We Need Each Other
[1 Corinthians 12:12-31]
Due to technology, we can view church services online from around the world and receive great bible teaching at any moment. These modern day benefits can augment the growth of our faith, but they should not become a substitute. The bible is clear that being committed and involved in a local church gathering is essential to the Christian life and should never be forsaken, especially in these last days (Hebrews 10:24-25).
In his book, Rediscover Church, Jonathan Leeman writes. “It’s no surprise that virtual, or internet church is growing in popularity. It’s convenient and —honestly—it allows you to avoid messy relationships. Yes, gathering with the church can be inconvenient, but so is love. Relationships are messy, but so is love. Vulnerable conversations are scary, but so is love. The push toward the virtual church, we fear, is a push to individualize Christianity. We can debate the wisdom of using such a tool for a limited time in an emergency situation, such as a pandemic. Yet to offer or encourage the virtual church as a permanent [and I would add “equivalent”] option, even with good intentions, hurts Christian discipleship. It trains Christians to think of their faith in autonomous terms. It teaches them that they can follow Jesus as a member of the “family of God,” in some abstract sense, without teaching them what it means to be a part of a family and to make sacrifices for a family.”
“The church is more than a place you go to, it is a people you grow with.” -HB Charles Jr. Every believer has been in-dwelt by the Spirit to demonstrate in tangible ways the love of Christ and to exercise the gifts of the Spirit for the common good of all.
Due to technology, we can view church services online from around the world and receive great bible teaching at any moment. These modern day benefits can augment the growth of our faith, but they should not become a substitute. The bible is clear that being committed and involved in a local church gathering is essential to the Christian life and should never be forsaken, especially in these last days (Hebrews 10:24-25).
In his book, Rediscover Church, Jonathan Leeman writes. “It’s no surprise that virtual, or internet church is growing in popularity. It’s convenient and —honestly—it allows you to avoid messy relationships. Yes, gathering with the church can be inconvenient, but so is love. Relationships are messy, but so is love. Vulnerable conversations are scary, but so is love. The push toward the virtual church, we fear, is a push to individualize Christianity. We can debate the wisdom of using such a tool for a limited time in an emergency situation, such as a pandemic. Yet to offer or encourage the virtual church as a permanent [and I would add “equivalent”] option, even with good intentions, hurts Christian discipleship. It trains Christians to think of their faith in autonomous terms. It teaches them that they can follow Jesus as a member of the “family of God,” in some abstract sense, without teaching them what it means to be a part of a family and to make sacrifices for a family.”
“The church is more than a place you go to, it is a people you grow with.” -HB Charles Jr. Every believer has been in-dwelt by the Spirit to demonstrate in tangible ways the love of Christ and to exercise the gifts of the Spirit for the common good of all.
A vital element of a healthy church that builds itself up in love is dependence on the Spirit. After listing some of the gifts of the Spirit, Paul explained in verse 11 that all the gifts are “empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” In other words, spiritual gifts are not something we earn or achieve. Rather, they are God working through us to build others up. How do you know what gifts God has allocated to you? Get busy serving. As you get busy serving in dependence of the Holy Spirit, you’ll discover your area of giftedness and others around you with spiritual discernment will confirm it.
In light of this, notice that Paul uses the metaphor of a human body to illustrate how the gifts are to operate in the church. He writes: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). This human body metaphor that Paul uses is an essential parallel to understanding how the gifts of the Spirit function in the church. And Paul builds on this human body metaphor for the church throughout this chapter and in other epistles as well.
In verse 12, Paul explains that like a human body has many parts that make up the one body “so it is with Christ.” Notice that although Paul is referring to how the gifts of the Spirit function in the church, he doesn’t just say that like a human body functions, so it is with the church. Rather, he says, like a human body functions, so it is with Christ. In other words, a local church, which is made up of believers, is the vehicle through which Christ visibly displays His love in action. Christ doesn’t just display Himself through individual believers, but collectively as a body as each individual believer exercises their gifts to serve one another.
Paul explains in chapter 14, when the gifts of the Spirit are in operation in the church, like the gift of prophecy, unbelievers will walk into the gathering of the church, will be convicted of sin, the secrets of their hearts will be disclosed, and so, falling on their face, they will worship God and declare that God is really among us (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). What makes it possible for people to encounter the presence and power of Christ in the gathering of the church? Paul continues in verse 13: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Every believer, who has come to Christ, is baptized in the Spirit into the body of Christ. In other words, every believer has been united with Christ. And because every believer is united with Christ, every believer, regardless of their race, gender, or social status, is united with one another.
Some use the term baptism of the Spirit to refer to a second level of spiritual power. Although we should seek a greater fullness of the Spirit, the term that the bible uses for this is not the baptism of the Spirit, but the filling of the Spirit (Ephesian 5:18). And the filling of the Holy Spirit is not so much one getting more of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit getting more of you. In other words, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be under the control, influence, and power of the Spirit. And the filling of the Spirit is not only a second blessing that we must seek. It’s a third and fourth and fifth blessing and on and on. We need to continuously seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit as we yield to the Spirit’s leading, surrender to His control and depend on Him day by day.
I am reminded of a story about the great evangelist D.L. Moody, who was used mightily by God to bring tens of thousands to Christ in his lifetime. When he was still alive, a group of pastors were planning a citywide evangelistic campaign. While they planned, they discussed the possibility of inviting the famous preacher D.L. Moody, to be the speaker. But one young pastor complained, “From the way some of you talk, you would think Mr. Moody had a monopoly on the Holy Spirit.” “No,” one of the pastors replied, “Mr. Moody does not have a monopoly on the Spirit. But the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody!”
The main problem with the Corinthians was that they wanted to possess the gifts of the Spirit, but the Holy Spirit did not fully possess them. They wanted a monopoly of the gifts of the Spirit, especially the more impressive gifts, but the Holy Spirit didn’t have a monopoly on them. They were all baptized in the Spirit, which is the initial reception of the Holy Spirit that every believer receives upon conversion, (v.13) but they were not being filled with the Holy Spirit in their walk with God (Ephesian 5:18). They wanted the gifts more than the giver of the gifts. They were pursuing spiritual giftedness more than they were pursuing spiritual maturity (1 Corinthians 3:1-4).
We must depend on the Spirit not only to empower us for service but to transforms us to be more like Jesus. And the greatest measure of our dependence on the Spirit is prayer.
As the great prayer warrior E.M. Bounds noted, “Every mighty move of the Spirit of God has had its source in the prayer chamber.” If we would see a mighty move of the Spirit in our church that leads to a spiritual awakening in our culture, there must be a mighty move of prayer both in our private lives and in the life of the church.
Secondly, when a church is functioning as God intends, not only will you see a great dependence on the Spirit, but you will also see the interdependence of the saints. In verses 14-26, Paul begins to flesh out his human body metaphor to explain how a healthy church is to function. In verse 27, he summarizes his human body metaphor for the church by explaining: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).
Like a human body has various individual body parts, the body of Christ is also made up of individual members with particular gifts that make up the whole. And like a human body, all the members of the body of Christ must function for the body to be fully functional. Moreover the individual members must function in cooperation with one another. It’s this mutual care and cooperation between the diverse members of the body of Christ that displays the beauty of Christ, which is the ultimate purpose of the church.
The bottom line is that we need each other to be all that God called us to be no matter how obscure or prominent our giftedness may be. As Paul also explains in verse 23, like our bodies, which have parts that are unpresentable, but yet we treat with greater modesty, we are also to honor and value even the seemingly weakest members of the body of Christ. Everyone matters. Everyone in our community is part of the body that God has comprised to demonstrate the beauty of Christ in our midst.
Regarding the various gifts of the Spirit, Paul wrote in verse 11 that God “apportions to each one individually as he wills.” God ultimately decides who receives what gifts. And concerning the make up of the body, he writes in verse 18: “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.” In other words, God places you where He wants you. Why has God designed the church to function in an interdependent way? Paul continues,“that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Corinthians 12:25-26).
As one commentator explained, “Because church members are oftentimes interested in self-protection and self-care, they are unable to fulfill their role in the body (mutual care). They are called to suffer when others suffer, to rejoice when others rejoice. But sharing in the suffering of others seems too costly. So they become rebellious body parts. In the process they lose their identity as body parts. Hands cease to function as hands are supposed to function, and they ultimately cannot share in the rejoicing of others. Their grace gifts become an occasion for competition and stratification. If an individual is all about self-care rather than mutual care, his gifts become a means of distinguishing and advancing himself rather than advancing the interest of others.” -Stephen Um
How do we overcome the consumerism mentality of the culture that has crept into the church and instead be transformed to reflect the beauty of the gospel? We must view the church not as a commodity to be consumed, but as a community where God has providentially and strategically placed each of us for our mutual upbuilding (Romans 14:19).
Notice that Paul writes: “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?” (1 Corinthians 12:27-30). What is the answer to all of these questions? The grammar and context of Paul’s message clearly indicates that the answer to all of his questions is no. A church will not be what Christ designed it to be unless its members function in an interdependent manner.
God has not given every member all the gifts of the Spirit, but He has providentially given everyone gifts to build each other up. A church becomes a community of gospel transformation when each member operates in his or her God-appointed giftedness in cooperation with the other members of the body.
May we all seek to be the church that God called us to be as we each function according to our giftedness, in cooperation with one another, and to the glory of Christ our Savior.
In your service,
Pastor Marco
In light of this, notice that Paul uses the metaphor of a human body to illustrate how the gifts are to operate in the church. He writes: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). This human body metaphor that Paul uses is an essential parallel to understanding how the gifts of the Spirit function in the church. And Paul builds on this human body metaphor for the church throughout this chapter and in other epistles as well.
In verse 12, Paul explains that like a human body has many parts that make up the one body “so it is with Christ.” Notice that although Paul is referring to how the gifts of the Spirit function in the church, he doesn’t just say that like a human body functions, so it is with the church. Rather, he says, like a human body functions, so it is with Christ. In other words, a local church, which is made up of believers, is the vehicle through which Christ visibly displays His love in action. Christ doesn’t just display Himself through individual believers, but collectively as a body as each individual believer exercises their gifts to serve one another.
Paul explains in chapter 14, when the gifts of the Spirit are in operation in the church, like the gift of prophecy, unbelievers will walk into the gathering of the church, will be convicted of sin, the secrets of their hearts will be disclosed, and so, falling on their face, they will worship God and declare that God is really among us (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). What makes it possible for people to encounter the presence and power of Christ in the gathering of the church? Paul continues in verse 13: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Every believer, who has come to Christ, is baptized in the Spirit into the body of Christ. In other words, every believer has been united with Christ. And because every believer is united with Christ, every believer, regardless of their race, gender, or social status, is united with one another.
Some use the term baptism of the Spirit to refer to a second level of spiritual power. Although we should seek a greater fullness of the Spirit, the term that the bible uses for this is not the baptism of the Spirit, but the filling of the Spirit (Ephesian 5:18). And the filling of the Holy Spirit is not so much one getting more of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit getting more of you. In other words, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be under the control, influence, and power of the Spirit. And the filling of the Spirit is not only a second blessing that we must seek. It’s a third and fourth and fifth blessing and on and on. We need to continuously seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit as we yield to the Spirit’s leading, surrender to His control and depend on Him day by day.
I am reminded of a story about the great evangelist D.L. Moody, who was used mightily by God to bring tens of thousands to Christ in his lifetime. When he was still alive, a group of pastors were planning a citywide evangelistic campaign. While they planned, they discussed the possibility of inviting the famous preacher D.L. Moody, to be the speaker. But one young pastor complained, “From the way some of you talk, you would think Mr. Moody had a monopoly on the Holy Spirit.” “No,” one of the pastors replied, “Mr. Moody does not have a monopoly on the Spirit. But the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody!”
The main problem with the Corinthians was that they wanted to possess the gifts of the Spirit, but the Holy Spirit did not fully possess them. They wanted a monopoly of the gifts of the Spirit, especially the more impressive gifts, but the Holy Spirit didn’t have a monopoly on them. They were all baptized in the Spirit, which is the initial reception of the Holy Spirit that every believer receives upon conversion, (v.13) but they were not being filled with the Holy Spirit in their walk with God (Ephesian 5:18). They wanted the gifts more than the giver of the gifts. They were pursuing spiritual giftedness more than they were pursuing spiritual maturity (1 Corinthians 3:1-4).
We must depend on the Spirit not only to empower us for service but to transforms us to be more like Jesus. And the greatest measure of our dependence on the Spirit is prayer.
As the great prayer warrior E.M. Bounds noted, “Every mighty move of the Spirit of God has had its source in the prayer chamber.” If we would see a mighty move of the Spirit in our church that leads to a spiritual awakening in our culture, there must be a mighty move of prayer both in our private lives and in the life of the church.
Secondly, when a church is functioning as God intends, not only will you see a great dependence on the Spirit, but you will also see the interdependence of the saints. In verses 14-26, Paul begins to flesh out his human body metaphor to explain how a healthy church is to function. In verse 27, he summarizes his human body metaphor for the church by explaining: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).
Like a human body has various individual body parts, the body of Christ is also made up of individual members with particular gifts that make up the whole. And like a human body, all the members of the body of Christ must function for the body to be fully functional. Moreover the individual members must function in cooperation with one another. It’s this mutual care and cooperation between the diverse members of the body of Christ that displays the beauty of Christ, which is the ultimate purpose of the church.
The bottom line is that we need each other to be all that God called us to be no matter how obscure or prominent our giftedness may be. As Paul also explains in verse 23, like our bodies, which have parts that are unpresentable, but yet we treat with greater modesty, we are also to honor and value even the seemingly weakest members of the body of Christ. Everyone matters. Everyone in our community is part of the body that God has comprised to demonstrate the beauty of Christ in our midst.
Regarding the various gifts of the Spirit, Paul wrote in verse 11 that God “apportions to each one individually as he wills.” God ultimately decides who receives what gifts. And concerning the make up of the body, he writes in verse 18: “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.” In other words, God places you where He wants you. Why has God designed the church to function in an interdependent way? Paul continues,“that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Corinthians 12:25-26).
As one commentator explained, “Because church members are oftentimes interested in self-protection and self-care, they are unable to fulfill their role in the body (mutual care). They are called to suffer when others suffer, to rejoice when others rejoice. But sharing in the suffering of others seems too costly. So they become rebellious body parts. In the process they lose their identity as body parts. Hands cease to function as hands are supposed to function, and they ultimately cannot share in the rejoicing of others. Their grace gifts become an occasion for competition and stratification. If an individual is all about self-care rather than mutual care, his gifts become a means of distinguishing and advancing himself rather than advancing the interest of others.” -Stephen Um
How do we overcome the consumerism mentality of the culture that has crept into the church and instead be transformed to reflect the beauty of the gospel? We must view the church not as a commodity to be consumed, but as a community where God has providentially and strategically placed each of us for our mutual upbuilding (Romans 14:19).
Notice that Paul writes: “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?” (1 Corinthians 12:27-30). What is the answer to all of these questions? The grammar and context of Paul’s message clearly indicates that the answer to all of his questions is no. A church will not be what Christ designed it to be unless its members function in an interdependent manner.
God has not given every member all the gifts of the Spirit, but He has providentially given everyone gifts to build each other up. A church becomes a community of gospel transformation when each member operates in his or her God-appointed giftedness in cooperation with the other members of the body.
May we all seek to be the church that God called us to be as we each function according to our giftedness, in cooperation with one another, and to the glory of Christ our Savior.
In your service,
Pastor Marco