Will You Start to Function Properly?

1 Corinthians 12:12–24 NKJV

12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 21 And 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.” 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,

Introduction: Have you ever seen someone try to operate a piece of equipment for the wrong project? Like trying to use a flat head screwdriver in the place of a Phillips head screwdriver. Have you ever seen someone try to use a puzzle piece on an entirely different puzzle? Or have you witnessed someone trying to take game pieces from one game and use them on another game? In other words, I’m asking have you ever tried to be a quarterback when you were a lineman or a point guard when you were a center? In volleyball have you tried to play ever position without any other players?

Maybe you are not quite sure what I’m asking this morning so let me be clear. God called me out of darkness into His marvelous light. He has saved me placed me into His Kingdom, His church.

Through Salvation I am placed into the family

Galatians 3:26 NKJV

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

I. Function as a Cohesive Community (vs. 12-13, 20)

1 Corinthians 12:12 NKJV

12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:13 NKJV

13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:20 NKJV

20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.

One Body

verse 12, 13, 20 One body

Romans 12:5 NKJV

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

1 Corinthians 12:27 NKJV

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

One Head

Ephesians 1:22 NKJV

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

Colossians 2:18–19 NKJV

18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

Ephesians 1:22–23 NKJV

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

One Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:4–11 NKJV

4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Don’t Let Ethnicity Stop You From Functioning Properly

1 Corinthians 12:13 NKJV

13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

Don’t Let Economic Status Stop You From Functioning Properly

1 Corinthians 12:13 NKJV

13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

II. Function as a Complex Community (14-19)

1 Corinthians 12:14–19 NKJV

14 For in fact the body is not one member but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

Not ONE member but many. It is ONE body with many members.

Many pieces in a puzzle and every piece plays a part.

Diverse Congregation

Don’t Let Exclusive Skillsets Stop You From Functioning Properly

1 Corinthians 12:18 NKJV

18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.

This pleased God.

1 Corinthians 12:11 NKJV

11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Every member is gifted and placed by the God’s will. See the beauty in these words.

This is why we ought to say

WHAT I AM, GOD MADE ME

WHAT I HAVE, GOD GAVE ME

WHERE I RESIDE, GOD BROUGHT ME

WHAT I KNOW, GOD TAUGHT ME

You don’t have to be just like me. I will still function in Christ’s Complex body

You don’t have to be able to do things as well as me or you do things better than me. I will still function in God’s complex church

III. Function as a Caring Community (vs 21-26)

1 Corinthians 12:21–26 NKJV

21 And 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.” 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Every Member is necessary

MORE THAN I WANT TO: I HAVE TO

A DESIRE TO A DETERMINATION

A NOTION TO A NEED

A RECOMMENDATION TO A REQUIREMENT

A NOMINATION TO A NECESSITY

, but now we want to move into the fact that every member is needed or wanted and valued

God honors all directly (v. 24) or indirectly (v.23)

1 Timothy 5:17 NKJV

17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.

Paul said in to receive Epaphroditus

Philippians 2:28–29 NKJV

28 Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. 29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem;

The chief among the people is to be a servant to all

Yet all too often, God’s servant are treated as man’s slaves

Have you heard it said, “We pay your salary!” or “We hired you and we can fire you!”

Those

Romans 2:10 NKJV

10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.