Dr. Francis Schaeffer, a noted Evangelical thinker, wrote, “Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful—Christian community is the final defense of our faith.”[1] Today we will look at how we can enjoy life together as a community.
Last week, we focused on Romans 12:5 where it says, “so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”[2] We saw that life is all about God and each other. This morning we will amplify how we can apply this truth as we look into the context of that verse. Let us read Romans 12:3-6. “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”
Last week I mentioned that there are three other “one another’s” in the chapter. In verse 10 we read, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Then in verse 16, “Live in harmony with one another.” These flows from verse 5 that say “we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”[3]
How do we enjoy life together as a community? First, we are to ASSESS ourselves accurately. Again, let is read verse 5: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Pride divides people. Thus, we are warned, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment”. The way we value ourselves determines the way we value others. If we are insecure, we will end up trying to impress others. If we are arrogant, we will alienate them. That’s why the New Living Translation goes like this: “Be honest in your estimate of yourselves”. An honest estimate leads us to express ourselves to others.
Note that it is not wrong to have a high view of ourselves. What the Bible warned us is thinking of ourselves “more highly” than we ought to think. According to the Bible in Basic English, “But I say to every one of you… not to have an over-high opinion of himself”. Another translation goes like this, “I say to everyone being among you, not to have high thoughts beyond what is right to think.”[4] A humble person knows where he stands. He does not have to compete against others or compare himself with them “but in humility consider others better than [himself].”[5]
In the Amplified Bible Romans 12:3 says, “not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance”. Each one is important. No one is more or less important than others. That’s why in verse 16 it says, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” In the New American Standard Bible, it goes like this: “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” Conceit ruins community.
So we are to assess ourselves accurately. On what ground or standard? Note this clause: “in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” I like The Message version: “The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.” We are who we are because of who God is and what He has done for us. I encourage you to write out the things God gave to you, like your talents and gifts, and thank Him for them.
Once we assess ourselves accurately, now we have to see ourselves in context. We have to be aware of our need to be involved. We would actually find our identity in our community. That’s why we are to ACCEPT our place in the Body, that is, the church. Verses 4 and 5 says, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Now that we saw where we stand personally, let us see where we stand corporately.
Each one of us is important: “Our bodies don’t have just one part. They have many parts. Suppose a foot says, ‘I’m not a hand, and so I’m not part of the body.’ Wouldn’t the foot still belong to the body? ...But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best.”[6] We should not expect others to be like us. We should not also complain where God placed us in the Body for he knows what’s best for us. We have to respect our diversity and rejoice in our unity.
We need each other. According to 1 Corinthians 12:19-26, “A body isn’t really a body, unless there is more than one part. It takes many parts to make a single body. That’s why the eyes cannot say they don’t need the hands… God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable. He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy.”[7] We need to value each other. For every part is valuable.
That’s why in verse 10, we are commanded, “Honor one another above yourselves.” To honor means, “to accord recognition and show appreciation.”[8] The New Living Translation translated it this way: “take delight in honoring each other.” We are to enjoy expressing appreciation to each other. There are times we think we have to put people down in order to bring ourselves up. But in the process, we hurt ourselves and in the end we go down with them.
How do we apply this? I would ask you to think of a volunteer in the church. It can be your Sunday school teacher, a member of our praise team, an usher or a deacon of the church. Then take the time to show how you appreciate him or her for serving as a volunteer.
So, first we assess ourselves accurately. Then, we accept our place in the body. Now, we ASSIST others through our gifts. Verse 6 says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” Remember that those who enjoy life are those who found a way to serve. In the New American Standard Bible, it says, “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly”. Each of us is gifted. God has empowered us to serve. We are gifted differently and uniquely. In his book “He Gave Gifts,” Charles Swindoll wrote, “A spiritual gift is a skill or ability that enables each Christian to perform a function in the body of Christ with ease and effectiveness.” Paul gave a sample listing here in verses 6 to 8: “If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” We don’t have time to go through each gift. But we will one of these days.
We are to use our gifts for each other, not for ourselves. According to 1 Corinthians 12:7, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” In the New Living Translation, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” I like what one commentary said, “None can work independently… each member profits from what the other member contributes to the whole.”[9]
You want to know what gift God gave you? Let me give you a tip. Just serve others. You will not discover your gift sitting down. You will not hear a voice from heaven telling you what gift you have. The Christian life is dynamic, not static. Just start serving. It is easier to steer a running car rather than a parked car. Sign up for the Sunday school team or the usher’s team or the praise team or the visitor’s team. Try it out. If you found something you enjoy doing, if you and the people you serve are blessed by what you are doing, most probably you found your gift already.
That’s why in verse 10 we are commanded: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” One reference says, “It denotes the delicate affections mutually rendered by those who cherish one another with natural affection, as the innate love of a mother, or as the love between a man and wife, or as parents and children, brothers and sisters”.[10] We serve not out of pressure but out of privilege. We consider service a blessing, not a burden.
The best way to apply what we heard today is to form or to join a small group. It does not have to be formal. We can just agree to meet with at least two or more people at least once a week. It doesn’t have to be in the church facilities. The group can share a meal or a cup of coffee. We don’t have to know a lot. We can just discuss what we learned from the message in our worship service and how we intend to apply it. We can pray for one another. We can encourage one another. We can even have fun together. Just inform us if you have formed a small group so we can support you in any way possible. For example, if you need materials, we can help you.
I read about a church with 500 people attending their worship service. Many people came to Christ through the ministry of the church in the community. But the church was not growing. People left as quickly as they came in.
When they checked on those who left, they found that most of them did not attend another church. They just stopped going to church all together. Though the church did a good job in evangelism, they were actually de-evangelizing their neighborhood because of their inability to hold people. It was very difficult to bring them back into any community of faith.
The pastor realized that something had to be done. He invited 12 new people to have dinner with him. After supper, he asked if they wanted to know the future. Of course they all said, “Yes!” So the pastor said, “Based on our statistics, in the next 2-3 years, two of your marriages will break up. You will leave the church out of shame. Three of you will have a conflict with someone in the church. You will leave the church, too. One of you will experience a big problem, lose your faith and then leave. Two will have moral problems and leave. Two will lose interest and drift away. In two to three years, out of this group only two of you will be attending church, and only one of you at this church.”
They were all so silent. Then one of them spoke up. “What can we do to avoid becoming a statistic?” The pastor said, “You can get together and as a group decide that you are not going to let anyone go.” That is exactly what they did. They formed a small group and supported each other through all the tests and temptations of life. In four years, only one had left the church never to come back. The church went from losing 10 out of every 12 converts to losing only one.[11]
Brothers and sisters, yes we are growing. But if you look at our statistics, we are also losing people. We need each other to stem the trend. May we enjoy life together as a community that we would let anyone go! Let us assess ourselves accurately, accept our place in the body and assist others through our gifts.
Let us pray…
[1]From the illustration database of Sermon Central.
[2]All Bible verses are from the New International Version, unless otherwise noted.
[3] New American Standard Bible.
[4]Literal Translation of the Holy Bible.
[5]Philippians 2:3.
[6]1 Corinthians 12:14-15, 18. Contemporary English Version.
[7]12:19-21, 24b-26. Ibid.
[8]The Expositor’s Bible Commentary.
[9]Ibid.
[10]The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament.
[11]Adapted from the illustration database of Sermon Central.
