“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?”
As a believer, have you ever felt useless, unneeded,
dissatisfied or jealous? It’s not
necessarily wrong to desire other gifts (12:31 ) but
it is wrong to think your gift isn’t needed.
For a body part to say I AM NOT a body part is just NOT TRUTH!
“17 If the whole body were an eye, where were
the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?”
What part(s) of the human body can you live without…kidney,
part of liver, gall bladder...? The body
of Christ is different...It is incorrect to think, “Christ's body can function
without me”. Would it survive? Sure! Even a human body survives with a few
parts missing, BUT would it be fully functional? No! It would NOT shine as
brightly as it could. God designed the body to run as a whole unit and He wants
the church body to do more than just “survive”.
“18
But now has God set the members every one
of them in the body, as it has pleased him.”
Christ's body is for God's pleasure, not ours. He decides what's needed...it's His reputation.
We should find pleasure in it for the reasons God does, not make it what we
want. We should not compare our function to other believers or churches.
Challenge:
We need to assess the gifts God gave us and be the representation God designed us to be. Accepting your place in the body is an issue of “Do you trust God's design and His wisdom?” To call yourself useless is to deny God created you to be useful & is to question God's wisdom.
“19
And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20 But now are they many
members, yet one body.”
Each member represents something not so well represented in the others. If the whole body was one part (eye, ear), then it ceases to be a body...it's a monstrosity! It always helps to keep the goal in mind...chapter 9 states we’re to be all things to all men so we might save some.
The Corinthians needed this lesson because they fixated
primarily on one gift (tongues) to the neglect of most others. What gift(s) do you hold in high regard? In order to see other parts as valuable, it
helps to view the church as a body in many contexts…not just a Sunday
gathering. In small groups we get to
see gifts of hospitality, mercy, empathy, comfort, laughter, etc. Different gifts shine in different contexts. It is your shepherds' (elders) job to lead
you to various fields of discovery. You
won't discover your gifts in isolation but rather as we serve together.
Takeaways:
1 As a believer you are needed 2 It’s all about Jesus' reputation, not yours
3 Your identity = one part of the whole
4 Christ's body should move together as one unit in one direction
Songs With This Sermon:
There Is Power
How Deep The Fathers Love For Us
Your Mercy
O Come O Come Emmanuel
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