Finding Your Purpose in the Body of Christ

We’re going to be looking at Romans 12:1-8 today. When Paul wrote this letter to the Romans, the church there was in a state of chaos. You see, this church is believed to have been founded by Roman travelers who witnessed Peter’s first sermons in Jerusalem and then returned to Rome and began establishing the church there. Because of the way the church was founded, they had no formal teaching from any of the Apostles on deeper matters of the gospel. Without the clear and necessary direction of the Scripture; they felt disconnected, lost, and without purpose. It is in view of these matters that Paul wrote our passage today. Let’s see what Paul has to say in Romans 12:1-8:

Romans 12:1–8 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

PRAYER

You have purpose in the body of Christ.

Purpose...how do we define it? Many people today feel like they have no clear purpose, there is no true joy and sense of fulfillment in their lives. Do these feelings define reality or is the reality that our definition of purpose can change how we feel?

For decades, the appendix has been credited with little to no purpose. Doctors had no evidence that the appendix did anything at all, much less served a function that was useful to the body. Many scientific experts believe that the appendix is no more than a useless remnant from humanity’s past. When removed, surgeons could not detect any ill-effects to the body and, for these reasons, the appendix was often routinely removed and discarded during other abdominal surgeries, in order to prevent any possibility of a later attack of appendicitis.

Sometimes we feel like an appendix. We feel disconnected from our fellow Christians and without purpose. We have a sense that we are just here to be a part of the body, there is no real world functionality to our salvation. We come to church, hear the message, and leave; thinking there are no-ill effects to our absence in the body. Paul makes known, in Romans 12:1-8, that this is not the truth of Christianity. His words point directly at each one of us and say: “You have purpose in the body of Christ.”

You must find your purpose for the body of Christ.

Although this may be true, how do we know what our purpose is? Paul tells us we will find our purpose through diligently seeking God’s will and remaining humble in our faith.

Seek your purpose persistently. (v. 2)

First, let’s take a look at verse 2 of our passage:

Romans 12:2 ESV

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Notably, a mind that is “conformed to this world” is one that thinks we determine outcomes and that it is in our power to decide what is best for us. However, Christians have a transformed mind, we understand that God is the only one who can truly determine outcomes and therefore, it is His will, not ours, that is “good and acceptable and perfect”. Additionally, Paul tells us that it is “by testing you may discern what is the will of God”. He is explaining to us that the way to be 100% sure of God’s purpose for you is through trial and error. You will never know what your purpose is if you never test your purpose. With this in mind, Paul wants us to give every opportunity to serve a chance.

Seek your purpose humbly. (v. 3)

Equally important is what Paul warns us of in verse 3:

Romans 12:3 ESV

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

In this case, “Sober judgement” is communicating that we need to be sensible and honest with ourselves. Paul doesn’t want our judgement to be drunk with pride; he wants us to be sober. In other words, humble in realizing all that we have and all that we accomplish is only through the grace of God. Also, “Measure of faith” is not to be mistaken as a reference to how much faith you have, but rather Paul is stating that God determines what our faith leads us to do in His kingdom. With attention to these points, Paul is issuing a warning to us that, in order to find our purpose, we must be humble before the Lord and obey Him in faith.

I want you to think of the situation of an infant with me. When an infant is born, they have no clue what anything is or what is its purpose. They think a thumb is for sucking, arms and legs are to swing around to get your attention, and their mouth is to make as much noise as possible in order to wake you up in the middle of the night. But infants are persistent in their growth. They will touch, bang, throw, and eat everything in sight in order to figure out what is good and what is not. They will stand up and fall down a hundred times before they take their first step; and they will fall down a thousand times before they learn to walk. This persistence in discovering what is good and what they are capable of is fueled by an innate humility that allows them to realize that they don’t know everything, we call like to call it “curiosity”.

Don’t be closed minded and pre-judge that you won’t like something or can’t do something. You have been transformed by God, re-born as an infant to discover His will, and His will is one that uses unlikely people to do amazing things. You must be persistent by seeking to serve and discover your purpose at every opportunity. Never think of yourself as too good or not good enough for any opportunity that is placed before you. You should be fueled by curiosity that realizes God has presented the opportunity to you for a reason. Use that curiosity to hands-on explore the needs of the church.

Finding your purpose is just one aspect of realizing the fuller joy of God, though. Once you find your purpose you must connect yourself to the church in more than just attendance.

You must connect your purpose to the body of Christ.

The church is the body of Christ, as Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12:13 “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...”. That is to say, God has designed your purpose to uniquely connect to the body of Christ so that the church, unified through Christ, can accomplish its mission.

Diversity is necessary for the body to function. (v. 4)

For this reason, we are told in verse 4 of our passage:

Romans 12:4 ESV

4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function,

Although we are a single body in Christ, there are many different roles to be filled. Therefore, there is a great diversity within the church. As Genesis 1:24-25 shows, diversity is the good will of God:

Genesis 1:24–25 ESV

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Unity is necessary for the body to function. (v. 5)

Then, Paul elaborates on this idea in verse 5 of our passage:

Romans 12:5 ESV

5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Paul is saying that, even though our purposes are diverse, we are also united to each other as members of the body of Christ. I feel he did a better job of making this clear in Ephesians 4:16:

Ephesians 4:16 ESV

16 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.

Do me a favor, reach down and pickup your Bible. Now, as you hold your Bible, let’s think about everything that went into that simple action. You needed to have a neck to tilt your head down, which enabled your eyes to locate your Bible. You needed to have arms, with shoulders and elbows in order to make them flexible enough to maneuver your hands into position. You needed to have hands with fingers and those fingers must be placed in a way that allows you to grasp the Bible. Even so, all of these diverse parts, completely unique in design and purpose, are useless unless they are connected together in your body and act in unity responding to the will of your brain. If any of your parts does not fulfill its purpose, this simple task becomes difficult to impossible to complete.

God has a plan for you in the church. He connected you to the body of Christ for a purpose. Your purpose is not the same as my purpose, because every purpose is unique. Serving with other members of the church is necessary because we are all connected to each other as members of the body of Christ. As members of His body, we must respond to His will. His will is for you to use your unique purpose in harmony with the church’s service to accomplish His plans, because it is only through the diversity of our purposes and our unity in responding to His will that we are able to truly grasp His word. Connect your purpose to the body of Christ by faithfully responding to the needs of the church.

Finding your purpose and connecting to the body of Christ brings no fulfillment if you don’t actually use your purpose the way God intends it. That leads us to ask “How then, do I use my purpose?”

You must use your purpose in the body of Christ.

How do I use my purpose? Serve God’s will with sincerity. (vv. 6-8)

In light of this question, Paul says in verse 6:

Romans 12:6 ESV

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;

He is saying that, just as God determined to give us the gift of grace, he also determines how that gift serves His will. Paul then lists several examples for us in verses 7-8.

Romans 12:7–8 ESV

7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

This is not a complete list, but he is wanting us to realize there are many different aspects to how the church functions. Together with these examples, the main point in these verses is for us to realize that the ability to be one of God’s children is a gift and we show God our appreciation for this gift by sincerely serving Him.

I want to tell a story about four people in the church whose names were Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

The church had financial responsibilities and Everybody was asked to help. Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it. But you know who did it? Nobody. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Then the church grounds needed some work, and Somebody was asked to help. But Somebody got angry about that, because Anybody could have done it just as well and, after all, it was really Everybody’s job. In the end the work was given to Nobody, and Nobody did a fine job.

On and on this went. Whenever work was to be done, Nobody could always be counted on. Nobody visited the sick. Nobody gave generously. Nobody shared his faith. In short, Nobody was a very faithful member.

Finally the day came when Somebody left the church and took Anybody and Everybody with him. Guess who was left. Nobody!

Why do I have a purpose? To worship God through service. (v. 1)

After all, why does God give everyone a purpose in the church? He gave us each a purpose so that we could worship Him in Christ. Verse 1 of our passage explains:

Romans 12:1 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Paul makes a profound statement here that presenting ourselves to God by sacrificing our desires in favor of His desires is a holy form of worship. He also punctuates this statement with the fact that we are only able to do this by God’s mercy. Without His mercy, we would simply be condemned sinners.

The only body that will receive God’s blessings is the body that serves in sincere worship, using your purpose in the body of Christ will ensure that the body blessed isn’t Nobody. We must understand that grace was a gift freely given to us. There is nothing we did or can do to earn our own salvation. In the Old Testament, whenever God’s people came to worship Him, they brought a sacrifice to Him. Whenever someone felt lost and desired God’s wisdom, they brought a sacrifice to Him. Whenever they needed God’s help, they brought a sacrifice to Him. As Christians, under the new covenant through Christ, we no longer bring animal sacrifices to God. Instead, we present ourselves to the Lord, as a sacrifice through service, in order to worship Him and open the door to receiving His blessings in our lives.

God does not waste His time making anything useless.

Your purpose is to claim your gifts through the Body of Christ.

Scientists have recently found, that the appendix serves an important purpose in the body. In fact, the appendix is very unique indeed; during the early years of our life, the appendix functions as a lymphoid organ, which assists in the development of white blood cells and antibodies. It has also been shown that the appendix is involved in distributing these molecules throughout the body. In addition, the appendix, this humble, seemingly insignificant organ; can be formed into a replacement bladder through reconstructive surgery. It can also be connected between your kidney and urethra, to allow urine to flow from the kidneys to the bladder in the event of a failure. As a result, the appendix, once regarded as a nonfunctional tissue, is now regarded as important and is no longer routinely removed and discarded if it is healthy.

Ultimately, we feel like an appendix, because we are like an appendix. The reality of our problem is our definition of ourselves. You are a key, instrumental part of the body of Christ.

Seek diligently and humbly for your purpose. The church has many needs ranging from financial support to greeters, to upkeep, to providing service, and even teaching. Sign-up for something, if you don’t know what the church needs, ask. Get involved. Nothing is too hard or too lowly for you. God’s plan for you is to unify your unique purpose to the church and connect you to Christ in a profound way. When you find the service that brings you fulfillment, stay connected, stay involved. Unity comes through fellowship. Be sincere in your purpose by approaching it with a heart of worshipping Christ for the gifts He has given you. He has more gifts for you, offer yourself to Christ and claim them.