A Place For Everyone And Everyone In Their Place

A Place For Everyone And Everyone In Their Place

I Corinthians 12:12-27

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- Years ago I was promoted to a position that involved managing a vast parts warehouse. When I first walked in to the warehouse I was overwhelmed. Parts and equipment were scattered everywhere. It is hard to manage something when you don't know what you have. In order to fix the problem we removed everything from that building and then sorted, inventoried, organized and labeled each part individually. When we were finished we adopted the motto "A place for everything and everything in it's place". And once we got things in order our company became much more productive and everything ran much smoother.

- God designed His church to work a certain way. He has put things in a specific order and when every person is where they should be and doing what they should do, things will work the way that God designed them. On the other hand, when people get out of the will of God. When people refuse to serve in the area and ministry that He has called them to serve in, then trouble will come. Each and every born again child of God has a place in the Body of Christ. My desire is for you to identify what that place is and that you would find yourself faithfully serving where the Lord would have you to serve. Today I would like to consider the thought "A Place For Everyone And Everyone In Their Place"

* Background: Corinth was a church that struggled with spiritually immature believers. There were some problems with division among those who made up this church. One area that caused this division was concerning the "gifts of the Holy Spirit". Those who are saved have been given spiritual gifts. - Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. ------ The gifts that are given to the believer are to be used glorify the Father...NOT OURSELVES!!!

- There were some problems in the church at Corinth:Jealousy and pride... envy and arrogance! The jealousy and envy stemmed from the fact that some felt that others had "better" or "more important" gifts. And the pride and arrogance came from the fact that some felt that their gifts were in fact "better and "more important". Here in this chapter Paul sets out to clarify that each gift is vital to the health of the body. He wanted the Corinthians to understand that there was "A Place For Everyone and that Everyone Should Be In Their Place. In order to illustrate his point he compared the church or "the body of Christ" to a literal, physical body. The body of Christ has many parts. And it is God Who has placed each person where He would have them to serve.

- The human body has Eyes, Ears, Hands, Feet and many other parts. There are many parts but only one body! The eye cannot say to the hand that it is not needed. The head cannot say that it doesn't need the feet. Look to verses 22-23 for a moment - v22 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 honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

- This means that sometimes the parts of the body that seem to be the least important are the most necessary. When each part of the body works together this produces harmony. When one part of your body hurts the whole thing does! Someone said that "God gave us toes so that would could find furniture in the middle of the night"! Have you ever stubbed your toe and the pain ran from the foot all the way to your head? Sometimes the pain makes your whole body hurt! The is just the way the human body works. The same is true for a unified church, when one member suffers we all do! And when one member rejoices...we rejoice together!!!

- Regardless of your place of service, you are special. Your ministry is special. Your position is special, (especially considering God chose you for that specific ministry!)