THE BODY OF CHRIST
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
INTRO: The producers of our church literature are always anxious to receive evaluations of their product by those using them. Some is good, some bad. One comment was: "Why all this talk about the Body of Christ in our literature? Why not spend more time describing what the church really is?"
We have just read the Scripture relating our body to the body of Christ, or, our place in His Church. As we read, there are different members of our own body.
Today, we want to take a closer look at the body of Christ, His Church.
I. THE NEED FOR ALL PARTS.
Background of the passage. There were those boasting of their
superior gifts. Others felt a mixture of frustration, envy, and
inferiority.
There is a need for all parts of the body. Paul said that the body
consists of not one, but many.
1. Just as we need all the parts of our body.
2. All the parts of the Church body are needed.
The importance of different parts is insignificant.
1. All cannot be the eyes.
2. Our bodies would be a grotesque monster if all parts
were the same.
II. THE DIVISION OF THE PARTS.
Today, many want to be the head. To honor only those whose function
is spectacular is to live by the will of man and not the will of
God. Men honor the strong. The redeemed honor the weak (those who
are surrendered to God. See Col. 3:5).
We need more feet on the Body. Everyone wants to let the preacher or
the Deacons do the work. But 1/200th. or ?/200th. can’t get near as
much accomplished as 200/200.
Little wonder the body often functions so poorly when only 1 or 2
are expected to do the work of the whole body.
Paul’s teaching in this passage is that Christ’s plan is for
everyone to work together.
III. WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER.
Paul’s application in vs. 24-26 should be obvious. There needs to
unity in our Church. When one suffers, we all suffer.
ILLUS: Plato pointed out: "We do not say ‘my finger has a pain, we
say I have a pain’"
Our Christian friends in other denominations are a part of the
body of Christ. THere won’t be any Baptists in Heaven. The more
we try to work together, the better we will function as a body,
like our bodies.
CONC: Elton Trueblood has referred to churchgoing as "America’s biggest
spectator sport. Bigger than football, baseball, or anything else." His point is that many church members are only spectators at a church worship service.
They are not involved in either the worship experience of the church, or in vital service and ministry that results from worship.
I HOPE THIS IS NOT TRUE OF OUR CHURCH.
