“A Little Does a Lot”
Eph. 4.11-16
Series: Vertigo: Discovering Your Direction through Service:
1.The Way Up is Down
2.Firm Footing
3.A Little Does a Lot
4.Inside Out
Written by Steve Miller, with prep and collaboration through the NRHC Carolina Network, (pastor@centergrovebc.org)
Introduction
The sermon series is called Vertigo, because living the Christian life is often upside from the world’s standards. It can be very disorienting when “the way up is down,” and when the way to go forward is standing firm-footed.
Here’s another disorienting fact: The way you live as a Christian affects every other Christian in the world. … It is bewildering to think that each of us could have that kind of impact, especially when our American culture thrives on being so independent. But it is not that way with Christians. The Bible tells us that we are parts of the Body of Christ which are not independent, but interdependent. When all parts work properly in their unique way, the whole body is unified and healthy, but it if each doesn’t serve the other well, the body is incomplete and ineffective.
Some of you mentioned two weeks ago that you had experienced vertigo—that sensation of dizziness. Where does that sensation come from? Is it your legs that are unsteady, is it your eyes that twist reality, is it your head that’s spinning, or is it your stomach that’s turning? It really isn’t any of those things…it’s caused by a tiny tube of fluid that lies behind the eardrum. Such a small part, that you may never know you had, is the culprit that can cause a full system breakdown when it’s not doing its part. –A Little Does a Lot
So much can be affected by so little when that part is missing or malfunctioning. The same goes for you if you’re not serving in the Body of Christ in the way God has designed you to work.
On the other hand, the human body is truly a beautiful and effective machine when all of its parts are unified and healthy, and can even break records for strength and agility. Likewise, Scripture calls us to work as unified and healthy parts of the Body of Christ. When we find our fit and function properly in our place of service, the Body of Christ can do amazing things.
Read Ephesians 4.11-16
I. You have a special fit in the Body
A. God has used the physical body to illustrate the spiritual body of Christ, called the Church. When we believe on Christ and follow Him, we become part of the spiritual body of Christ. But problems can arise when we don’t understand that we have a special fit within that Body—a unique place of service that only we can fill in just the way God desires.
B. For instance Paul indicates that some have been specifically fitted to be apostles, others were fitted to be prophets, and so on. In other words different people are called to fit differently within the Body of Christ. (cf. Rom. 12.4-6)
Romans 12:4-6 (NLT) 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others. 6 God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you.
C. I hope this makes you wonder how exactly you fit in. You may or may not think of yourself as an evangelist or teacher, but this is not an exhaustive list. Elsewhere Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit gives us other gifts and other functions. And every one of them is just as important to the whole body as pastors. (btw—this is the only place in the new testament that you will find the word pastor, otherwise the Greek word is always translated shepherd)
D. The point is in Christ’s Body there are no insignificant parts, everyone has a special fit. (1 Cor. 12:18, 22) 18 But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it. … VERSE 22 In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary.
T.S. Some of you really doubt how significant of a part you do play. These offices such as evangelist, pastor, and teacher are really out there. But think back to that tiny tube in your inner ear. Have you ever seen it? No, it’s not very noticeable unless it’s not there. [Illustration of dad]
In my opening, I said, “The way you live as a Christian affects every other Christian in the world.” Truly that is a bold statement, but it is absolutely true if you believe what Paul is saying. First he says YOU HAVE A SPECIAL FIT IN THE BODY and he says, HOW YOU FIT AND FUNCTION IN THE BODY AFFECTS THE WHOLE BODY.
II. How you fit and function in the Body affects the whole Body
A. Verse 12--When you look at our text, what is the overall purpose of the Body? it is for service. The saints—every believer—is to provide works of service which build up the whole body. Too often we hire a guy we like to call “pastor” to do the ministry of a church. That is wrong! If we are a Biblical church, we hire a guy to equip “us” to do the ministry that we are called to do.
B. Verses 15-16 go on to say each saint must do his or her part or we’ll end up with a lopsided body. Your saintly service or lack of it affects others.
C. If you are called by God to work with a certain ministry, and you made no attempt to get equipped for that work, you gave up opportunities; you got too busy with something else, whatever…then someone else is going to have to take up your slack. And that is going to affect the whole body because now that person is in the wrong ministry or is attempting to do too much and shortchanging the ministry he or she is really called for. And then that affects who that person is ministering to. Maybe that impacts their understanding of how ministry is done, they never get the building up intended for them, and they never function as they should have. Now multiply this by the number of diseased and dying churches we have in this county alone and you’ll see why Christ intended us to just do our own parts.
D. 1 Corinthians 12:26-27 (NLT) says it this way… 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27 Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.
E. A thriving body requires all its pieces in the right place
1.)Think about a 1000 piece puzzle. If even one piece is missing, the whole picture is marred.
2.)The Bible refers to the church as the “Body of Christ”, and Eph 4:16 speaks in “body” language:
Without you in place, the church is marred--handicapped (the picture is incomplete)
3.)Without you in place, second best is the best we can do -- Have you ever seen a seeing eye dog in action? It’s pretty amazing isn’t it! Amazing as it is, that person with a seeing eye dog is limited to what they can do compared to a sighted person. Sure, thank God for seeing eye dogs, they allow people without sight to function. But for all they do, they can’t replace good eyes.
Without you plugged in and serving, sure someone my step up and do what you could do. But that’s the whole point, they’re doing what you were designed to do, and frankly could do much better!
4.)With you out of place, the church is deformed
How many of you have ever known someone who filled a role that they were not suited for? Like, for example, a counselor who was negative and depressing. Or a teacher who was incoherent or mind-numbingly boring? Here’s some we’ve all experienced…a customer service rep who hated people! How ‘bout a cashier who can’t seem to do math?
If you are out of place, not serving where you fit, then you and the church are going to feel the effects of it. It will be noticeable and it won’t be ideal; it may be a lot worse!
T.S. I can name many situations where Christians have failed to do their part, and the whole body has suffered. But there are those wonderful moments in history when everyone was unified in purpose, every part did what they were called to do, and great things were achieved.
To conclude, turn back to Acts 6. We will see one of those special times when everyone found their fit and function in the church, and amazing things happened.
Conclusion
A. Remember that the body was growing, and the twelve knew that were never meant to do it all. Acts 6:2 (NKJV) 2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
B. Does it sound like they thought that serving the tables was degrading? No, they didn’t think that way. Their master had knelt before them and washed their feet—that was degrading, and that was the mindset of a servant Christ wanted them to have. But Christ never equipped them for those three years to do nothing but go around and wash people’s feet.
C. They believed that their unique place in ministry was to serve the congregation by proclaiming the Word of God, not spending their energies doing things that they were not called to—things that others were called to. These men were not above waiting tables. That just wasn’t their fit in the Body (plus, they just weren’t very good at it!) So they equipped these seven others and released them to serve the congregation through food distribution.
D. And these seven men taking their place in ministry results in a healthy Body: Acts 6:7 (NKJV) 7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
E. Have you found your fit and are you functioning in the body so that every part is doing its job. We will all feel the effects when a little does a lot.
