The work of the church - everyone is involved

The work of the church - Everyone is involved 1 Corinthians 12: 1-27 What would you say is your best physical feature? That's the sort of question that you might well hear being asked on one of our TV chat-shows or reality shows where people are eating together and getting to know one another. Rather a personal question really and one that I suspect most of us, if we cared to answer it, would have to think long and hard about. However, the question is asked at times and the person to whom it's put may say that they quite like a particular part of their body, but that if they could they'd change another part. And I guess that with all the cosmetic surgery that's around today the opportunity is there to do so. But where does this dissatisfaction with self, this need, which some people have, to change what they've naturally been given, come from I wonder? Perhaps it's because we're faced in the media with examples of people who have the so-called perfect body compared with whom some of those who care about such things, are made to feel rather inadequate, inferior ... so that they feel that some self-improvement is needed. Well, the situation of the Christian's of Corinth to whom Paul is writing his letter is that they are in a way asking themselves this sort of question saying, in effect, which is our best feature, our best part? As they examine themselves and then compare their findings with what they see in others. And as a result there exists in Corinth a sort of two tiered church; a church where spiritual gifts, and the more obvious gifts in particular, are very highly valued and where those who have them are seen as being a cut above the rest. And as a result of this there are divisions within the fellowship, with on the one hand those who are rather full of their own self-importance, and on the other those who don't think much of themselves being people who are on the side-lines, who don't really feel a part of things. And perhaps when we consider the culture of the city of Corinth at that time we can better understand this situation. It was a Greek city where there was a great interest in philosophy. It was also a very religious place, with something like twelve temples to various different gods. So that as a result it was a place where high intellect and obvious spiritual experiences were both greatly prized, especially spiritual experiences. Because people there were accustomed to being under the influence of some kind of supernatural or demonic force, going into trances, or a state of ecstasy, or else being led to carry out some strange and unusual act by the spirits that came upon them. This kind of inspiration was seen as being vital if the particular god who they were worshipping was to be taken seriously, and those who experienced it were very much looked up to. And it seems that this kind of thinking was being carried over into the church as well, where again people who manifested gifts which they'd received either from the Lord or else from one of the dark sources from which they'd got them in the past, were treated as being special, and where the gifts and their possessor were given a rating according to how important each gift was felt to be. And as a result, Paul says to the Corinthian Christians: actually what really matters for the person with the Holy Spirit, God's gift to all who receive salvation in Christ, indeed the mark of the Holy Spirit that is of first importance, is that we're able to confess Jesus as Lord in a hostile world. Is that, contrary to our old practice of being anti-Christ Jesus, we are now totally committed to him. Which means that we must put ourselves fully under his Lordship. But then how are we to do this, what does it mean to say that Jesus is Lord of our lives? How does the Holy Spirit of God achieve this in us? Well, it's all about the church, says Paul, about how the church shows Christ's presence in the world to the world. It's about honouring Christ in the way that we do church, in the way that we behave together, in the way that we treat each other. The church in Corinth that we meet in our passage has been marked by division and one-upmanship, but Paul's expectation is that even that church, through the Spirits working, will gradually come to provide a model of the true Christian community. And how can that be? Well it will happen as they see themselves, and all those who make up the fellowship, for what they truly are. Yes, without doubt they're a group of people who are all different, different personalities, different abilities, but then they're different for a very good reason, which is that that is the way that God intends them to be. God is the one who is in control, who makes each individual Christian as they are. He's the one whose Spirit "gives...to each one" (verse 11 of our passage), who "has arranged the parts" (verse 18), who "has combined the members" (verse 24), who "has appointed" (verse 28), and that's all with a purpose - which is "for the common good" (verse 7). The fact is that each member of the church is, in effect, God's work in progress. It is the one Holy Spirit of God who gives to each one of us gifts that are for us to develop and to use. It is the one Lord Jesus Christ who is the model for how we are to develop those gifts, in the service of others rather than in building up our own reputation. And it is the one God the Father who empowers us to live in this way, who gives each of us that divine energy that enables his children to be, and want to be, the dynamic force that is his intention for us. To give out what he has placed inside us, to demonstrate that we do indeed have the Spirit of God within us, to fulfil his purposes not only for us, but more importantly for the church as a whole. That's why there's such a variety of gifts such as, wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, and so on. Because all these many gifts, and more, are needed by the members of the church for us to function properly as a church. And yet only God can sustain such variety in unity. Only he knows the best way for the community of God's people to be built and to grow into maturity. He's the one with the plan for the church. He indeed is the one who gives his gifts just as he determines, and not as we who receive them deserve. So that there's in fact no reason for boasting or for the rating of those gifts according to their level of importance because their presence reflects nothing about us but all about him and his grace shown towards us. Paul wants the church at Corinth to understand that they are like a body. And in doing this he's actually taking an image commonly used in his own day when referring to the Roman state or the universe, and subtly altering it. When centuries before the plebeians (the Roman Lower classes) had threatened to revolt against the state, one wise old magistrate had gone to them and convinced them that although they were less noticeable members of the body of Rome, nevertheless like the stomach, they were necessary to the whole; so that even though the upper and lower classes had different roles they were each of equal importance. And these fine sounding words had the effect of calming the people down. Although of course that's all they were, fine sounding words, because the position of the under classes as regards their betters hadn't changed. However, now, Paul also uses the body image, but in a different way. Not to keep one group down, but rather to raise everyone to the same level. So that he says in verse 12: "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body." And then he goes on after this to say something very significant. We'd expect him to write: "So it is with the church" but he doesn't, instead he says: "So it is with Christ." And in doing this he's telling the church about their high calling, about what they now are, about how they're to see themselves. Telling them that the body of the believing church is no ordinary body of people, rather it is equivalent to the body of Christ himself. That the truth is that in order to accomplish his work on earth, Jesus had a body made of flesh and blood. But in order to accomplish his work now that he's risen and returned to the Father, he has a body that consists of living human beings, each of whom has been added to the body in the same way. That is by being baptised by the one Spirit who now is sustaining and building each one up, as they continue to drink of Him. As a result, like any human body, each part needs the other parts if they're to function properly as a whole. In other words, if we are together the body of Christ, then we need each other, not only to ensure the health of the body but also to enable each individual to operate at full potential. It would be silly, says Paul, for the foot to say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body", or for the ear to say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body". Similarly for the eye to say to the hand or for the head to say to the feet, "I don't need you", would be utter nonsense because each part has its own function, each part is needed by the rest of the body if the rest of the body is to work properly. In a similar way, Paul is saying, any Christian who operates independently from others whether because they feel that they aren't worthy, or because they feel that they are somehow superior, is reducing both their own effectiveness and that of the body as a whole. And, again, this was what was happening with the church in Corinth. But viewing the church as the body of Christ also means that its members must recognise and value the differences that exist. They must recognise that each member is unique, distinctive, irreplaceable and totally unrepeatable. A friend of mine wrote a song for children which says, "I'm the only I, you're the only you, we're the only we, in history." And that's the marvellous case for everyone who was ever born but even more the case for the Christian who hasn't just been born but has been reborn, hasn't just been made new, but is being renewed as well, "in knowledge in the image of (their) Creator" (Colossians 3:10). As such, Paul is saying, we ought to relish the differences that exist and learn to capitalize on them rather than trying to ignore them or else remove them. And also, seeing each other as part of Christ's body, and recognising our mutual dependence, should lead us to want to cherish one another, to care for one another, as we recognise that we are all loved, chosen and being worked on by Christ himself. So we should be eager to give special care to "weaker" brothers and sisters, who might feel that they're not important but who are in fact vital to the health of the whole body. And this care is to be expressed both by rejoicing with those who are honoured and suffering together with those who are suffering (verse 26). In this way each part will feel cared for at all times. And the overall result of this church/Christ's body attitude will be that each part will feel a part, verse 27. In other words, we'll be satisfied, we'll find that our real needs are met amongst our brothers and sisters in the church. That our need for security is met in the assurance that "yes I belong to the body", that our need for identity is met in recognising and working at the fact that "I have a unique and much needed contribution to make to the body", and that our need for a proper sense of responsibility is met by assuming concern for others in the body, "I need you; I feel with you; I rejoice with you". And so the individual parts will grow more and more towards maturity, as people and as Christians, as we keep on discovering our place as members of the body of Christ, the Church. So then, the message to the church, to all churches, comes to us loud and clear. Everyone in the church has a vital part to play, so that surely each one should be welcomed as having been equipped and sent by God, their gifts recognised, and ways to bring those gifts into the service of the whole explored and pursued. In other words everyone must be allowed and encouraged to play their part. Always acknowledging of course that just as it is the Lord God who provides the variety of talents, personalities and gifts, so it is he, and only he, who enables the Church of variety to be a united whole. It was a message that needed to be heard by the Christians at Corinth just as it needs to be heard by Christians in every age. Because today we're still guilty of undervaluing our position as members of Christ's body, of not recognising just who we are, of not valuing one another, because we don't fully understand the implications of being made a new creation in Christ Jesus the Lord. Which is that we're created for a purpose, to be a working part of a dynamic whole. A part of something, the Church, which Christ has created to be an accurate representation of Himself to the world. Christ who is himself the image of God the Father. Too often we're to be found doing our own thing, having little time for the body/team idea. We discount others because we can't quite see how they fit in. We feel somewhat threatened by gifts that we're not familiar with and try to make others conform to our image of what the church is to be like. Or else we adopt a false sense of modesty, deciding that we and our talents aren't good enough, and so robbing the rest of what God wants to give to them through us. And therefore, the church is always in danger of never becoming what it is intended to be by God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Which is the means by which Christ continues his ministry of service to the world; he who says to each of us, "as the Father has sent me, I am sending you", with the hope that it's the Church as a whole that responds. Oh, that we might today be filled with a renewed determination to be that body in which each, and every piece is valued. Where there is no best or worst part, but rather where each one is both lovingly encouraged, and seizes the opportunity, to fully play the role for which God has without doubt equipped us. Amen