Text: 1 Cor 12:12-26, Title: The Necessity of Armpits, Date/Place: NRBC, 11.20.11, AM
A. Opening illustration: everybody’s job on the baseball field.
B. Background to passage: Continuing to walk through Paul’s teaching on spiritual gifts, we are going to look today at the necessity of all of our ministries to produce a unified, effective, Christ-centered, kingdom-oriented growth and health. The Corinthians are prideful, envious, self-centered, and self-exalting in their use of the spiritual gifts. Some are propelling themselves to the top of the pile and disregarding other less showy members.
C. Main thought: diversity in unity
A. The ground of unity in the church (v. 12-13)
1. Paul gives the teaching in verse 12: the body is one, but its members are many. He begins to deal with diversity in the body and unity of the body. Then he gives a ground or a reason for that unity: we have all been immersed into the body by Jesus (the baptizer) with the Holy Spirit. Every believer has been (past tense) made to drink and immersed with the Spirit of God. The ground of unity is the indwelling Spirit, the transforming grace, the new life in regeneration that all believers must have. Talk for a minute about Spirit baptism vs. second blessing theology. All believers have the Holy Spirit.
2. Rom 8:9, 14-17, Eph 5:18,
3. Illustration: all the military comes through basic training/boot camp, all police officers come through the Police academy,
4. You are a part of me, and I am a part of you. And together we are the body of Christ at New River. Our unity is not based on our race, our social position, our financial level, our jobs, our choice of churches, our family histories, our theology, our worship style, our education level, or even our personalities, it is Christ! We must learn to identify and define ourselves and think of ourselves as believers more than any of these other realities. You are a Christian, in whom the Spirit of the Living God dwells. Christ has changed your life, and given you new purpose along with a new guide. The reason that you can lock arms will all these that are different from you with a great sense of affection and purpose, is because the special representative of Jesus lives inside of you, prompting you to love others and help them on their journey. And if we live a Spirit-filled life, obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit, then even though our differences, disagreements, and diversities we will be one in Him.
B. The mechanics of unity in the church (v. 14-21)
1. Then Paul moves on to talk about how this works. In fact, he begins with the way that it doesn’t work. There are two attitudes here that he speaks of as problematic feelings about diversity in the body. 1) There were some who thought that since they didn’t have one of the more showy gifts (although any gift would apply), they were unnecessary to the body (v. 15-16). And Paul answered this attitude with the logic that if everyone was an eye, we would be deaf, and if everyone was an ear, we wouldn’t be able to smell. 2) There were some that had the showy, up front kind of gifts, and they were saying that they others where not necessary because their gifts were not necessary (v. 21). Paul answers here in two ways, first that both these attitudes are wrong and self-centered, and that God put all the members in the body as He pleased, but secondly that the parts that we think are weaker are actually more necessary, and the parts that we think are less honorable are of greater honor. Even the parts that we always cover up have extreme value.
2. Argumentation
3. Illustration: you can live without a foot, but you can’t live without a liver, “unity doesn’t mean, uniformity.”
4. Do you feel left out because you are not a teacher or a choir member? Do you feel like you are really not part of the body because your name is not on the official officers and servants list? What would it be like not to have eyelashes? So don’t envy the eye if you are the lash. The body would severely suffer if all were preachers, and there were no singers and instrumentalists, or sound people, or nursery workers, or no congregation to lift their voice in praise? Every part is important. Those who pray for our service, pray for our membership, pray for our leaders are doing more than they realize, and actually may be more necessary. If you are one who knows your spiritual gift, and uses it in a public light, and you look down upon others you “only pray,” or those who don’t do much at all, you don’t understand the body. And remember, God put you and your gifts at New River for such a time as this.
C. The outworking of unity in the church (v. 22-26)
1. 1) Everyone values the undervalued. He tells them to put value upon those who are less out front. This attitude let’s everyone know that their position or giftedness is not what testifies to their value or worth. 2) Everyone avoids division. Division is an evil scheme of the devil, especially on churches that are growing. 3) Everyone feels and loves one another. Paul says that members should have the same care for one another. He gives examples to further explain: when one member suffers, we all suffer with him/her; when one member is exalted, we rejoice with them. This happens more naturally when we are sharing life and work together. This is why Paul is addressing attitude and community more so than spiritual gifts per se. The issue is not really ignorance/knowledge, but brotherly love (or lack thereof).
2.
3. Illustration: there was a reality show recently called “Undercover Boss,” and the attitude of the boss was extremely different after some value was placed on the little people,
4. Again this is more about attitude than anything. People sense your attitudes regardless of what you say. You can do this by going out of your way to say thanks. What if all the parents whose kids went to children’s church wrote a little note or email to say how much it means to them for those who were doing children’s church that day to teach their children? Or how about a SS class telling the cleaning crew for the week how much they appreciate them? Or the yard crew, or Wendell, Mike, Ricky, and Benny, or the greeters? When everyone does their part with joy and values highly the other parts and people, we can help division-proof our church. This does require everyone to do their part. What is your part of New River? Where do you fit in? 3) It is hard to artificially manufacture feelings (although it can be done). It is much easier to grudgingly fulfill a perceived duty (which sometimes is better than nothing). But if we have real community and real unity, our feelings of affection toward one another flourish, and we don’t have to default to duty. This is why I keep stressing community. We must get involved in people’s lives, it is the key!!!!! Please intentionally make in-roads into others at NR. Dinner, recreation, etc, especially with new people, and especially across generational lines. Tell about Everett Anthony.
A. Closing illustration:
B. Recap
C. Invitation to commitment
Additional Notes
• Is Christ Exalted, Magnified, Honored, and Glorified?
