ROMANS 12:3-6
A HEALTHY BODY
After World War II, a group of German students volunteered to help rebuild an ENGLISH CATHEDRAL that had been severely damaged by German bombs. As work progressed, they became concerned about a large statue of Jesus, whose arms were outstretched and beneath which was the inscription: "Come unto Me." They had particular difficulty trying to restore the hands, which had been completely destroyed. After much discussion, they decided to let the hands remain missing and changed the inscription to: "Christ has no hands but ours."
The work of Jesus Christ in the world our hands, it is in the hands of those who belong to Him. In that sense, He has no hands but our hands, and no feet but our feet. But in order to serve God and be what He desires we must first be a living and holy sacrifice. Only as a living sacrifice can we be what He wants us to be, do what He wants us to do, and thereby prove that the will of God is good, acceptable and perfect. The fully surrendered life is not only the prerequisite for worship, it is also the prerequisite for divine usefulness. Devotion to the Lord and active, faithful ministry are bound together.
We desire each member to be a living sacrifice because we are bound together in the body of Christ, the church. Since each is to be used to build up the body and help move each other toward completion and perfection in Christ (1 Cor. 12:7), the greater the usefulness the greater the building up of the body. We belong to each other, we minister to each other and we need each other if we are ever going to realize what Christ has for His body.
I. HONEST EVALUATION, 3.
II. MANY MEMBER OF ONE BODY,4-5.
III. THE PORTION OF FAITH, 6.
A believer's consecration to God and his transformed lifestyle is demonstrated in his exercising his spiritual gifts in and for the body of Christ. The basic idea is that every believer is a living part of the body of Christ and each member has a spiritual function to perform. But to carry out your function and build up the body an honest evaluation needs to be performed. Verse 3; "For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
Are you building up the body of Christ? An evaluation is needed to assess that question but this test can only be honestly administered by the renewed mind. A result of the process of the renewing of the mind is a humble attitude (you don't think more highly of himself than you ought to think). Only the humble can have the necessary sound judgment concerning themselves. Notice Paul addresses "everyone," "I say to everyone among you." No believer is exempt from this universal call to humility. For the sin of exaggerated self-importance is out of place in the Christian life. No matter how vigorously we seek to serve, our gifts will never work as intended until self is set aside.
The reason is that pride damages self as well as others. In his book "Psychological Seduction, the Failures of Modern Psychology," professor William K. Kilpatrick writes, "Extreme forms of mental illness are always extreme cases of self-absorption. [For example ...] "The distinctive quality, the thing that sets paranoid people apart is hyper-self-consciousness. [And the thing they prize most about themselves is their autonomy. Their constant fear is that someone else is interfering with their will or trying to direct their lives" (p. 67).]
A man who had a high opinion of himself stepped on a COIN-OPERATED SCALE that dispensed a card, giving his weight and comments about his personality. After reading the card, he handed it to his wife and said, "Here, look at this!" She took it and read aloud, "You are dynamic, a born leader, handsome, and much admired by women for your personality." Giving it a second look, she added, "Hmm, I see it's got your weight wrong too!"
Nothing so mars the happiness and stunts the growth of God's people as self-importance, conceit, and self-indulgence. [This concentration on the "big I' may show itself in several ways. There is a sinful pride of nationality, of social status, or of mental or physical superiority. Self-pity is a more subtle form of self-importance. Some people always feel sorry for themselves and are easily hurt if they're not pampered.]
We all need Paul's admonition not to think too highly of ourselves. Till we accurately see ourselves by realizing that all we are and have is by grace, won't live for His glory. Once we recognize that God gave our abilities and strengths to us to be used for His glory will we see ourselves correctly.
If you want God to think highly of you, live for His glory, not your own. For He gives grace to the humble and only the humble will He lift up (James 4:6,10). The person who thinks too highly of himself doesn't think highly enough of Christ.
To emphasize that the problem is because of our way of thinking there is a fourfold use of the verb to think (phroneo) in this verse. You are not to over estimate yourself or overvalue your gifts, abilities or worth but make an accurate estimate of yourself.
We need a healthy self-esteem and a balanced view of our God-given abilities if we are to be effective servants of the Lord. Conceit, however, is wrong! Genuine humility, on the other hand, enables us to think realistically about our strengths and weaknesses, and to see all our accomplishments as the continual outworking of God's grace in our lives.
Two ladies who lived in Shanghai were talking one day about the famous missionary HUDSON TAYLOR. They wondered if he was ever tempted to be proud because of his many achievements. Finally they put the question to Mrs. Taylor. Not knowing the answer she went to her husband and asked him. Surprised, he inquired, "Proud about what?" His wife replied, "Why, about all the things you've done." Taylor gave this startling answer: "I never knew I had done anything!" He was not expressing a false humility but merely recognizing that everything he had was a gift from God, and that whatever he had accomplished could be credited to Christ who worked in him and through him.
Let's ask the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts and motives so that we will not think too highly of ourselves. Self-serving accomplishes nothing of eternal value.
Have you ever read William Shakespeare's play "RICHARD THE III." It illustrates how improper self evaluation tore up a kingdom.
Richard the III tells the story of a man who was of high British nobility. In fact, he had wealth and great power because his brother was the king. Even so he was not satisfied. He looked with envious eyes to the throne. Nothing but wearing the crown would please him. So he made the decision to go after it. As the play unfolds, Richard is involved in one terrible misdeed after another, including murder. Richard finally achieves his goal and has himself crowned king. But the good people of England join forces against him in a revolt. Armies march against each another, and Richard III is killed in battle. The very prize he lusted after so strongly had destroyed him. He had reached too high.
Have you become caught in the dangerous cycle of thinking that you deserve only the highest, the best? All of us need to avoid the danger of being discontent with where God has placed us. That's why it's good to keep Scripture verses like this one fresh in our mind. They will help us thinking we deserve more than God has for us.
Inflated views of who we are, are rooted in our pride,
But when we take what God assigns, content we will abide.
Let's ask the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts & motives so that we will not think too highly of ourselves. Self serving will accomplish nothing of lasting value.
II. MANY MEMBER OF ONE BODY; (4-5).
The human body is use to teach how Christians should function together in verses 4 & 5. "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, (5) so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
The funcioning of the human body represents the church, the Body of Christ, of which every believer is a member. Just as the parts of the body function under the direction of the brain, so Christians are to work together under the command and authority of Jesus Christ. If we do we will work together to build up the body of Christ, especially and particular the local body or church to which we are united.
The emphasis is on unity in diversity. One body, stating its unity and many member that do not have the same function, stating its diversity.
We are dependent upon one another and our diversity amplifies and enhances our functioning in our fellowship. This enhanced diversity of the many must be unified or function as one body. The point here is that each member functions to serve the body. The body is not intended to serve its individual members, but the members are to serve the body under the head of the body, Jesus Christ.
The functions of the individual members, no matter how diverse they may be, are joined together like the functions of a human body are. They are joined by interdependence that leads to both healthy functioning and disability. When all parts functions as intended the body enjoys health. If any malfunction the body suffers loss. [Function translates praxis-what is normal done or practiced.] Therefore, in order to function properly, each must think properly about one's place by evaluating his or her gifts and their uses.
PBS had a special on THE BUILDING OF the Empire State Building in New York City. The structure was built during the Great Depression and the building was put up quickly. It was amazing to see how, during a time when so few people had jobs, that these men and women were able to accomplish so much in so short a time. The intricate details of this colossal job had to be mind boggling for the men in charge.
The documentary gave an overview of how the construction of this architectural wonder was accomplished. The plan was quite simple. It involved hundreds of men and women from all over the country doing specialized jobs. Men in one part of the country were foundering steel and shipping it to New York. People in another part of our country were cutting and milling wood, and then it was sent to the site. Still in another part of our country, there were those who were cutting stone. Then, when all these materials made their way to the job site, you found those skilled in hanging steel or laying stone as well as plumbers, electricians and carpenters.
They built this magnificent building the same way God designed the building of His Church. The Church is made up of believers who work together toward a common goal, and not everyone has the same job. In the building of God's magnificent structure, we can't all be hangers of high steel. Yet God's Word tells us we are all an intricate part of the overall plan.
Paul the apostle warns us not to get the big head about our job or function in the body of Christ, but to realize we are all simply parts of the whole. Important parts yes, but nevertheless parts that must continue to work together.
Peter put it this way in 1 Peter 2:5, "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house." If you think about it, just one missing stone would make for a weak house. We have too many Christians missing from the House of God.
I thank God we do not live in a time like the Great Depression-and yet spiritually we are tottering dreadfully close. Apart from all working together as the church, we will never be all that God would have us to be. However, if we combine our skills and gifts under the leadership of Christ, there is nothing God cannot accomplish through us.
A Christian should never pursue an unhealthy individualism that glorifies self and ignores God. We must remember our responsibility to others and acknowledge our dependence on the Lord, He can use our distinctive skills and spiritual gifts for His glory.
In Romans 12, believers are reminded that while they are part of one body, they all have different God-given abilities. Every child of God is obligated to recognize his particular talents and to use them in God's service.
In a commercial airliner, the pilot, copilot, mechanics, engineers, and flight attendants all have different responsibilities. What jeopardy the passengers would be in if each crew member neglected his duties for another role! In much the same way, serious harm can come to a church if its members clamor for the position of another. Each needs to do their different responsibilities to make a flight successful.
Don't settle for less than God's best by coveting a position you may not be suited for. Recognize the gift God has given you and "do your own thing." And do it well! Your place is where you can do the most good for God.
God wants us to use the unique traits He as built into us. We function best and accomplish the most for the Lord when we do the task we've been made to do. It's fruitless and frustrating to try to be something we are not.
With God's help, each of us has to discover and confirm our spiritual gift(s). [Some might feel uncomfortable doing this. It's hard for them to talk about their strengths. But that misses the point. These are not abilities for which we can take credit.] We need to for they are capacities that the Creator Himself has put within us for our good and to fulfill His purposes, in life and in the church.
Having discovered our talents and gifts, let's offer them back to God and build up His church by ministering as He has gifted us to function. Do what God has gifted you to do to build up the body. Remember even little is much if God is in it. Are you building other up for His glory? Don't make the grave mistake of burying your talents.
III. THE PORTION OF FAITH, (6).
Verse 6 turns from the whole body to the gifts that those who make up Christ's body are given by God's grace. "Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;
Each believer has a different gift or gifts and God has bestowed these gifts so the local body can grow in a balanced way. No gift or ability, spiritual or otherwise, is of value if it is not used.
I read the account of a retired farmer in a small prairie town in Saskatchewan, Canada, who owns a large COLLECTION of rare and valuable violins. It is highly unlikely that anyone will play those marvelous instruments as long as they are simply stored, protected, and admired. But in the hands of accomplished musicians, those violins could be making beautiful music to inspire and bless countless thousands of hearers.
It is infinitely more tragic that many Christians keep their spiritual gifts stored, rather than using them to serve the Lord who gave them the gifts.
If we are going to glorify God by developing fully function follower of Christ who share His love with our community and world we will need to use what God has given each of us. God expects you to make the most of what He's given you instead of worrying about what you don't have, or coveting the abilities of others. When you attempt to be what you're not, it's like forcing a square peg into a round hole. Even if you get a bigger hammer and try to do it, it won't work. It's also will be a waste of time, talent and energy.
Make a list of what you're good at and what you're not. Involve others. Tell them you're searching for the truth, not fishing for compliments. Ask yourself: where have I seen fruit in my life that others have confirmed?
The best way to find your spiritual gift is to experiment. Just start serving God! You discover your gifts by getting involved. You'll never know what you're good at until you try! Remember, the greatest ability is dependability.
The apostle Paul said, "It is required in stewards that one be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2). That means doing our best and leaving the results with God. Who knows, we may just surprise ourselves.
When LEONARDO DA VINCI was still a pupil, his elderly, well-known teacher asked him to finish a painting he had begun. Young da Vinci stood in such awe of his master's skill that at first he respectfully declined. But his teacher would accept no excuse. He simply said, "Do your best."
Trembling, da Vinci took his brush and began. With each stroke, his hand grew more steady as the genius within him awoke. Soon he was so caught up in his work that he forgot his timidity.
When the painting was finished, the frail and weak master was carried into the studio to see it. Embracing his student, he exclaimed, "My son, I paint no more!"
Every Christian has unique God given abilities. Some believers, however, feel inferior because they don't have as much talent as others. But we mustn't think that way. God doesn't hold us accountable for what we don't have. He wants us to discover and develop the skills we do have.
[A concert violinist had a brother who was A BRICKLAYER. One day a woman began talking to the bricklayer about how wonderful it was for him to be in the same family as the noted musician. But then, not wanting to insult the bricklayer, she added, "Of course, we don't all have the same talents, and even in the same family some just seem to have more ability than others."
The bricklayer replied, "You're telling me! That violinist brother of mine doesn't know a thing about laying bricks. And if he wasn't able to make some money playing that fiddle of his, he couldn't hire a guy with know-how like mine to build his house. If he had to build a house himself, he'd be ruined."
If you want to build a house, don't look up "violinist" in the yellow pages. And if you need someone to play the violin in an orchestra, don't hire a bricklayer. No two of us are exactly alike, and no one possesses every gift. In that way, houses get built and music gets played.]
In the church, God has gifted us in different ways. Our responsibility is to exercise the spiritual gifts that He has given us. When we do, we build each other up in the faith, and here is harmony in the body of Christ.
These gifts are grace gifts whose source is God. They differ according to the grace given. God has endowed us in different ways but they are used or exercised in the same way.
Each Christian must exercise his or her gift by faith. The phrase "according to the proportion of his faith" refers back to verse 3, God has allotted to each one a measure of faith. Each individual should evaluate himself, not by measuring himself with his own yard stick but by the measure of faith God has allotted him.
BISON are made in such a way that their natural inclination is to look down; the design of their necks makes it difficult for them to look up. In contrast, giraffes are designed in a way that makes it difficult for them to look down. Two creatures created by the same God but with distinctively different body parts and purposes. Giraffes eat leaves from branches above. Bison eat grass from the field below. God provides food for both, and neither has to become like the other to eat.
As we observe the animals and people around us, we're reminded that God made each of us unique for a purpose. One person's natural tendency is to look up and see the "big picture," while another looks down and focuses on details. Both are important. One is not better than the other. God gave us individual talents and spiritual gifts so that we can work together as a body,
Human beings are the crowning jewel of creation, and we shine the brightest not when we see our own likeness reflected in others but when each of us performs the unique functions that God designed for us to do. "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is "given to us, let us use them" (Rom. 12:6). Using our gifts by faith for God's glory is the key.
CONCLUSION
Healthy self esteem is important but if we seek to gain confidence from the wrong source we can become proud and independent. The key to self worth is knowing who we are in Christ. Our identity in Christ is where true significance and value come from, for apart from Him we can accomplish nothing of eternal value. In Him we are valuable and capable of worthy service. The question is are you performing valuable service for Him or are the things you do self-serving?
