.

Exercising their gift for the WRONG reason.

The God who saved you, is making you a new creation, and who is building His Church, knows what He has planned and purposed for you and what the Church needs!

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This, again, is the purpose of our spiritual gifts - God uses them to conform us to His image!

Ephesians 4

Ephesians 4:15–16 ESV

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Look back at the first part of vs. 31 ::

1 Corinthians 12:31 ESV

But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Desire the gifts that serve the body in the best fashion! Desire spiritual gifts!

REPEAT MAIN IDEA - The purpose of spiritual gifts is to make much of God by continuing the ministry of Jesus and conforming His people to His image.

APPLICATION: