1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
1Co 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
1Co 12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
1Co 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
1Co 12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
1Co 12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
1Co 12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
1Co 12:24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
1Co 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
The church at Corinth was having a lot of problems; Paul had a mess on his hands. There was division between the members over just about everything. This chapter was written to address spiritual gifts. How do I it know this? Paul says so in verse 1, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” They were divided over who’s spiritual gifts were better and they were grouping themselves by their certain gifts. These cliques were hindering the fellowship of the church and their effectiveness to spread the gospel. Some thought they were more important than others in the church and some probably thought they weren’t important at all but divisions over music, over translations, over carpet color (don’t laugh, it happens) can split a church and hinder the gospel message.
Verse 14 “For the body is not one member, but many.”
1Co 12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
1Co 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
Our feet are important, but can they grab things like our hands can?
Our ears are important, but can they see?
If you give ears a vision test, they’ll fail them every time; does that mean they are not important. Of course not, you cannot compare your spiritual gifts with others and think you are not beneficial or think you are more important. The Corinthians needed to realize their gifts were to be utilized for the whole body, not just themselves.
1Co 12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
1Co 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
If they all divided according to their gifts, then where is the body? We would have eyes in onecorner, bragging about how they can see, with hands pointing at the eyes, saying, “Look at them fools over there, they don’t even have nails.”
When I wake up in the morning, I would hate to wait for my knees and feet to stop fighting before they would work together. The Corinthians needed to stop comparing and start caring. There is too much friendly fire in churches and they wonder why they are not growing. We have the First Baptist church of Ears over here and First Baptist church of Eyes over there and it is all silliness.
1Co 12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
The church is one unit; everyone pooling together to get things done. No one in the church has the right to say that another is not important. The Corinthians who spoke in Biblical tongues thought they were more important than the other members who did not, but it was not a competition; no one in the Corinth church had more favor from God over another and no one lost the favor of God simply because they did not have the same gifts. The eye needs the hand just as much as the hand needs the eye.
Bro. Elmer can play the bass, I can’t play the bass. I can’t tell Brother Elmer we don’t need him and he can’t tell me I’m not needed. We have to quit comparing ourselves; we were are all hell bound sinners, saved by grace, and compelled by love to work in His church.
1Co 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 1Co 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
A schism by definition is a split, a gap, a division. These divisions or Cliques in the Corinthian church were hurting their gospel message and hindering their growth. If one part of the body is sick, the whole body can suffer. Just as the body works together, so most the Corinthians work together for the greater good of the gospel. When everything became a competition, they lost that personal connection needed for encouragement, fellowship, and reproof needed for an effective gospel message.
Fellowship in the Corinth church needed to be restored. They needed to put aside their petty differences; get invested in each other’s lives and get invested in the pagan culture around them. If you study the history of the city of Corinth, you will see they had plenty of people who needed to hear the gospel. Their dark culture was in great need of the Light, but they were too busy fighting each other.
Many churches today are having this same problem. Too many business meetings and not enough evangelizing. Our dark culture today needs our churches to be fine-tuned bodies that carry the freedom, the mercy, and the grace of Jesus Christ. The world is dying around us and we are too busy arguing about KJV or ESV.
What can Johntown do to be a healthy body for Christ?
We are to Unanimous: 1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
We are all baptized by the same Spirit. We are all saved by the same God, Jesus Christ.
There is only one gospel, one Lord, and one faith. Many things we need to realize are black and white and we need to all be on the same page if we are to work together as a team.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
This is our calling in black and white. Sin and selfishness has distracted many from preaching and teaching the word of God. This commission is not just for the pastors of the world, we must all learn and grow in the Word to save lost souls. We have our orders from the King, are we doing it?
• We should all agree that we want the lost to be saved.
Many churches say they want the lost to be saved, but do they act like it? When we leave this building, Johntown MBC is going out into the world; we are the church, not this building, and I pray it is with a spirit of saving lost souls. We need to continually prayer for God to put people in our lives. If anything is holding you back from loving the lost, you need to check yourself. Our hearts should ache and mourn for this lost world. If you truly believe in Hell, then nothing will stop you from telling the world. That is the spirit that this church should have.
• We should all agree that we want the lost to feel welcomed.
Many churches refuse to appeal to the younger generations. We want unity, not uniformity. Churches should be bending over backwards to get the lost into the doors. We should continually look for ways to engage the cultures and make an impact in everyone’s lives, not just people we like; Drug addicts, homosexuals, the homeless need a Savior just like you do. We need to get out of our comfort zone and work as a church to reach all sinful people.
• We should all agree that we want to impact the community.
We need to stay a city on a hill! We want people to talk of our great faith in God and our willingness to service. Not here come the Jehovahs Witnesses, but here comes them folks from Johntown. And I’m not only talking about door to door. This building is not a social club; it is a hospital for sinners!
We are all Unique: God has given everyone gifts as He saw fit, not because some deserve it or earned it, but because of His mercy and grace.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
We are all called to be the workman of God; too many people are interested in their so called rights but not enough about their responsibility. So the question is are you allowing God to us you?
• We should not keep our gifts hidden.
We all have our gifts and talents. We should be praying and asking God how we are to help the church. I get tired of people saying they will never do this or that. It is not about you, but about allowing God to use you. Many people can sing, many people can draw, some people like to cook; no matter what God has blessed you with, use it. If you see something that needs to be done, do it! If you see a ministry or need, tell someone and get involved. If you see a lost person, talk to them! “Ask not what your church can do for you, but you can do for your church.”
• We should not hinder someone from expressing their gift.
Everyone should have a chance to use their gifts in the church. I hear of churches splitting because someone didn’t want people play drums during the worship service. This type of mindset is plagued Missionary Baptists for too long. Diversity is what churches want if they want to stay around. Unity not uniformity.
• We should not think our gift is the backbone of the church.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
When someone views themselves as more important than others, it shows and can hinder people from serving; everyone needs to be humble and realize they are just another gear in the operation. The quarterback may get the limelight, but the offensive line gave him the time to throw the football. Teamwork makes the dream work.
We are United:
• We are united by the Great Commission
We all have our orders to make disciples. Studying God’s word should be our top priority and we should be helping each other in that respect. This world needs more steak Christians; we have plenty of milky ones walking around.
• We are united by our love for one another.
Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
We should constantly be a part of each other’s lives. When one person is in need, we all should feel in need. We are one big family and we should act like it. Call each other, stop by and see each other. For church discipline to be done, there must be love for one another.
We encourage, we charge, and reproof each other because we love each other. A church holding each other accountable is going to grow spiritual, guaranteed.
• We are united by our love for God.
Islamic jihadists are welling to death for a lie, how much more should we be wishing to death to ourselves and live for God as a church.
The Corinthian church had its problems, but Paul calls them saints nonetheless. Do not let your shortcomings hinder you from
experiencing the grace of God and coming to a saving faith in Him.
