M401: Lesson 3; Ministry and the Body of Christ

Ministry and the Body of Christ

Key Verse: “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 12:12 (NKJV)

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to help the disciple appreciate, embrace, and cooperate with the various ministries Christ has appointed in His Church.

The Church is called the BODY of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:27 (NKJV) “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”

Christ is the HEAD of His body, the Church. Together, all believers form one body and are individually MEMBERS of one another.

Ephesians 5:23 (NKJV) “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.”

Romans 12:4–5 (NKJV) “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”

1 Corinthians 12:27 (NKJV) “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”

Colossians 3:15 (NKJV) “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

Each member of Christ’s body enjoys the grace bestowed by God in other members.

At conversion, the believer is BAPTIZED by the Holy Spirit into one body.

1 Corinthians 12:13 (NKJV) “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.”

The Holy Spirit fits each believer into their specific place and function in the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:20 (NKJV) “But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.”

Everybody is SOMEBODY in His body.

Ephesians 4:7 (NKJV) “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

“Each one” speaks of the individuals. “Us” speaks of the corporate body of Christ.

Illustration: This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. They all attended the same church. They all said they loved the Lord and were glad to be a part of His Body. One day Jesus issued an important assignment for His Body. Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. Jesus was grieved because Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done for His Body.

Everybody is CALLED to serve in His body.

Ephesians 4:1 (NKJV) “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,”

Romans 12:6 (NKJV) “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…”

God shows His love to us by showering us with His gifts of grace. We show our love for Him by using those gifts of grace to serve Him by serving others.

Matthew 25:40 (NKJV) “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”

Everybody has been given GRACE to serve in His body.

“Grace” speaks of the divine influence upon the heart with its resulting reflection in life for the sake of His eternal purpose.

The Greek word for “grace” is charis. “Joy” (chara) and “rejoice” (chaira) come from the same Greek root word.

The gift or measure of grace given to an individual for ministry will be evidenced by joy and rejoicing rather than by burden and duty.

The church must cultivate an atmosphere of grace in the church by discerning and engaging the gift of divine grace found in each member of the body.

God’s grace may be singular in some and multifaceted in others.

Everybody is a GIFT in His body.

Ephesians 4:7–8, 11-13 (NKJV) “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says: ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.’…11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”

Not only has God uniquely gifted each member, but each member is a unique gift to the Body!

Everybody is DIFFERENT in His body.

Romans 12:4–6 (NKJV) “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…”

1 Corinthians 12:29–30 (NKJV) “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?”

God’s grace is given to each one according to the “measure” of Christ’s gift.

The Greek word for “measure” is metron which means “measure” or “portion.” The measure given to each one is not unlimited. It is limitedaccording to the apportionment of the Lord in each one’s life.

2 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) “We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you.”

In The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), each servant was given a different measure of responsibility according to their personal ability. As each servant is faithful with the measure assigned to them, their management ability increases. As a result, the grace and responsibility to do more increases.

Luke 16:10–12 (NKJV) “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?”

Servants of God are not to measure themselves by the measure God gives to another servant.

Everybody is SET in the body according to the PLEASURE of God.

1 Corinthians 12:18 (NKJV) “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”

1 Corinthians 12:28 (NKJV) “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.”

Each member is set into their specific area of ministry at the pleasure of God to bring God pleasure.

Everybody serves DIFFERENTLY under the same LORD.

1 Corinthians 12:5 (NKJV) “There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.”

Every minister is serving the same Lord Jesus Christ in different capacities with the apportionment of grace needed to do the work.

Everybody is NEEDED and NECESSARY in His body.

1 Corinthians 12:15–17 (NKJV) “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?”

1 Corinthians 12:19 (NKJV) “And if they were all one member, where would the body be?”

1 Corinthians 12:21–22 (NKJV) “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.’ 22No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.”

Everybody together makes up the FULLNESS of Christ’s body.

Ephesians 1:22–23 (NKJV) “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.”

Ephesians 4:13 (NKJV) “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”

Everybody is IMPORTANT in His body.

Every member of the Body is important to the whole.

No member is better or more important than anyone else.

Romans 12:3–5 (NKJV) “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”

Illustration: “For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the battle was lost. For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost, and all for the want of a horseshoe nail.”[1]

Everybody is to be HONORED and cared for, especially those who SERVE behind the scenes.

1 Corinthians 12:23–25 (NKJV) “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.”

Everybody should GRIEVE when another member suffers, and REJOICE when another member is honored.

1 Corinthians 12:26 (NKJV) “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”

Everybody is to SUPPLY their SHARE to the growth of the body and the building up of itself in LOVE.

Ephesians 4:16 (NKJV) “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

Colossians 2:18–19 (NKJV) “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.”

Everybody must LOVE others more than MINISTRY and seek PEACE above EGO and personal PREFERENCES.

1 Corinthians 12:31–13:3 (NKJV) “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”

Colossians 3:14–15 (NKJV) “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

[1] Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac (1758) preceded by the words, “A little neglect may breed great mischief.”