The Biology of the Church - 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

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.

If you are anything like me, you are REALLY tired of hearing about these two words that are pretty much EVERYWHERE in our public discourse right now… but I’ll risk saying them anyway: Corona virus.

This week it reached pandemic levels of transmission… it’s been a few weeks since it reached pandemic levels of FEAR in our society...

And there is a lot that is unique about this situation, but something that I found interesting is how a pandemic like this makes us so aware of what is happening in our individual bodies, doesn’t it?

It causes us to think about how often we touch our face or where our hands have rested.

I’ve realized once again just how often I stroke my beard.

Some people to question every cough… like “Is THIS the first symptom?”

Which could be an overreaction for some… maybe there is some validity to being that cautious for others...

I’ve realized once again just how often I stroke my beard.

But it’s actually really important that we would know what is happening in our bodies at any given time…

We need to know what healthy looks like for us so we can know when we are not healthy.

We need to know what we are doing with our bodies and how that puts other people at risk?

We need to know if we have a chronic illness that would make us more susceptible to this virus?

We need to KNOW I showing any true symptoms?

Pandemic diseases have a way of making us keenly aware of what is happening in our own bodies.

And I would suggest that the level of awareness about our physical bodies right now reflects how aware we should be of our whole church body at all times.

There is a worldwide pandemic disease that attacks the body of Christ from inside AND out... at all times… it’s called sin.

And at any given time there can be parts of any church body that are weakened and unhealthy and need attention or care.

And the spiritual health of our church body affects how we are able to promote Spiritual health in the world around us.

If we are going to be the body of Christ in the world… if we are going to be growing and glorifying to Jesus, we need to be AWARE of what is going on in our church body.

This isn’t just a job for the elders of the church… this is the responsibility of every member in the body.

Every member affects the health of the whole and receives from that health as well.

So today, we are continuing our series called “We are the Body”...

And our goal for this series is to: “Grow in Christ-like maturity through serving one another as stewards of God's powerful grace."

The fact is that we grow in maturity TOGETHER.

I’ve heard people suggest that they can grow healthy in Jesus without being involved in the local church…

But we are going to see today that this is like saying my child’s arm can grown strong without being attached to his shoulder.

And I would say, “If you think someone thinks they can grow apart from Christ’s church, then their concept of spiritual growth and maturity is not the same as God’s concept.”

If we think we can grow apart from Christ’s church, then our concept of spiritual growth and maturity is not the same as God’s concept.

God says he uses each part in the body… as they steward the gifts of grace that he has given them to serve one another… he uses each part to help the whole body grow and to produce spiritual health and maturity in Christ.

Now I don’t just want to tell you that today… I want to show you that from the scriptures… and as I do, I pray that each one of us would…

Big Idea: Carefully examine your relationship to the body of Christ so you can be zealous to see the Spirit’s work of love.

Your Bibles are open to the book of 1 Corinthians 12...

I just want to remind you of the context briefly: Paul is writing this letter to the church in Corinth, which is in Greece…

He had planted this church, but now he has received a report that a lot of things are unhealthy… there’s a lot of arguing and division and sin running rampant…

And so like a skilled doctor, Paul is addressing each issue of unhealth…

And he’s not just addressing the symptoms… he’s addressing the underlying disease.

He’s not saying, “Here’s which one of you is right and which one is wrong…”

He’s saying, “Here’s the underlying perspective that is wrong… you have a worship disorder. Christ is not primary in your thinking. You have faulty tools to measure your spirituality… you are sick and you don’t even know it…”

So last week we started chapter 12 where Paul begins to address a concern he had seen in their report to him… their understanding of spiritual gifts…

And he wants them to know that the Holy Spirit is not there to draw attention to himself or any one of them through the gifts (like they thought)…

The SPIRIT wants to draw clear and explicit attention to Jesus.

And he wants to produce in them this unified diversity so that the workers of the body are NUMEROUS and surrendered to his will.

So with that context in mind, begin reading with me in verse 12… [Read 1 Corithians 12:12-31]

I think this passage and this picture of the body is familiar to many who have been around the church for a while...

But I wonder how often we have really slowed down to think about all the implications of it?

That’s why today we want to carefully examine our relationship to the body of Christ.... ultimately so that we can be zealous to experience the Spirit’s work.

5 Facts About your Relationship to Christ’s Body

1. You are either a part of the body or you are not. (v. 12-13)

Explain: As the Corinthian church is playing favorites and measuring spirituality all wrong, Paul demonstrates that there are not tiers in the body of Christ... there only two types of people:

those who are parts of the body through the Holy Spirit and those who are not.

Look at verse 12 again: “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.” (, ESV)

Notice his emphasis… it’s the same as where we were last week: The body is one… the members are many… but the body is ONE… the Spirit is ONE… the baptism is ONE...

Paul shows how this tears down the normal superficial distinctions that society places between people… he mentions two here: ethnicity and social status…

In the church, there are not different tiers or separations… they are just “one body”…

In the church, they are just “one body”...

You are either a part of the body or you are not.

In the church, they are just “one body”...

Notice the common condition of those he is addressing: they were all BAPTIZED into one body.

Baptism here refers to two distinct, but closely related events...

First, baptism refers to what the Spirit does inside the believer at conversion…

The Holy Spirit causes the spiritually dead unbeliever come alive through the grace of Jesus Christ:

He opens their eyes to understand that their sin has separated them from God…

To understand that they deserve eternal death… but that Jesus has taken their place and died for them on a cross…

To understand that he rose again to give them a whole new life…

And as a result of the Spirit’s work, they turn from their sin and trust in Jesus and the Spirit unites them to Christ through faith...

Paul said it this way to the Romans: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3–4, ESV)

We are baptized INTO Christ through the Spirit… we are united to him in his death and resurrection life through faith.

And that leads to this other type of baptism...

Water Baptism. You see, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an inward reality that MUST be expressed outwardly through the symbol and ordinance of water baptism.

Water baptism is how the church and the believer acknowledge together what the Spirit has done.

The individual says, “This reality has happened in my heart… I have new faith… new life in Jesus… now I need to make this public...”

And the church says, “If you have confessed Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are now identified with him AND his body, the church. You are part of us.”

And they put the person under water (that’s literally what the word means, “Under water”) signifying that the person has died with Christ and been raised with him… and they make this public commitment to walk in newness of life TOGETHER.

So many times people miss this: baptism identifies you BOTH with Christ… AND with his body, the church.

You are either a part of the body or you are not…

Without baptism, you are one of two things:

You are either a detached appendage… like an arm trying to be alive without being attached to the torso of the body to receive blood flow and nerve impulses and the health and life that comes with that.

OR… you aren’t a body part at all. You are like a CPR doll that sort of RESEMBLES a part of the body, but has no spirit of life or even opportunity for life in it.

Some of you have never been baptized as a believer...

And for some that’s because you still haven’t put your trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord… and I understand and respect that, and I would plead with you to put your faith in him TODAY because you are lost and dead in your sin without him… and he really is the good and gracious Lord he says he is...

For others, you have resisted water baptism for other reasons: maybe fear… maybe not thinking it’s necessary… maybe thinking that being baptized as an infant was all that Christ called you to...

Listen: not taking that step of obedience is keeping you from the full benefit of being a part of the body of Christ.

Others have been baptized, but you have not seen that as a means of connecting you to the local church.

It was just a thing you did one time because someone told you to… it was just a spiritual experience between you and the Lord...

But Jesus wants you to see that it is so much more than that… you were baptized into him… AND into his body.

Your baptism must be taken to the step of making full commitment and investment in a particular local body of believers.

You are either a part of the body or you are not…

So in order to tell if you are part of the body, ask yourself Two Questions:

Have I been transformed by the Spirit through faith in Christ?

Have I been baptized into the church, expressing faith in Christ?

Some of you have never been baptized as a believer...

Maybe you were baptized as an infant… maybe as a child, but didn’t really understand and weren’t really converted at the time.

And so for some, you’ve not been baptized because you still haven’t put your trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord… and I understand and respect that, and I would plead with you to put your faith in him TODAY because you are lost and dead in your sin without him… and he really is the good and gracious Lord he says he is...

We lack priority of the Kingdom’s value system.

For others, you have resisted water baptism for other reasons: maybe fear… maybe not thinking it’s necessary… maybe thinking that being baptized as an infant or unbelieving child was all that Christ called you to...

Listen: not taking that step of obedience is keeping you from the full benefit of being a part of the body of Christ.

We lack awareness of the Body’s need.

I’d love to talk to you more about baptism if you have never been baptized… I’d love to answer your questions about faith or baptism or Christ’s body… don’t let misunderstanding or complacency get in the way of obedience.

It was just a thing you did one time because someone told you to… it was just a spiritual experience between you and the Lord...

We lack confidence in Christ’s grace toward us.

But Jesus wants you to see that it is so much more than that… you were baptized into him… AND into his body.

Your baptism must be taken to the step of making full commitment and investment in a particular local body of believers.

I’d love to talk to you more about baptism if you have never been baptized… I’d love to answer your questions about faith or baptism or Christ’s body… don’t let misunderstanding get in the way of obedience.

But this is where our understanding and awareness of the body of Christ begins.

We lack priority of the Kingdom’s value.

We lack awareness of our own need.

For those of us who HAVE been baptized, we need to see the connection between our baptism and how we LIVE as “members of the body.”

We lack confidence in Christ’s grace toward us.

Some people have been baptized… likely out of faith, but you have not seen that as a means of connecting you to the local church.

It was just a thing you did one time because someone told you to… maybe it was just a spiritual experience between you and the Lord...

But Jesus wants you to see that it is so much more than that… you were baptized into him… AND into his body.

Your baptism must be understood to the degree of making full commitment and investment in a particular local body of believers as a member.

And when I say member, I’m not talking MERELY about signing a paper and getting your name on the church roles… like the church is simply another organization like the Public Library… where you can sign up and then not go for the next year...

I’m talking about living as an interdependent body part.

This means being devoted to one another in covenant membership and gathering together regularly for growth...

This means serving one another in ministry...

This means paying attention to one another’s spiritual and physical well-being… and speaking the truth in love to one another...

Once you determine that you are a part of the body, you need to closely examine the other 4 facts about your relationship to the body.

You are either a part of the body or you are not… here’s the second fact:

2. If you are part of the body, the other parts need you. (v. 14-20)

We have this unity through the Holy Spirit… but sometimes we can be tempted to think “yeah, but I’m not that important a part of the body...”

“I’m like the appendix. You can remove me and it doesn’t really matter.”

I was talking to John on Friday, and he suggested that my big idea for the sermon be “There is no appendix in the body of Christ.”

I like that… because look at what Paul says in v. 14:

“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.” (, ESV)

If you are part of the body, the other parts need you.

You should not… and cannot afford... to act like you are not part of the body… because it is true whether you think you are needed or not.

In the Corinthian church, a lot of weight was given to some gifts (particularly tongues and other gifts that seem more fantastical… as well as eloquent speech and worldly wisdom)…

Which left those who DIDN’T have those gifts either jealous of them… or thinking that they were not as valuable to the body.

But Paul shows so clearly: just because we think we aren’t needed, doesn’t make it true.

And just because the use of our gift isn’t as prominent or evident like a hand or an eye, doesn’t mean that we are not needed or not part of the body.

Illustration: Think about your big toe for a minute…

When was the last time you though about your big toe? It seems insignificant… I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about my big toe…

And when my big toe is in pain, I feel it…

But if I were to lose my big toe… like if it were chopped off... my balance would be significantly impaired… and my ability to function in everyday tasks would be hindered.

Even the parts that SEEM insignificant… the parts that seem to go unnoticed… are INCREDIBLY significant to the function of the whole body…

And if you are part of the body… then the other parts of the body need you… and that needs to be lived out in a local expression of his body where God has arranged you…

Do you see that in v. 18? God arranged the members in the body, each one, as he chose.

That means that in the transformation of the Spirit at your conversion...

God gave you a spiritual gift… we talked about that last week: a supernatural empowerment of his grace to motivate and mobilize you in ministry.

He’s has a role for you… a service a ministry in his body for you… he might have a few roles for you...

And he wants to supernaturally empower your activity IN that role as you rely upon him… because the whole body needs GOD working through YOUR PART.

God COULD work without using any one of his parts to build up the body… but he has instead arranged the body to work THROUGH his parts.

I’ve talked to so many people who look at themselves and say, “what good is anything that I bring to the church”… and so they don’t serve… or they only serve minimally because they assume the church can get on without them.

I’ve talked to so many people who look at their gifts and say, “what good is anything that I bring to the church”… and so they don’t serve… or they only serve minimally because they assume the church can get on without them.

Here are 4 things I’ve seen in people who think they are not needed… 4 reasons they think that way:

And they think, “well I’m not good at those things, so I guess I’m not needed as a part of the body.”

They look at their busy schedule and say, “I don’t have the time… someone else can pick up the work. Maybe when I’m retired… or when my schedule frees up...”

That’s a misunderstanding of the Kingdom’s value system.

But Paul is saying, “That is COMPLETELY not the case.”

4 Reasons Someone Might Think They are Not Needed: (these are just points of observation as a pastor so that we can search our hearts and apply this point)

1) They lack understanding of the Church’s objectives.

They only look at PART of what the church does…

They look at what happens up front on a Sunday…

Or they look at classes where someone is teaching a well-ordered lesson…

And they think, “well I don’t see a part for myself in those things, so I guess I’m not needed as a part of the body.”

But the church’s main goal is NOT to produce an extraordinary experience every week...

The church’s main goal is NOT to produce an extraordinary experience every week...

We are not here to be an academy where all we do is attend classes all the time...

The church’s objective is to equip all the saints for the work of the ministry… every disciple using their gifts to make disciples together...

People don’t think they are needed because they don’t understand the objectives… second...

Sunday mornings and classes are PART of that… but we also need people who have the gift of mercy and run toward people in need...

We need people who have the gift of generosity and leverage that gift to make sure the needs of the church are met...

We need people who have the gift of administration to organize or lead the work of the ministry behind the scenes...

We need people who have the gift of faith and who will go to the mats in prayer… and challenge us to big bold steps of faith in God.

We need people who have the gift of hospitality and are really good at welcoming people in and helping them FEEL the love and welcome of Jesus… in our gatherings here on a Sunday morning… and in their homes.

It takes all of these gifts to make disciples and help each part of the body grow together in maturity…

We don’t think we are needed because we don’t understand the objectives… second...

2) They lack priority of the Kingdom’s value system.

A lot of people look at their lives and say, “I don’t have the time or resources to be an active part of the body… someone else can pick up the work. They don’t REALLY need me.”

Maybe when I’m retired… or when my schedule frees up...

Maybe when I get my own issues fixed, I can serve someone else.

Maybe once I get a good savings account built up… then I can serve the church more.

But we steward our resources toward the things that we value.

We lack awareness of the Body’s need.

And the church is the organism… the body… that Jesus is building in the present age...

This is the only entity that Jesus died to redeem… and promised to build…

And the body of Christ needs to hold HIGH value in our lives.... Jesus loved the church so much that he gave himself for her.

Our commitment to the church should be just as high as our commitment to our families and our jobs…

I’m not saying that it necessarily gets equal time or money… that’s not possible… don’t think in terms of balance...

I’m talking about the value we place on the church demonstrated in how responsible we feel for it,.. how committed we are to gathering and serving...

Which will lead us to healthy stewardship decisions for the sake of Christ’s kingdom.

We are devoting a whole sermon series to this after Easter called “Good and Faithful: Stewardship as a Way of Life.”

As part of the body, we can’t afford to think “I have other things to worry about… my church doesn’t REALLY need me… someone else will pick up the work.”

That doesn’t work… and it will leave some feeling totally burnt out because they are carrying the weight of others in the body.

But I don’t think that’s always the reason people don’t think they are needed. Sometimes they just...

3) They lack awareness of the Body’s need.

3) We lack awareness of the Body’s need.

Sometimes people just don’t see the needs of the body.

Maybe they aren’t active in other people’s lives through a Gospel Community and so they aren’t hearing the concerns being shared or thinking about who they can serve...

Maybe they see a full children’s ministry schedule and think, “There’s no need for me to serve there. All the spots are full.”

Maybe they don’t read their update emails ;)

As a church, we need to work to make people aware of the needs in our church and each of us needs to pay attention to what those needs might be.

We are going to get a taste of this in the next month… the elders are sending me on Sabbatical from April 19 through May 31...

Think about how hard it would be to sing along with the worship team or to hear me preach or to catch up on a sermon when you are serving in a minisitry or sick on a Sunday...

Talk to Dan Riddell or myself if you are interested in that...

Right now we need more people to serve in Children’s ministry… the schedule may be currently filled… but it is often filled by the same people who are wearing 5 other hats… and when there are holes, the scheduler regularly puts themselves on more…

And our kids need to experience adults who genuinely love them in Christ.

Maybe you don’t see yourself as a “kid person” or as a “teacher”… but are you able to tell a child Jesus loves them and died for them so they can be rescued from their sin?

That’s what our kids need. They need to experience the whole family of families.

The reality is… anywhere you see someone else serving, you could be serving too…

Because we are all growing and taking on new levels of responsibility and leadership...

And we want to be a church that is ready to not only maintain what is going on right now… but to reach more with the gospel… and to help OTHER churches get started...

And all of that means that the body has NEED beyond what is apparent..

If you are serving the church in some way, you should be looking to bring someone along in what you are doing…

We are going to get a taste of this in the next month… the elders are sending me on Sabbatical...

And part of their purpose in that was so that the church did not grow too dependent on any one person… so that we can learn to function without my hands in everything.

And so I’ve been working with a preaching cohort of 7 men who will preach during that time… it’s all the elders, plus Charlie King and Mike Boos and Titus McGrath...

But here’s the thing: those guys are all active in other ministries… which means the rest of the body is going to need to work and help them…

This is a GREAT opportunity to adapt as a body and learn to see the needs and serve one another.

There are a lot of reasons people don’t think they are needed in the body… they don’t understand the church’s objectives… or they don’t prioritize the Kingdom’s values… or they aren’t aware of the body’s need…

But I think the most common reason I hear from people who don’t think they are needed is this:

4. They lack confidence in the powerful grace they’ve been shown.

They are only looking at their natural, perceived value according to the world’s standards, and not the value they have in Christ.

They think they aren’t needed because they are only looking at their natural abilities, and not the Spirit’s supernatural ability.

They are only relying upon themselves and not the Spirit...

Listen: the body DOESN’T need you if you are not going to rely upon the Spirit…

But the body DOES need you TO rely upon the Spirit and be active in serving others.

Spiritual gifts and your place in the body are not about what YOU can do… but about what the Holy Spirit does in you and through you.

God has LAVISHED his grace upon you so that you can walk in the good works he prepared for you before the foundation of the world.

It’s HIS grace that will enable you to do it.

Our confidence is not in ourselves, but in him who saved us and gives us new life.

Do you ever feel like you aren’t needed in the body? Do you ever believe one of these lies about why you aren’t needed?

Look for the needs around you and realize that the God of grace wants to use YOU as his tool to meet them.

If you are part of the body, the other parts need you.

Active. Fully engaged.

But this just isn’t about our need as a church… this is just as much about your need for the rest of the body…

3. If you are part of the body, you need all the other parts. (v. 21-25)

So some people in the church at Corinth thought they were less than the others because they didn’t have certain gifts… others thought they were superior because they had certain gifts...

We lack understanding of the Church’s objectives.

Look at verse 21: “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.” (5, ESV)

We lack priority of the Kingdom’s value.

We lack awareness of our own need.

We lack confidence in Christ’s grace toward us.

Explain: SO now instead of saying, “I do not belong… you don’t need me...”, the parts are saying “I have no need of you.”

This is spiritual pride.

They look at the gifts of others and say, “Yeah… that’s not what I need. I’m spiritual… I don’t need them. I have more skills… more resources… I can take care of myself.”

So Paul talks about these “weaker” parts… the word literally means “frail or sick...”

In this context, it’s a body part that we think of as weaker… the parts of the body that we would pay less attention to in their value.

Maybe this is the one who works behind the scenes and so we never acknowledge the contribution they make...

Maybe this is the one who works in unlovely places where the evidence of change is not big or fancy or immediate...

Maybe this is someone who wouldn’t be thought of as much in the world’s way of thinking and so we write them off…

Paul says, “We cannot do that.”

He extends this body analogy...

Weaker parts on our physical body get shown greater honor… they are clothed.. they are ordained...

Think about your feet… how many people here hate feet?

But what do we do with feet… we put fancy shoes on them...

How many people here love shoes?

There are also private parts that are beautiful for their own purposes… but need to be shown certain amounts of modesty...

That doesn’t mean we don’t NEED them… it’s just that they serve a different purpose that is not flaunted.

And the same is true in the body of Christ...

GOD clothes with honor those parts of the body that serve in unglamorous ways...

He takes what is weak in the world’s eyes and uses it to shame the strong in the world’s eyes.

God gives equal grace in different ways to all the parts of the body, which demolishes spiritual pride.

None of us can say, “You are weak… I don’t need you.”

None of us can say, “That ministry is shameful to me… I can’t have you investing in my life in that way!”

Do you ever say, “I don’t need the body?”

Have you ever said, “This whole body business is for those who REALLY need help. I’m just the type of person who deals with my own problems MYSELF!”

Or “I’m totally fine with helping everyone else’s with their stuff… but don’t come knocking on my door to help me!”

Have you ever hesitated to ask the body for help when you needed it?

Maybe you needed some spiritual guidance and wisdom or accountability… but you were too proud to tell anyone about your struggle...

And you thought, “God just wants me to fix this on my own. And then I’ll get it figured out… and then I’ll tell people how THEY can figure it out.”

That’s a lie.

Maybe you needed some physical help around your home… and someone would have LOVED to come serve you and spend time working alongside you and pursuing Jesus in those moments together...

But you were too busy trying to prove you could do it on your own...

Maybe you needed some financial assistance… but you were to proud to ask…

and you deprived someone of the opportunity to express the gift of generosity...

And you thought, “God just wants me to fix this on my own.”

That’s a lie.

No part of the body can say they don’t need the other parts. God created you to need the other parts to keep you from the destructive sin of pride.

If you are part of the body, the other parts need you… you need the other parts… because ultimately:

4. If you are part of the body, you share a common experience. (v. 25-26)

Paul is making sure that the members understand the part they play in the body so that the whole body can receive the care it needs.

His desire is (verse 25) “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.” (, ESV)

Explain: Once we recognize that we are only PART of the body, we can easily see that we are vitally connected to the experiences of the other parts.

If one is suffering, all parts are suffering.

Think about just getting a head cold… your eyes and nose are running and stuffy…

But the rest of your body feels like junk...

But at the same time, there is a contagious joy that comes from someone who is truly rejoicing in the Lord.

A healthy heart and lungs has a huge impact on the rest of the body...

I’ve said this many times before, but it deserves saying again: your spiritual health is not just about you. It affects the whole body.

I experience that with so many of you… just being around you gives me a joy because you are filled with the joy of the Lord.

We share a common experience as parts of the same body.

It’s not just that someone else rejoices and I should think about patting them on the back and say, “Good for you, I’m glad you can rejoice in that.”

It’s not that someone else is suffering and so I say, “I’m really sorry you are hurting… that must stink.”

Now we ENTER INTO their suffering and mourn with them because their pain is our pain.

And we ENTER INTO the joy of the person who is rejoicing because their joy is our joy.

The way that God demonstrates his care for his body is through the other parts sharing a common experience.

Those who are rejoicing need to learn to enter into the suffering of those who ARE hurting.

When you are rejoicing, do you work hard to enter into the suffering of those who are hurting? Or do you just try to maintain your joy by keeping your distance?

When you are suffering, do you allow yourself to truly rejoice with those who are rejoicing? Or are you jealous of their joy? Do you keep your distance because you are so focused on your own hardship?

In some ways, this picture of the body is more than an analogy… this is a spiritual reality.

In some ways, this is more than an analogy… this is a spiritual reality.

We are bound to one another through a true and real Holy Spirit. We REALLY share a common experience.

And this reality leads to this fifth fact about your relationship to the body:

5. If you are part of the body, be zealous to see the Spirit’s work of love. (v. 27-31)

Paul now leaves the analogy of the physical body and focuses wholly on his teaching about the church… the body of Christ… and the gifts of the Spirit that equip its various parts.

Look at verse 27: “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.” (, ESV)

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Explain: Remember, the Corinthians THOUGHT they were experiencing the Spirit’s work… they just didn’t understand what that looked like.

They didn’t understand that the Spirit’s priority was to clearly proclaim the truth that Jesus is Lord.

They didn’t understand that the Spirit prioritized gifts that edified the whole body, rather than just drawing attention to a certain person.

And they didn’t understand that the Spiritual gifts were all about expressing the primary fruit of the Spirit that is love.

So Paul gives them this list: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers…

These are gifts that involved clear language that emphasizes the clarity of their confession: Jesus is Lord.

This is what Paul calls the “higher gifts,” probably to counteract the Corinthians over-fascination with gifts such as tongues and miraculous signs.

Then he gives them a running list of gifts that are not bad… but are not as explicit as the first three:

Healing… helping… administrating.. various kinds of tongues.

And he shows… no one person has all the gifts.

God APPOINTED it to be so.

But then he says, “Earnestly desire the higher gifts.”

Your participation in the body is not accidental. It’s not your idea or even really your option. You are appointed.

The word for “earnestly desire” means to be ZEALOUS for them...

So it’s not the idea that you are jealous to have them for yourself...

Rather you are eager to see them expressed in the body.

All of the gifts of healing and working of miracles and administrative organization and speaking of tongues are preparing the platform for the clear proclamation of Jesus and the clear expansion of the gospel.

So to “eagerly desire the higher gifts” means that you LONG to see the Spirit moving through those gifts… and you work together as the whole body toward the same goal of clearly proclaiming the authority and salvation and love of Jesus to all nations.

Ultimately… we are longing to experience what he calls “the more excellent way...”

We learn in chapter 13 that this “more excellent way”… this highest demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s power... is when we demonstrate his primary characteristic of love.

God wants his LOVE to define the life of his church.

And that only happens when the church sees itself as an interdependent body, wholly dependent upon the Spirit… and wholly surrendered to God’s calling on their lives.

We are going to take a whole sermon on that singular point at the end of this series… after we explore the individual gifts more in depth over the next two weeks…

But for now we need to understand that what God wants to do in his body is express his supernatural love and care in and through every part so that Christ’s character is reflected and the Father is glorified.

God has so appointed his body to this end… this is what he has called us to in saving us... and if you are a part of the body, he has you here for a reason.

So are you part of the body?

You either are, or you are not… and I would plead with you this morning to surrender your life to Jesus so that you can be… he is worthy of your whole life, and your life is found in him.

And then if you ARE a part of the body...

The other parts need you.

Who needs your particular spiritual gifts this week?

We will talk more next week about identifying those spiritual gifts...

But it starts with simply serving and seeing how the Spirit starts working in your heart…

We have a unique opportunity to be the body this week in the midst of this virus quarantine…

as people are off work some will need help with their kids…

Some will face financial troubles...

Some will need food delivered to them because they are more vulnerable to the sickness.

Some will have a ton of time on their hands to serve others… look for ways to maximize the love opportunity we have in front of us.

The body needs you…

You need the other parts.

Will you recognize and admit your need?

Will you ask for help and be OK when you are in the more vulnerable place?

We share a common experience.

Look for those in the body this week who are rejoicing and rejoice with them.

Look for those in the body this week who are suffering and enter into their suffering.

It means you need to know what they are going through… stay in touch with one another throughout the week… don’t make anyone suffer or rejoice alone.

If you are part of the body, you get a front row seat to the work of the Holy Spirit as he produces his love in his church.

Are you ZEALOUS for that? Do you EARNESTLY DESIRE THAT?

6. If you are part of the body, God has shown you the best way: love.

Let’s pray right now like we are ZEALOUS for the Spirit’s work in our midst, and then let’s be his body together.

Ultimately it’s not about you… it’s about the Lord… and expressing HIS love to one another.