The Diversity of Unity

Introduction

Personal intro

Thank you to our LBC Kid grow team. This is our kids team that care for nursery up to 6th grade. There are so many of you apart of that group and do such an amazing job. Thank you for your continued work in your area of ministry.

Our Wednesday night kids program that you have seen advertised as “Master Clubs” starts up September 7th so be sure to bring your 3yr-6th grader out for that amazing night.

We are continuing our series on ReThinking Church. We have been going through the book of 1 Corinthians as we are examining what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth that he had planted in about 50 AD. This letter is actually the second letter he wrote to them and is believed to have been written about 55 AD. 5 years after the church had started.

Last week we heard about the purpose of the Lord’s Supper and the byproduct of a proper understanding and observance of that ordniance t the church is not salvation, that’s only by faith, it is Unity in the body of Christ.

We are in Chapter 12 this week and we see Paul continuing the discussion on unity as He writes to the believers in Corinth. This chapter can be a sermon series all by itself but we are going to do a survey or overview of it today.

The title of the message today is The diversity of unity

Unity is not uniformity. Uniformity is percieved unity. True unity is at a much deeper level than the outside uniformity of wearing the same clothes and looking just alike.

True unity that leads to great impacts on those around us is found when many people with different gifts and abilities work together with a common goal and purpose without concern over who gets credit for anything.

It was Harry Truman that said “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

Follow along with me and see what Paul writes to the church corinth about this unity and use of gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:1–11 KJV 1900

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. 2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

1 Cor 12:1-11

Exegete:

Paul is writing to them about the gifts of the Spirit. The gifts of the spirit are gifts given to believers by God for the furtherance of the gospel through the local church.

When they were worhsipping idols they would say things in ceremonies like “jesus is lord” but it was meant as Jesus is a deity among other deities and not just God alone.

Now, they are not part of that type of false religion they are all unified in the Gospel that says Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the father except through him.

Unified in the gospel but given different gifts to serve Him with.

Each gift is proftiable to the mission of impacting the world with the life giving and life changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

He identifies the different gifts that are given and I’m going to take just a moment to define each of them.

Word of Wisdom and Word of Knoweldge- is a person who is gifted at taking the word of God and applying to a particullar situation.

Faith- The spiritual gift of faith is given to some, who exhibit extraordinary amounts of faith in their Christian walk and who, by their faith, are a joy and an encouragement to others.

Gift of healing- This was a gift given to Apostles to perform miraculaous healings like Jesus did to confirm the new revelation they were preaching to the people. This miraculous gift of healing as ceased and is not a gift people have anymore.

Working of miracles is the same as the gift healing, a gift that is ceased.

Prophecy- This is not prophecying the future, that is known as foretelling. This is forthtelling the Word of God. Could be called preaching.

Dicerning of spirits- When it comes to the gift of discerning spirits, every born-again believer has a certain amount of discernment, which increases as the believer matures in the Spirit. In Hebrews 5:13-14 we read that a believer who has matured beyond using the milk of the Word as a babe in Christ is able to discern both good and evil. The maturing believer is empowered by the Spirit of God through the Scriptures to tell the difference between good and evil, and, beyond that, he can also distinguish between what is good and what is better. In other words, any born-again believer who chooses to focus on the Word of God is spiritually discerning.

Tongues- This means languages. This is another gift that is believed to have been ceased. If you have heard of speaking in tongues in the past you may have heard of people speaking gibbersh in a service or something. That’s not biblical. This meant other people were gifted at speaking in other languages and was emant to be done with a translator and for the purpose of edifying or strengthening the church and its members who spoke that language.

These various gifts are given at the will of the father and for the purpose of edifying the body of Christ.

a fore more gifts of the spirit that aren’t mentioned here:

Evangelism: passionately leading others to the saving knowledge of Christ (Ephesians 4:11) • Teaching: making clear the truth of God’s Word with simplicity and accuracy (Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:28) • Exhortation: motivating others to action, application, and purpose (Romans 12:8) • Shepherding: overseeing, training, feeding, coaching/leading (Ephesians 4:11) • Serving: providing practical help both physically and spiritually (Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:28) • Mercy-showing: identifying with and comforting those in need (Romans 12:8) • Giving: releasing material resources to further the work of the Church (Romans 12:8) • Administration: organizing, administering, promoting, leading (Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 12:28)

Evangelism: passionately leading others to the saving knowledge of Christ (Ephesians 4:11) • Prophecy: boldly and fearlessly proclaiming God’s truth (Romans 12:6; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28) • Teaching: making clear the truth of God’s Word with simplicity and accuracy (Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:28) • Exhortation: motivating others to action, application, and purpose (Romans 12:8) • Shepherding: overseeing, training, feeding, coaching/leading (Ephesians 4:11) • Serving: providing practical help both physically and spiritually (Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:28) • Mercy-showing: identifying with and comforting those in need (Romans 12:8) • Giving: releasing material resources to further the work of the Church (Romans 12:8) • Administration: organizing, administering, promoting, leading (Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 12:28) Each of these gifts is given so that no one person is dependent upon to carry out the mission of the church. Each of these gifts are given to be used.

Illustrate:

How many of you have ever worked on a team project? One that required input from everybody?

I did this for a graduate course one time. I was in an MBA-A program and was working online with people from literally all over the globe. The co-lead with me on the project was in the UAE.

Have you ever been stuck on something in group discussion and then after you’ve exhausted every option to figure out the problem, let’s say its how to work an excel sheet to properly reflect the data you want to input, a person in the group that hasn’t spoke the entire time speaks up and say “O yea, hey, I can do that. I got excel certified through a microsoft training course and know exaclty how to make that happen.”

You look at the guy or gal and just think, where were you an hour ago?

typically a person like that is just waiting to be asked to help.

Apply:

As a believer you have been given a gift by God to do the work of the church. Determining what that gift is, is as easy as filling out a next step card and we send out a little assesment, and then you’lll know your role in building up the body of Christ and reaching people with the Gospel.

I. Without your giftedness, the church hurts

If you tak your gift and don’t use it, the church is negatively impacted by your lack of participation.

I heard a great message a little over a week ago about a seizing the opporutnity God has put in front of you.

Listen, if you are here at Liberty Baptist today you have a few opporutnities in front of you thank to the Sovereignty of God.

You have the opporutnity to trust in Jesus as your Savior.

You have the opportunity to be apart of a community of believers that have a desire to impact 6,700 people, 10% of our community annually. That’s a big number. But I’ve got a bigger God and I know He is able.

If you don’t use your gift though, you won’t be apart. God’s work will be accomplished, the question is, will you be apart of it.

Paul identified their various gifts and then goes on

1 Corinthians 12:12–26 KJV 1900

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 19 And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20 But now are they many members, yet but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: 25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

1 Cor 12:12-26

Exegete:

Paul reinforces the idea of unity and of equal importance. If the body only had eyes then hearing would not be possible. If the body only had ears then tasting would be impossoble.

We do not look at parts of our body and say “I don’t need you nose.”

Each piece of the body is important to our function and we do not operate at optimal strength without them.

The Cornithian church had been operated in disunity and not being a faithful witness for Christ because of it.

It would appear from the text that they are operating as individuals with gifts and not a body of believers with gifts, going the same direction.

Paul wrote at the end of this section that there should be no schisms in the body and all should have the same care one for another.

That care is not just in the pastoral care but in the respect and defference to each other not based on the individual gifting but on the foundation of the gospel.

I don’t respect and love you becuase of what you do for me or the ministry, I love and respect you because you are created by God and loved by Him.

Illustrate:

Let’s look at another list of gifts in eph 4 and understand how they operate in church

Ephesians 4:11–13 KJV 1900

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Apostles-Little a not big a. Apostles saw Jesus, little a apostles are sent on a mission and can be called visionary leaders. They are looking to break new ground.

Prophets- This is forthteling not forteling. Forthtelling is the preaching of God’s word.

Evangelists- Evangelism is the command on every Christians life and not just those that are “gifted” if you will.

Pastors-This is your typical idea of a pastor. Someone who provides care for others. All of us should be caring for one another but this is the individual that thrives on what has been come to be called shepherding. Although, with a full definition of shepherding we will understand that it is much more than just being there when your sad or sick.

Teachers-Pretty self explanitory here and some overlap with prophets. Teachers and prophets both connect the Word of God to the life you are living.

Let me ask you something what happens when someone that is gifted at teaching tries to be an apostle?

What about when someone is an apostle only uses their gifts for pastoring?

If we are not full of care for one another then we could get jealous and upset about the role God has us in.

Jealously and comparison will lead to disunity.

Apply:

As much as we hurt without a person using their gifts, we hurt each other as much if not more by misusing our gifts and being jealous of those with other gifts

II. Your Gift is important to gospel impact

God has you in this church at this time for a reason.

Your gifting is needed to contiunally impact this community with the life giving and life changing messge of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let me close by asking you this question...

Are you using your giftedness through the Local church by volunteering your time to the furtherance of the gospel in Bristol?

Paul wrote to the Corninthians about how they were to work togethr in Corinth to win the lost and disciple the saved.

The principle of that message is here fo rus todday. Are you waiting for a personal invitiation into a ministry team? This is it. I’m asking you to decide today, I’m going to serve God in some capacity through the church.

I’m grateful for those of you htat are using your gifts for Jesus. We have a great number of people involved already. Will you join that group?

1 Peter 5:8 KJV 1900

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

1 Peter 5:8

Our adversary is constantly at work. How are you actively opposing the work of Satan in your life? In your home? IN your church? In your community?

The bible says where your treasure is therefore your heart is also. The two most important thing to us are our money and our time. How are you using both for the glory of God? Does your time and money that belongs to the Lord get sat aside as you beign to live life just for yourself? Do you use your time, money, and giftedness to glorify God, or glorify self?

Time of Response

Whatt are you doing with your gifts....better yet…what are you doing with your life? Are you using it for God? If not, why not?

Are you here today and don’t know Jesus?