We are the Church - Week 1

“We”

The Hennepin Hundred race report - how it was Clay and I, and then Cori, the kids and I because of the training, then it we added Matt and his crewing skills, Travis and his pacing, Michell Hartwig and her crew for building it… Ten Junk Miles crew and their party of an aid station that got me through miles 46-64...

Worship Without Walls… My crew of Susans, Den Graphix, The home owners and YOU all, you amazing people.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

1 Corinthians 12:12–27 CEB

Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many. We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink. Certainly the body isn’t one part but many. If the foot says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not a hand,” does that mean it’s not part of the body? If the ear says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not an eye,” does that mean it’s not part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, what would happen to the hearing? And if the whole body were an ear, what would happen to the sense of smell? But as it is, God has placed each one of the parts in the body just like he wanted. If all were one and the same body part, what would happen to the body? But as it is, there are many parts but one body. So the eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you,” or in turn, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” Instead, the parts of the body that people think are the weakest are the most necessary. The parts of the body that we think are less honorable are the ones we honor the most. The private parts of our body that aren’t presentable are the ones that are given the most dignity. The parts of our body that are presentable don’t need this. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the part with less honor so that there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it. You are the body of Christ and parts of each other.

Text: Topic: Serving, Spiritual Laziness, Pride, Spiritual Gifts Big Idea of the Message: As Paul explains in this passage, in the body of Christ, everyone has a role, and no role is too small. Application Point: All believers should actively seek to serve the body of Christ. We must serve, not sit!

Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1. In this article by Consumer Reports, 1 out 10 Americans said they would not give up their Starbucks/Dunkin’ Donuts habit even if their income dropped dramatically in a failed economy. According to the same article, one survey “found that Americans hold tightest to at-home entertainment: When asked, ‘What is the last thing you would cut back on in order to economize?’ 38 percent of people said they’d never ditch pay television, including premium cable, satellite, and streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.” Our consumer-driven mindset has blurred the lines of necessity and luxury on these kinds of comforts. People in our country like to be able to spend on themselves. The common attitude is “my comfort is my number-one priority.” This same type of mentality can often creep into our churches, too. (“How American Consumers Shop” Consumer Reports, November 2014, http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2014/11/how-america-shops- now/index.htm.)

“What makes the Dead Sea dead? Because it is all the time receiving, never giving out anything. Why is it that many Christians are cold? Because they are all the time receiving, never giving out anything” (D. L. Moody, Moody’s Anecdotes and Illustrations, 79).

In an article for Leadership Journal, Amy Simpson expands on the idea that service sometimes stems from selfishness. She writes, “But sometimes serving others is really about serving ourselves—and that's when codependency enters the picture. People who are codependent serve to meet their own emotional needs and desires. They serve whether others really want to be served or not. They serve in ways that keep the people around them from growing, changing, and thriving. They serve and serve and serve, long past the point of health and true effectiveness, because they are addicted to what serving gives them: a sense of value, preservation of the status quo, dependency in others.” (“When Service is Selfish” Christianity Today, July 2014, http://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2014/july-online-only/when-service-is- selfish.html.) Application: How often do we do this? Do you serve others to make yourself feel good, or do you serve them to honor God?

We as the church all called to share in as many ways as possible all the connections and community it requires for us to be the Church of Jesus Christ. The Body.

We are to not exclude parts of the body we don’t care for or think have a lesser purpose… Trust me, toes have a huge purpose.

In the next year I am going to again be asking each of you to bring your skills together… The body will look different because today we look different in who we are… we have new members and have lost old ones. We have new skills and are exploring un-tapped skills in others.

Be courageous in answering your call into ministry as the body of Christ and together we will do epic stuff!

Use this week to highlight areas of need in your local ministries, and be sure to have an easy way for people to connect to those ministries and their leaders after the service is over.