Think Like a Body
Romans 8:3-8
July 28, 2024
The other day Debbie and I were at Payless in Anderson. We were walking back to the car and we saw some guy yelling at someone in another car. And he was NOT using the nicest of language. Of course we were a bit intrigued. So, we walked and watched and listened.
It turns out, the guy stopped his car, literally parked his car at the end of a parking aisle. Got out of the car and went into the store. I didn’t think you could park in the middle of the parking aisle. The car behind him was beeping at the driverless car.
So, the driver walks back to his vehicle, mind you, we’re also parked in this same row. He’s yelling at the guy who’s beeping and we could hear him say, “Some lady left a purse in her cart, I tried to give it to her, but couldn’t get to her, so I brought her purse into the store.”
He did an amazingly good deed. But did he have to leave his car blocking the exit?
Have you ever been inconvenienced? Pull into the gas station and your card doesn’t work. They’re out of your favorite coffee. You need air in your tire, but someone’s already there. All inconveniences.
The same happens when we use those self checkout lanes. They get backed up and everyone has a problem, and now you have a problem.
Why are we inconvenienced? Because our expectation is to be served. I get it! We want to get in and get out. We’re not thinking about how we can serve others, but how you can serve me. I don’t want to socialize, I don’t want to talk to anyone, other than grunt ‘hello.’ Let me get in and get out, with the least amount of resistance. After all, I’m paying for your services. I want convenience.
As we’ve been talking about the church, AND yup, another sermon on the church. And of course, in my mind, this is important.
As I consider these inconveniences and desire to be served, I wonder if we sometimes look at church like this? You’re here to serve me, not me serving you.
Our world seems to be more and more disconnected. We value our individualism, often times as opposed to family.
And yet, the church is supposed to be family. We ARE the family of God. Maybe that was an issue in ancient days, and that’s why Paul referred to the church using the body as a metaphor.
Lots of people in the church believe all they need to do is check off certain boxes and they’ve fulfilled their Christian duty. But that’s really not going to get us where we want to be. You know what I mean?
Go to church check
Pray check
Read the Bible check
Be nice check
Give money check
And that’s about it. I’m a good person, I do my best, and that’s about all you’re gonna get from me. But there’s more to it.
And here’s the crazy thing - - - - when we miss out, we miss out in serving others and when we serve others, we receive abundantly. That’s the cool aspect. And if we miss out, we’re missing out on a lot. And that’s next weeks message.
We’re a proud Christian. But, we think individually, not like a family. We think like a consumer, not a contributor.
A couple of things are missing. This came to me - - - -
You’re part of the church, BUT you’re apart from the church.
You’re connected, but still not connected. So, what to do? Paul tells us in Romans 12. A few weeks ago, we looked at the second half of this chapter. A section often called the Marks or Characteristics of a Christian.
Let’s look at verse 3-8 in chapter 12, and learn from Paul ----
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,
but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
When you think about it, the message of the gospel should humble us. More times than not, it’s when we have a high view of ourselves that we get into trouble. That’s why Paul tells us not to think too highly of ourselves. The deeper message is this - - - - have a realistic outlook at who you are.
He said ‘don’t think too highly of yourself,’ instead think of yourself with sober judgment. That means have a realistic view of who you are and what God has gifted you with.
For example, I like pickleball, and I’m not bad for a 65 year old. But if I were to play Joshua in a singles match, and think I could beat him, you’d look at me and tell me I’m thinking too highly of my skill-set and not high enough of his skill. If we played, he’d beat me 11-1, and that would be because he miss hits a shot, or feels sorry for me.
That’s what Paul’s getting at.
That’s the start of who we’re called to be as a church. Don’t look at others in the church and say, ‘well, they have nothing to offer and nobody can refuse what I have to offer, because I’m the best.’ Don’t go there. That’s not honoring to God.
The message of the Bible attacks our pride. Which is the source of most of our problems.
Pride keeps us from acknowledging the help we need. Because we’re thinking like an individual, not within a community. On the flip side, humility drives us in dependence - - - - deeper into the body, where God’s grace comes to us in part through the spiritual gifts of others.
It’s when we can admit our needs and weaknesses and at the same time, be a servant to others because of the measure of giftedness God has given us.
That’s where Paul’s going in the next verses. He wrote - - - -
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function,
5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;
8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity;
the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. - 12:3-8
We are a body. We must think like a body. Every member matters. We’re connected to one another. We’re family.
We’re members of one another. We belong together. In some ways, that’s counter-cultural. We have to resist the spirit of the age that whispers, “I don’t need the church to be a Christian.”
I believe we need the church to be effective. Whether we worship online or in person, we need one another. If we want to be spiritually healthy,
we need the church . . . .
And - - - the church needs you. It’s a both / and.
So, how do we do this both / and?
How do we make it work in a way which honors God and at the very same time fulfills us?
Paul doesn’t give us an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts, but learning our gifts is so important and even experimenting . . . saying, ‘sure I’ll try this.’ Leads us to discover what we’re passionate about and what we’re not.
This is what Paul’s getting at in this passage.
• We each have a gift. (6a)
• Our gifts aren’t identical to one another. They differ (6b)
• Our gifts are given to us by the grace of God. (6c)
• Our gifts are to be used (6d)
We use our gifts to build up the body of Christ. Our gifts are not simply to make us feel good about ourselves.
Yet, when we use our gifts, we do feel good about ourselves, because we feel fulfilled because we’re doing exactly what God has called us to do and we’re following His plan, design and destiny for our lives.
Paul lists various gifts in this passage, and then we see more in 1 Corinthians 12 and in 1 Peter.
There are spiritual gift inventories I can give you to help you learn more about what gifts you have. Sometimes, simply talking to someone has a way of uncovering what you’re skilled at and passionate at.
I’ve said it before, one of my gifts is teaching. I love to teach, I’m empowered by teaching. It’s fun. But that’s when I teach adults or older teens. Don’t ask me to teach 1st graders. I can’t! I can play with them, I can love them, but I can’t teach them for more than 5 minutes. I know my gifts and what works and doesn’t work.
This is how I would teach! VBS picture
The reason we have spiritual gifts is to strengthen the faith of other members and enjoy serving God.
Where is the body weak?
Whose faith needs strengthening?
Who’s in trouble?
Where is help needed? And . . . .
How can I help?
That’s usually how people discover their gifts. They see a need and make themselves available.
This may sound strange to some of you . . . . but you didn’t know me before I knew Christ. I didn’t like talking to people in public. I was a terrible public speaker.
I actually discovered I could talk to people when I subbed for someone in a Sunday School class while I was in seminary. I’m not sure why I even said yes. But I’m thrilled I did. It was like God flipped a switch on and I was a new person.
It wasn’t me and it’s still not me. The glory goes to God for what I do. If you saw me in college speech class, you would have said, I’ll never speak to crowds of people for a living. I was bad!
It’s so affirming when you have an experience like that, because it confirms what God is doing in your life.
If you don’t know where or how to begin, start there: Open your eyes and ears. Look for needs and listen for opportunities. Ask God to guide you. Talk to me.
When you see weak, shaky, wavering faith, strengthen it! Encourage it!
When you see a need to serve, jump in. It’s not permanent. But it’s a start about who you are being called to be.
Maybe you’re not a teacher, but you love to write and study.
Maybe someone is in need of mercy, and you offer it, and something clicks.
Or you have the ability to give financially and be a blessing to others.
Even faith is a spiritual gift. It seems strange, we all have faith, yet some people are blessed with this amazing faith that encourages others. Maybe that’s you and you can help someone who’s struggling.
Sometimes we need to think about what the body needs. If we can provide it, then jump in. If it doesn’t work for you, it’s not a loss, it’s a learning experience. You learned what works and doesn’t work for you and that’s great. Then take the jump into the next area of need. That’s thinking like a body.
What are you good at? What unique skill set or ability do you possess?
What are you drawn towards and passionate about?
What kind of ministry is satisfying to you?
What problems do you most notice?
Where do people affirm you about things you do in your life. Things they experience God is using you to make an impact.
Paul gives a list in Romans 12. But I’m giving more than what’s in this section. See if any of them stand out to you as an ability, or an affirmation.
Prophecy - Speaking forth truth in a situation
SERVING – This is practical help for those in need.
Hospitality - means having a welcoming spirit.
Administration - people who enjoy doing those planning type of things and keeping the ship running.
Intercession - praying for the needs of others.
Teaching - helping others learn about the truth of Jesus.
Giving - Practicing generosity, financially or with material goods with no ulterior motive.
Encouragement - helping people who need a boost, a pick me up.
Mercy - people who desire to help those who appear afflicted and in need.
Compassion - having empathy towards those who are hurting
Leadership - being passionate about leading people.
Faith - having a belief in Jesus which encourages others.
Craftsmanship - an ability to build things
Evangelism - giftedness to proclaim Christ in a loving way.
Discernment - being able to distinguish and help others.
And there’s more. I’m not listing all of them. But the point is to see where you fit in according to God. It’s using these gifts God has given you for the building of His church.
As I’ve been saying, it’s individual and collective. We learn our gifts and we serve in the community of believers. Whether it’s in the church or community, it’s about using these gifts.
The goal is to serve. It’s not expecting others to serve us, we serve. And if we all did that, we would find that we are served as well.
So, I want to encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open. Keep your heart and spirit open, so that when you see that need, you’re willing to jump in. Again, if you want to know your gifts, it’s great to take an inventory that I have which will help you.
It’s being connected, committed and contributing. That’s thinking like a body, not like a consumer. That’s offering yourself to God and to others. That’s a beautiful picture of what a healthy, functioning, strong body looks like.
So discover, develop, and deploy your gifts!
It’s following the path of what Jesus said - - - -
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve - Mark 10:45
