Be The Body
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
Throughout the New Testament, all Believers together are referred to AS the Body of Christ. My question for you today is, what if we as the Body of Christ were to function as God intended the Body of Christ to function?
Because our culture has made church into (mostly) a spectator sport, the “concept” of each of us being a functioning part of the Body of Christ might be new (or maybe a bit unclear) to you. (That’s okay.)
So, let me start with Romans 12. The three big gift chapters are as follows. Romans 12, we call those the creation gifts. 1 Corinthians 12, we call those the manifestation gifts. And Ephesians 4, we call those the leadership gifts. Gifts throughout the New Testament are all under this illustration of being the Body.
Romans 12:4–5 (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 many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
This is the part that our culture has taken away from us. We belong to each other. Honestly, that’s why we tell people where God has called you to be part of the Body, go be part of the Body. You have to be part of the Body. God’s theology is you are a part of the body, and the part of the body that you are, you belong to each other. That is what I’d like to talk about for a few minutes. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
So, first this morning, please hear me when I say I am not teaching this message to get you to come up and work with us for the Harvest Festival tonight (really not).
Listen, here’s how Jesus taught. Jesus taught like this: “Let’s go,” and then he turned and walked away. He said, “Follow me,” and then he walked away. And the Disciples are thinking, “where are we going?” And Jesus may have said, “Just come with me.” That’s what he did. And then, as they went through life, at every turn there was a spiritual, heavenly lesson. That hasn’t changed. This – what we’re doing right here – occurred with Jesus. While the Disciples were in process of doing something else, then he would teach them. The Synagogue, which is the formal church setting that we follow, they were community events. They did have teaching there, but even the Jewish religion of the first century taught “on the go.”
I’m sharing this message to inspire you and to encourage you so that you can know that if you have made Jesus your Lord today, then you are part of his body and God has given you a gift to be a functioning part of the Body of Christ. This is not a box I check off – I went to church this week, check – or this is a “portion” of my life. This is a relational thing – vertical and horizontal – that becomes who you are. It’s not just where I want to go and watch something happen about God on Sunday. This is about who you are. God has called you – he has created you – to be a functioning part of the body, and he gifted you to be a functioning part of the body. This is who God made us to be – he made us to be a body together. It’s not just this local church body. It’s the Universal Body of Christ, which is every Bible teaching, Christ-following church on the planet.
God sees you today as a necessary part of the Body of Christ on earth.
And so, we’re headed to 1 Corinthians 12 verse 12 where the section heading (NLT) is – “One Body with Many Parts.” But in the verses leading into this section is the theology (theology is literally the study of God) (the spiritual teaching) of this truth that we are “one body with many parts.” And in that previous section in 1 Corinthians 12 verses 4-7 we read,
1 Corinthians 12:4–7 (NLT)
4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. (notice the unity)
5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. (notice the unity) (in Hebrew the word “ECHAD” is the word for a compound unity and is the word used for the Godhead, it’s “one made of many”, this is what these verses are talking about – many make one)
6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. (notice the unity)
7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
Verse 7 makes this real.
Verse 7 makes this personal.
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
The word “each” is a clear reference to every Believer.
If you have made Jesus your Savior and Lord, then you can put your name here in verse 7. So, let me read this verse again, and when I get to the blank you say, “me”. A spiritual gift is given _______ so I can HELP others in the body. That is a pure, biblical truth.
God has given you a spiritual gift so you can help others in the body.
Then, the Holy Spirit takes that “truth” and he makes it really practical in our section today.
1 Corinthians 12:12–13 (NLT)
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.
13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
God made us to be part of the Body of Christ. Notice again, the emphasis on unity – we’ve been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
So, I want to just mention two attitudes (perspectives) on you being a functioning part of the Body of Christ that are unhealthy, damaging to the Body, and I believe grieving to the Holy Spirit of God.
The first one is the “Nobody needs me” attitude.
1 Corinthians 12:14–16 (NLT)
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.
15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?
The first thing we have to “get over” is saying or thinking, “Well, I’m not part of the body, because I’m not ______.” Now, people say this (or feel this) for a lot of different reasons. But, I need to tell you gently, none of the reasons people say this are healthy. When Grant Schaul taught this section for us, he called this the “Nobody needs me attitude.”
Isn’t this a bit of an offense to God? Because God says he has given each one of us a gift to help each other (in verse 7).
And isn’t it maybe just a little bit grieving to the Holy Spirit, since 1 Corinthians 12 verse 11 says,
1 Corinthians 12:11 (NLT)
11 It is the one and only Spirit (Holy Spirit) who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
I think it’s at least a little rude to say to the Holy Spirit, “You didn’t make me a functioning part of the Body.”
You might say, “Well, all I can do is pray.” But, if you think it’s alright to say, “All I can do is pray” then you may not fully understand the importance of prayer. In Ephesians 6, after Paul lists all of the spiritual armor, then about in verse 11 or 12 he says, listen, this is where the playing field is. Now that you have your spiritual armor on, pray. So, you get all that armor on, and then you pray.
Every part of the body is required for the body to function correctly, and God says he made each one of us to be a functioning part of the Body. Again,
1 Corinthians 12:15–16 (NLT)
15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?
We are ALL part of the Body and we are all necessary for the Body to function properly.
So, the first damaging attitude we’ve got to correct in our own hearts is the “Nobody needs me” attitude.
The second damaging attitude we’ve got to correct in our own hearts (it’s our heart that is the problem) is the “I don’t need anybody” attitude. This false perception is just as damaging as the first. We see it in 1 Corinthians 12 in the following verses.
1 Corinthians 12:17–19 (NLT)
17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.
19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part!
If you struggle with this false perception that “You don’t need anybody else” in the Body of Christ, imagine saying to yourself, “Well, my head is the most important, so I’m going to do away with the rest of my Body.” Do not try this yourself at home – it will not go well.
Not even any one member of the Godhead thinks they can “Do it all alone.” How much pride does it take for us to think that we can do it all alone?
Continuing in 1 Corinthians 12 verses 20-22.
1 Corinthians 12:20–22 (NLT)
20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.
21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.
Can I bypass the “physical analogy” here, and go straight to our particular “Body of Christ”? This church was started by five older women sitting as a circle praying and they prayed every week, for years, that God would start a Spirit-filled church in this town because there was none, and they had witnessed FIVE churches come and go in the previous years.
I wasn’t looking to start another church. I didn’t necessarily want to start another church, but those women prayed and God started this church in response to their prayers.
As verse here says The PARTS of this Body – that you SEE the LEAST Are actually the MOST NECESSARY.
The work that is done, when no one is looking, is the work that is most important. The work that is done when no one is looking is the work that actually keeps the Church going.
The cleaning ministry that meets here on Thursday is one of THE most vital ministries in the church because you wouldn’t come into this building without that ministry (especially after youth).
And guys a minimum of 20 people have to make a commitment to the Lord, every Sunday for the doors of this little church to open, and the vast majority of them are not seen and they don’t get enough credit.
As verse 22 says, . . . some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.
And this truth is continued in 1 Corinthians 12 verses 23-24.
1 Corinthians 12:23–24 (NLT)
23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care . . .
24 . . . So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less [honor] (dignity).
And so, what is God’s purpose in all this? What is God’s goal in this for us AS the Body of Christ?
1 Corinthians 12:25 (NLT)
25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.
This is God’s purpose for each one of us becoming functioning parts of the Body because it makes for harmony among the members and God calls us to harmony and unity in the Body. God requires from each of us – harmony and unity in the Body.
And, as each of us does our part to truly care for one another, it will create harmony and unity in the Body, and that is what God requires of us.
We have been baptized into one Body, by one Spirit, and by one Lord. And so, 1 Corinthians 12 verse 26 says,
1 Corinthians 12:26 (NLT)
26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
This is what we are all called to. All for one and one for all – just like the Three Musketeers. This is God’s requirement of us because our final verse says,
1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT)
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
If you have made Jesus your Lord, then you are part of the Body of Christ, and God has given you a gift by the Holy Spirit to be a functioning part of the Body of Christ.
And I know some of you may say, “Well, what should I do? How do I become a functioning part of the Body?” And I would say to you, first, remember why you have been made part of the Body.
Again, 1 Corinthians 12 verse 25 tells us,
1 Corinthians 12:25 (NLT)
25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.
There is our number one goal and our number one priority. Help make harmony and unity among the Body and make sure you are caring for each other.
Because our culture has made church into (mostly) a spectator sport, the “concept” of each of us being a functioning part of the Body of Christ might be new (or maybe a bit unclear) to you. (That’s okay.)
So, let me start with Romans 12. The three big gift chapters are as follows. Romans 12, we call those the creation gifts. 1 Corinthians 12, we call those the manifestation gifts. And Ephesians 4, we call those the leadership gifts. Gifts throughout the New Testament are all under this illustration of being the Body.
Romans 12:4–5 (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 many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
This is the part that our culture has taken away from us. We belong to each other. Honestly, that’s why we tell people where God has called you to be part of the Body, go be part of the Body. You have to be part of the Body. God’s theology is you are a part of the body, and the part of the body that you are, you belong to each other. That is what I’d like to talk about for a few minutes. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
So, first this morning, please hear me when I say I am not teaching this message to get you to come up and work with us for the Harvest Festival tonight (really not).
Listen, here’s how Jesus taught. Jesus taught like this: “Let’s go,” and then he turned and walked away. He said, “Follow me,” and then he walked away. And the Disciples are thinking, “where are we going?” And Jesus may have said, “Just come with me.” That’s what he did. And then, as they went through life, at every turn there was a spiritual, heavenly lesson. That hasn’t changed. This – what we’re doing right here – occurred with Jesus. While the Disciples were in process of doing something else, then he would teach them. The Synagogue, which is the formal church setting that we follow, they were community events. They did have teaching there, but even the Jewish religion of the first century taught “on the go.”
I’m sharing this message to inspire you and to encourage you so that you can know that if you have made Jesus your Lord today, then you are part of his body and God has given you a gift to be a functioning part of the Body of Christ. This is not a box I check off – I went to church this week, check – or this is a “portion” of my life. This is a relational thing – vertical and horizontal – that becomes who you are. It’s not just where I want to go and watch something happen about God on Sunday. This is about who you are. God has called you – he has created you – to be a functioning part of the body, and he gifted you to be a functioning part of the body. This is who God made us to be – he made us to be a body together. It’s not just this local church body. It’s the Universal Body of Christ, which is every Bible teaching, Christ-following church on the planet.
God sees you today as a necessary part of the Body of Christ on earth.
And so, we’re headed to 1 Corinthians 12 verse 12 where the section heading (NLT) is – “One Body with Many Parts.” But in the verses leading into this section is the theology (theology is literally the study of God) (the spiritual teaching) of this truth that we are “one body with many parts.” And in that previous section in 1 Corinthians 12 verses 4-7 we read,
1 Corinthians 12:4–7 (NLT)
4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. (notice the unity)
5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. (notice the unity) (in Hebrew the word “ECHAD” is the word for a compound unity and is the word used for the Godhead, it’s “one made of many”, this is what these verses are talking about – many make one)
6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. (notice the unity)
7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
Verse 7 makes this real.
Verse 7 makes this personal.
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
The word “each” is a clear reference to every Believer.
If you have made Jesus your Savior and Lord, then you can put your name here in verse 7. So, let me read this verse again, and when I get to the blank you say, “me”. A spiritual gift is given _______ so I can HELP others in the body. That is a pure, biblical truth.
God has given you a spiritual gift so you can help others in the body.
Then, the Holy Spirit takes that “truth” and he makes it really practical in our section today.
1 Corinthians 12:12–13 (NLT)
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.
13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
God made us to be part of the Body of Christ. Notice again, the emphasis on unity – we’ve been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
So, I want to just mention two attitudes (perspectives) on you being a functioning part of the Body of Christ that are unhealthy, damaging to the Body, and I believe grieving to the Holy Spirit of God.
The first one is the “Nobody needs me” attitude.
1 Corinthians 12:14–16 (NLT)
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.
15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?
The first thing we have to “get over” is saying or thinking, “Well, I’m not part of the body, because I’m not ______.” Now, people say this (or feel this) for a lot of different reasons. But, I need to tell you gently, none of the reasons people say this are healthy. When Grant Schaul taught this section for us, he called this the “Nobody needs me attitude.”
Isn’t this a bit of an offense to God? Because God says he has given each one of us a gift to help each other (in verse 7).
And isn’t it maybe just a little bit grieving to the Holy Spirit, since 1 Corinthians 12 verse 11 says,
1 Corinthians 12:11 (NLT)
11 It is the one and only Spirit (Holy Spirit) who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
I think it’s at least a little rude to say to the Holy Spirit, “You didn’t make me a functioning part of the Body.”
You might say, “Well, all I can do is pray.” But, if you think it’s alright to say, “All I can do is pray” then you may not fully understand the importance of prayer. In Ephesians 6, after Paul lists all of the spiritual armor, then about in verse 11 or 12 he says, listen, this is where the playing field is. Now that you have your spiritual armor on, pray. So, you get all that armor on, and then you pray.
Every part of the body is required for the body to function correctly, and God says he made each one of us to be a functioning part of the Body. Again,
1 Corinthians 12:15–16 (NLT)
15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?
We are ALL part of the Body and we are all necessary for the Body to function properly.
So, the first damaging attitude we’ve got to correct in our own hearts is the “Nobody needs me” attitude.
The second damaging attitude we’ve got to correct in our own hearts (it’s our heart that is the problem) is the “I don’t need anybody” attitude. This false perception is just as damaging as the first. We see it in 1 Corinthians 12 in the following verses.
1 Corinthians 12:17–19 (NLT)
17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.
19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part!
If you struggle with this false perception that “You don’t need anybody else” in the Body of Christ, imagine saying to yourself, “Well, my head is the most important, so I’m going to do away with the rest of my Body.” Do not try this yourself at home – it will not go well.
Not even any one member of the Godhead thinks they can “Do it all alone.” How much pride does it take for us to think that we can do it all alone?
Continuing in 1 Corinthians 12 verses 20-22.
1 Corinthians 12:20–22 (NLT)
20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.
21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.
Can I bypass the “physical analogy” here, and go straight to our particular “Body of Christ”? This church was started by five older women sitting as a circle praying and they prayed every week, for years, that God would start a Spirit-filled church in this town because there was none, and they had witnessed FIVE churches come and go in the previous years.
I wasn’t looking to start another church. I didn’t necessarily want to start another church, but those women prayed and God started this church in response to their prayers.
As verse here says The PARTS of this Body – that you SEE the LEAST Are actually the MOST NECESSARY.
The work that is done, when no one is looking, is the work that is most important. The work that is done when no one is looking is the work that actually keeps the Church going.
The cleaning ministry that meets here on Thursday is one of THE most vital ministries in the church because you wouldn’t come into this building without that ministry (especially after youth).
And guys a minimum of 20 people have to make a commitment to the Lord, every Sunday for the doors of this little church to open, and the vast majority of them are not seen and they don’t get enough credit.
As verse 22 says, . . . some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.
And this truth is continued in 1 Corinthians 12 verses 23-24.
1 Corinthians 12:23–24 (NLT)
23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care . . .
24 . . . So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less [honor] (dignity).
And so, what is God’s purpose in all this? What is God’s goal in this for us AS the Body of Christ?
1 Corinthians 12:25 (NLT)
25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.
This is God’s purpose for each one of us becoming functioning parts of the Body because it makes for harmony among the members and God calls us to harmony and unity in the Body. God requires from each of us – harmony and unity in the Body.
And, as each of us does our part to truly care for one another, it will create harmony and unity in the Body, and that is what God requires of us.
We have been baptized into one Body, by one Spirit, and by one Lord. And so, 1 Corinthians 12 verse 26 says,
1 Corinthians 12:26 (NLT)
26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
This is what we are all called to. All for one and one for all – just like the Three Musketeers. This is God’s requirement of us because our final verse says,
1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT)
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
If you have made Jesus your Lord, then you are part of the Body of Christ, and God has given you a gift by the Holy Spirit to be a functioning part of the Body of Christ.
And I know some of you may say, “Well, what should I do? How do I become a functioning part of the Body?” And I would say to you, first, remember why you have been made part of the Body.
Again, 1 Corinthians 12 verse 25 tells us,
1 Corinthians 12:25 (NLT)
25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.
There is our number one goal and our number one priority. Help make harmony and unity among the Body and make sure you are caring for each other.