1 Cor. 12.12-27 “Functioning Family”
1. In order for a family of God to be a functional family, first, we must find a family. We can’t be a part of the family of God at home by ourselves. We have to find a family, then, we join that family at events like worship when we gather together to worship the Heavenly Father remembering that worship is for Him; remembering that our goal as individuals and as the family of God is to magnify the Father. Then we leave the worship experience with the heart and the passion of Jesus Christ to go out and to share God’s love with the world. We gather to worship and leave as models and examples of what it means to be a Christ follower. We leave to be salt and light to our part of the world. We won’t perhaps have a first hand influence on non-believers in India, or Pakistan, or Uruguay, but we can have an impact on the people within our circle of influence, our brothers, our sisters, our moms and dads, our children and grandchildren, our friends, and co-workers, and sometimes even on someone we just happen to meet. The two, three, or four whose hands we help find the door to God.
2. And when we do that in the right way, when we love people as Christ loved, when we find ways to share with those we know God’s grace and love and mercy, they become Christ followers and they want to find a family as well and it may be that many of those we share Christ with will want to be a part of your family because they saw the love of God through you. And as we discovered last week, our family photo of what the church might look like as we continue to do this is a church that grows and grows as God gives the growth. As God allows our seed planting and our seed watering to turn into a harvest, we will see growth. And the photo we took last week of what our family could look like was pretty awesome. A church that was growing and healthy and that was reaching out to people to share the love of Jesus Christ.
3. But what happens as the family of God grows, or more specifically, what happens as this family of God grows? Well, let me just tell you, by way of personal illustration.
4. When Kolaya and I began our ministry in our last two churches, it was just us. Her and I. We could get up and go just about anywhere we wanted whenever we wanted. And we pretty much did. But as we became foster parents, and as Illinois’ department of children and family services began to bring children into our home, our family grew and so did our responsibilities. And it wasn’t as easy to just get up and go. And it took a bit longer to get loaded up. Especially, as we began to realize that Chelsey, Myles, and Austin were a part of God’s plan for our family. We knew that they were going to be in our house for more than just a brief period of time, but that they would become our children.
5. What this meant as our family grew this way was more laundry, more trash, more dirty dishes, more beds to be made, more food to buy. In essence, what we realized was that as our family grew, so did the work. And then as Hannah, Rachel and Joel came along, that work was increased to diapers to change, more laundry to do, more food to feed, more and more and more work. And as all of our children have gotten older we have been able to request their assistance around the house to help do some of the work.
6. And I just want to tell you that we have wonderful children. All of our children are what I think may very well be the best children. No offense to your children because I know you think yours are good. But mine are better. I say that because whenever we ask our children to do work around the house, they instantly drop what they are doing, and say, “right away” and they do it and they do it right the first time. They always pick up after themselves and put things away when they are done with them. Always. They practically volunteer to help us out. Sometimes it gets so bad that we have to tell our children to stop trying to be so helpful and to stop trying to do each other’s chores. That’s how good they are.
7. How many of you think I might be stretching the truth a bit? You got me. That’s exactly right. Just like you, my children are normal children who would rather play and laugh than do any work. They avoid work. They avoid doing their chores and when they do them, sometimes we get to invite them to come back and redo the work again. And sometimes we have to remind them that they are a part of our family and that as a part of the family, there are certain jobs they have responsibility to do and in order for the family to function like it ought to, we need everybody to do what they can so that no one is doing everyone else’s job. So that no one does all the work while everyone else sits around. Together Everyone Accomplishes More – TEAM.
8. And the truth this morning is that as true as this is for my family at home, it is just as true for our family here. We need everyone to do their part, to take responsibility, to do what they can so that this family functions like it ought to function. Another analogy that has been used is that of the body. That the church is like the body and that each of the individuals have an important part just like the parts of the body have a part to play in how the body functions.
9. Three times in Scripture the apostle Paul uses the analogy of a body to talk about the church. In Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and in Ephesians 4. Probably the clearest of these images is found in 1 Corinthians 12.12-27. Turn with me now as we listen to this scripture from God’s word. [Read text].
10. Paul tells the church that they form a group, or rather they form the body of Christ but that individually, each of them has something to offer. We can take this thought just a bit further this morning by recognizing that if each part of the body doesn’t do the work it is designed to do, that the body doesn’t work like it is designed to do.
11. Are you aware, for instance, that one of the biggest helps to balance is your big toe. Without the big toe, it would be nearly impossible without some work, physical therapy perhaps to remain balanced. Without your big toe, you would be at the least unbalanced, at the worst unable to stand or walk. Now, we don’t generally go around flaunting our toes and our feet, although during the summer time we might wear sandals, but we don’t generally say, “I’m so glad for my big toe. I’m glad it’s there. I really like my big toe. What about you? Do you like my big toe?” Yet, if we didn’t have it, or on those occasions when we try to walk in the dark and don’t see that chair and right between the big toe and the toe next to it, bam, we feel it don’t we. We recognize its presence, even though we rarely ever tell it thank you for doing its job. And what’s more amazing is that our big toe doesn’t leave our body, or quit doing the job of helping us balance if we don’t recognize it, or if we don’t throw a party in its name, or if we don’t send it a thank you card. The big toe does what it is supposed to do because it has been created to be the big toe. And this is true of the rest of our body as well.
12. And Paul’s comparison of the body to the church suggests that the church, the family of God, the body of Christ ought to operate in the same way that our own body does. Just like the big toe doesn’t wait for acknowledgment before it does the work it is supposed to do, we should quit waiting for acknowledgment to do what we have known all along we ought to do. Maybe we should give up trying to get all of the praise and all of the glory from our brothers and sisters in Christ and recognize that when we do something in the name of Christ, we are participating in being a part of the TEAM.
13. But thank goodness, I only have two big toes, which means that there won’t be room for everyone to be a big toe. I have four other toes on my two feet for a total of eight or ten when you count the big toes. Which toes are most important to me? Which toes are most valuable? Which toes are most a part of building the kingdom of God? Do you see how ridiculous all of this sounds?
14. What Paul told the churches in Corinth, and in Rome and in Ephesus was that whatever they did, in the power of the Holy Spirit, was for the glory of God.
15. So let me challenge you again, find a family, worship with that family, reach out to other potential family members, and finally, take part in the functions of the family. Find your place to serve. Use your availability and passion and gift or gifts God gave you to help further the kingdom of God. Don’t remain a part of the body who refuses to work because it all ought to be someone else’s job, become a part of what God wishes to do with and through you. Be a part of the body of Christ, a functioning part, a part that knows what it ought to do and even without praise or glory from the rest of the body does what he or she knows to do to help build and support the family so that it can function.
