Ephiphany 3 - God Works With Us - The Body Together

12 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. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would 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. 16 And if the ear would 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. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 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.” 22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

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Drops of Water

Water, along with most liquids, has a mysterious quality about it when it comes to measuring it. You can count drops of water when they are separated, but not when they are together. When two drops of water sit next to each other they become one, and you cannot tell where one ends and the other begins. We see that all the time as the snowflakes melt together, raindrops merge into puddles, and even the clouds loom and grow together.

Not so with solids. We solids have clear boundary lines between us. This is me and that is you. This is mine and that is yours. Boundaries are healthy and important and they make us feel safe. When we touch those boundaries risk melting, creating new places of strength and new vulnerabilities at the same time. Make no mistake, every relationship involves risk, and the more connections we share, the greater the risk we share.

And the more we can do together. When God created the Church, He literally poured Himself into His work and made us more than the sum of our parts. We become a new creation when we move from being individual Christ-followers to becoming the Body of Christ together. It is the greatest risk we take becoming a church family together in the Body of Christ because it changes us and makes us dependent upon one another.

Drops of water may make their mark, but an ocean can reshape the world. If we are going to be faithful to God and fulfill our mission, we have to do it together.

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Teaching Disciples

The first letter to the Christians at Corinth is a vision of the Church that Paul passed on to them. Paul lists out these roles, which are roles in the church, not exactly the same as the spiritual gifts he mentions first. As we use the spiritual gifts that God gives us, we become these roles in the church, all of which work together to make disciples.

The first three of these roles are listed in a particular order: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers. These are not orders of importance, but the order of work in the same way that you build a building by first laying the foundation, second putting up a framework, and third, filling in the rest of the details.

How does this work in disciple-making?

Someone has to go first. Apostles are the ones sent with the gospel message and teachings of Jesus to lay the foundation for Christian community. This gospel message crosses all boundaries of geography, culture, and time. As Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Apostles lay that foundation and ensure it stays firm in the church. Then they invited others to come and build on that foundation.

Prophets come next. Prophets are those that carry messages from God to God's people. In the Bible, prophets sometimes told people about the future, but most of the time they spoke about what God was doing in the present. In the New Testament, prophets could build upon the foundation the apostles laid and help the people of a particular time and place understand how to live out the teaching of Jesus together. Often, prophets do this by matching their words and deeds, speaking and living out an example of following God in their cultures.

Teachers take the work of the Apostles and Prophets and bring it to individual people. Sometimes that happens in a classroom. Sometimes it happens in the workplace. Other times it happens at home among friends and family.

Apostles, prophets, and teachers all work together to make disciples, and it does not happen by accident. When they work together intentionally, they do not build systems or programs to make disciples, they become a tree of life - passing the word and spirit of God from roots, through trunks, and through fruitful branches. Apostles, prophets, and teachers all continue to grow and mature themselves so that they can support those disciples they are raising up and connecting into the church more.

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Helping Disciples

Apostles, prophets, and teachers cannot do the work alone. There are many gifts that serve to help others in a variety of ways. Some help with physical needs, others help with mental or emotional needs, and many deal with small but significant practical challenges people face when trying to disciple others or be discipled themselves. Nurses and caregivers, translators, those who help with technology, those who cook and clean, and the list goes on from here.

More than just having those skills and talents. These people have spiritual gifts of helping and serving that show Christ through example, and providing opportunities to discover a gift and joy of serving themselves.

Think about a football team. Like apostles, prophets, and teachers, sometimes the quarterbacks, runningbacks, and wide receivers get a lot of our attention. However, these team players would be completely vulnerable without the linemen. They clear the way for the gospel message to new believers and they clear the way for the teaching of Jesus to those who are already on the path of discipleship. And sometimes, the ball gets loose, and they pick it up and run in a touchdown themselves.

Giving, both financially, and in acts of service is an essential helping role in the church, and there is a noticeable difference when we give and serve as lead and empowered by the Spirit rather than trying to do it out of our own strength.

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Leading Disciples

The last category of church roles has to do with leadership. Those with gifts in administration, communication, and leading teams of people. These are the people who build relational networks in the church and creating organization so that we do not have to reinvent church every single week. Like choir directors, they weave all of the gifts together to create something harmonious and beautiful. They take a crowd of disciples and disciple-makers and make them into a symphony orchestra instead of a battle of the bands.

These Team Builders and Team Leaders keep us in right relationship with God and one another so that our ministry can grow beyond ourselves. Like the fishes and loaves, they take the what we have and who we are, offer it up to God and bring spiritual nourishment to the multitudes. They not only help provide, but are the framework that holds the church together, everyone in place.

All of these roles are people who Jesus asks to make disciples and any one of them could find a way to do it on their own, but without God and others, those disciples will not last. When we use our God-given, God-directed, and God-empowered gifts in right alignment with God and each other, we truly become more than the sum of our parts.

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CTA

Like puzzles pieces, like thousands of colored stones that form a picture... a picture that tells a thousand words, that form the truth of God's love for the world. Together we show and tell what God has done, what God is doing, and share the vision of who God is calling us to be together.

If you are in one of these roles of the church today, I want you to know that your service makes a difference and the ministry of the whole church in making disciples together depends on you doing your part well. Serving together is how we find our true belonging in Christ and with each other as His family, the Church. It allows us to show, not just tell what we truly believe. And in doing so we do not hope to become, we are the people God has called us to be.

If you are not serving Christ with the gifts He has given you, what is holding you back? Are you struggling to know what God has given you and how to serve Him? Are you not connected into church family enough to serve alongside others?

We have an opportunity at 1pm today for you to come and dig in a little deeper to these questions and share them with us together. All are welcome to join us. We want to hear about the gifts God has given you and the opportunities God is giving you to share those gifts with others.

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