Family Of Believers Series

INTRODUCTION:

Mission Statement:

The Redeeming River Church is a family of believers committed to preaching the cross with conviction, reaching the lost with compassion, and equipping the saints with the Word!

Three results of not understanding the Mission.

1. Plateaued Growth - growth seems to reach a certain level and then drop back down

2. Internal Conflict - constant infighting caused by an ignorance of what should be happening

3. Low Moral - leaders become discouraged when structure or bureaucracy stymies their vision for growth

I. THE BODY HAS DIFFERENT MEMBERS

A. MEMBERS ARE NEEDED IN THE BODY

1. Can you imagine having 4 eyes instead of 2 ears and 2 eyes?

2. You need to be able to see, but you also need to be able to hear

3. You need an arm to lift a hand to pick something up

4. You need a foot on the end of a leg or you might as well not have the leg

5. Without a heart your blood couldn’t get to your other members

6. Without a head the parts of the body that have blood flow would not be able to move

7. The problem in many churches today is that they have a

o head without the heart

o heart without the head

o leg without the foot

o arm without the hand

8. I Corinthians 12:15-19

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?

B. SOME MEMBERS THINK THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY BODY MEMBER

1. I Corinthians 12:21-23

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.

2. It’s like a big toe who wants to be painted up real pretty, but how dare the whole body take a shower

3. Some folks think that because they have a vision, a dream, an idea, that all other parts of the body should immediatly drop there dreams and jump on the new one

4. No matter how much the hand wants to pick up that big piece of chocolate

5. The head has to tell the arm and the arm has to tell the hand and the hand must pick it up and then take it to the mouth

6. Illustration: An organs point of view

Have you ever thought about what it would be like if the members of our physical bodies behaved like the members of the spiritual body sometimes do?

o HEART: "You know, I’m just stuck in a rut. For the last 45 years all I do is beat and beat. Lub, dub... lub, dub... lub, dub... I’m tired of it. It’s time for someone else to step up and do this job. Okay, feet, it’s up to you. You pump the blood.

o LUNGS: We are so under-appreciated around here. I don’t think the other organs realize that they couldn’t do their jobs without us. If we quit doing our job for a few minutes, everyone will finally see how valuable we are to this place. The brain thinks he’s big stuff. Humph! Let him do without some oxygen for a while and we’ll see how important he is!

o LIVER: "Why do I get all the dirty work? You think it’s fun making bile? I’ve been in this body for 45 years now and do you think anyone has ever asked me to make any decisions, pump any blood, or perform any functions that are noticeable outside the body? Sometimes I wonder why I bother."

o APPENDIX - "Ha! Just watch the rest of those organs work. Day after day, hour after hour, they work themselves do death. I’m just along for the ride. Why contribute when I can just sit here and get the same nutrients and oxygen that they get? Why get involved?"

C. SOME MEMBERS GET JEALOUS WHEN SOMEONE ELSE DEMONSTRATES A SIMILAR GIFTING TO THEIR OWN