Spiritual Gifts, Part 2: Finding Our Place in God's Story I Corinthians 12:12-19

Spiritual Gifts, Part 2: Finding Our Place in God’s Story

I Corinthians 12:12-19

Introduction: I remember growing up that we would often have a carnival that came through our area in the summer. One of the things they had was a house of mirrors. When you walked in, you would have those trick mirrors that would reflect a distorted image of yourself, thin like a rail, or "well rounded", One of the issues that troubles many people at some level is a distorted idea about themselves, including their own body. Some have eating disorders like bulimia or anorexia, and no matter how much weight they lose, they perceive themselves as “fat.” I guess there can be the other extreme of narcissism, people that think we are the greatest thing out there!  [Is that what is behind the multiplication of “selfies” on Facebook?] There was an old country song that said something like, "It's hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way!" As I get older, I don’t have much interest in seeing pictures of me! In fact I need to renew my driver’s license this year, and I hope they let me do it online and use the old photo!  When I had it taken five years ago I thought, “Man, I look old!” Now I think it looks pretty good! It's all relative! I guess there has to be a balance, we don’t want to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, but we do want to recognize that we have value, in fact each of us is special, we are unique, and God himself has guided our story to make us what we are, so that we are uniquely equipped to carry out our place in His story. And He is still working on us!

       In these verses I think Paul is first talking to the spiritual anorexics in the church, those who think they have no value.  There are plenty of other problems in the church with pride and arrogance and a divisive Spirit. But he wants those that have been convinced that they have little or no value to the church to be convinced that they are important to God, and to the work of the church. They look in the mirror and see nothing good, they are a failure, they have nothing to contribute. They think that only the most visible and flashy gifts are important. Paul says Jesus is the author and architect of the church, he has a plan, and if you know Him, you are a part of His plan!

       God doesn’t look primarily on the outward appearance, He looks on the heart. We are the body, HE is the head!  He has included each of us on purpose, for a purpose.  We are each what we are and where we are by design.  For the body to function at its best, we each have to do our part. Is His mission our top priority? Have you found your place in God’s story?  We need to understand that God has a plan for his church in the world, and He has a plan for us in His church. Do you believe him? Are you available to him?

The Big Idea: God has designed the church, the body of Christ, empowered and united by the Spirit, with each believer uniquely contributing to the whole.

I. One Body: We are each part of the One Body (12).  Of all the images that Paul could use to describe the unity of the church-this one is the most emphatic. A body by definition is unified!  If it isn’t, it can’t function!

¹² 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. 

Illustrations help us visualize sometimes complex ideas.  Remember the context, Paul has just used the unity of the triune God to state the truth of the unity of the church (see “...the same Spirit... the same Lord... the same God...”). As there are three persons in the one God, every one of us is part of the one Body.  Remember Jesus’ prayer to the Father in the upper room, “That they might be one, as we are one...” The point is, we are “one,” we just don’t always live like we believe it!

“For just as the body is one and has many members...”  The complexity of the human body is amazing. A lot of the time we take things for granted, until something is hurting or is not working just right.  My youngest brother has been out of work and pretty much immobilized for about six weeks, just because of an infection and a circulation problem in his toes on one foot.  It’s a little thing right? It’s only one foot, and just a couple of toes, how bad could it be? Have you ever stubbed your toe in the night?  Enough said! Even a little member contributes to the whole, and when something goes wrong it can really shake the working of an otherwise healthy body.  Paul is not giving us an anatomy lesson. He is teaching us about the diversity and the unity of the church. Just as there are many members in the one body, so there are many members, each unique, each important, in church.  He used the body imagery is a slightly different way back in 1 Corinthians 10:17,   “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” The main point is the same, the many are one. Here in chapter 12 he goes on to say...

“...so it is with Christ...”  Think of what Paul is saying here. He doesn’t say “so it is with the church,” even though he is talking about the church. Rather, unexpectedly he says, “so it is with Christ.”  As he is talking about the church he assumes what he has stated, the church IS the body of Christ. Think about that, we are “in Christ” and Christ is in us. By design, on purpose, we are “members” of his body. What differences there are between us, have either been permitted by God (maybe to teach us grace!) or designed by him for the benefit of others. That one sitting next to you or across the aisle has been placed there by God, he or she too is part of the body of Christ! (We are going to be together forever, we had better get used to it!). Think about the implications of that! For one thing if we love Jesus, we had better love each other! Realize also that He has chosen to carry out his mission in the world through us—we are the body! WWJD?  What would Jesus do? In many situations that isn’t so hard to figure out.  What’s the problem? Just do it!  God has designed the church, the body of Christ, empowered and united by the Spirit, with each believer, including you and me, uniquely contributing to the whole. One Body, and...

II. One Spirit: We have all, without distinction, been baptized with one Spirit into the one Body (13).

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. 

“For in (or with) one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...”  There is some variation in the English translations here that has led to some confusion. Is Paul speaking about a work of the Spirit in which believers receive a “second blessing?” I don’t think the text allows for it: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body....”   The normal use of the preposition allows for “with” or “by” but the most common translation is simply “in.” When we consider the words of John the Baptist at the outset of Jesus’ public ministry, there is no doubt that “this is that.” We read in Luke 3:15,16,

¹⁵ As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ,  ¹⁶ John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Then, after the resurrection, we read in Acts 1:4-5,   

⁴ And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me;  ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

He was talking about the pouring out on the Spirit ten days later, on the day of Pentecost. That signaled the beginning of a New Age, the church, the “last days” had arrived, and in this dispensation every believer, when they a born again through faith in Christ, is baptized in the Spirit. It’s not a few, not a subset, but “...in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...” (I Cor 12:13). Paul said in Romans 8:9,  

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

When we believe in Jesus we are united to Christ, we become part of the Body, we are baptized in the Spirit and indwelt with the Spirit.  All of us. Every believer.

“...Jews or Greeks, slaves or free...” We are all different – remember God has uniquely S.H.A.P.E.d every one of us. The diversity of our backgrounds and experiences deepens and enriches us as a church family, it gives us a little glimpse of what heaven will be like. Think about the scene in Revelation 7:9-10,

⁹ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,  ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

Remember Paul is talking in this section of the letter about the church, “when you gather together.” Get used to it, enjoy it, we’ll be blessed with “blended worship” forever!

“...and all were made to drink of one Spirit...” It’s interesting that the language shifted a bit – from being baptized in the Spirit to drinking of the one Spirit. When you are baptized your are immersed in water, when you take a drink, the water goes into you! It seems Paul intends us to recognize the importance of being immersed in the Spirit, identified with Him, along with every other believer from every race and nation; and also of the Spirit in us, the source of life and power, and the reminder of our “oneness” in Christ.  Ironically, the very thing that epitomizes our unity, the presence of the Spirit, has frequently become a point of division among believers (as apparently had happened in Corinth!). I think we are enriched in our church in having people from a variety of background and faith traditions. The Bible is our authority. So together we seek the truth in love. Notice also that we receive the Spirit, we don’t “seek” the baptism of the Spirit, Paul says “...we were all made to drink of the one Spirit...” It is God’s work in us that he is emphasizing. That’s the big idea: God has designed the church, the body of Christ, empowered and united by the Spirit, with each believer uniquely contributing to the whole. One Body, One Spirit, and...

III. Many Members: Every member is part of the body and each makes a unique contribution (14-17).

¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one member but of many.  ¹⁵ If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.  ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.  ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 

       God has designed the body to be a diversity of members (14). By definition and by design the body, the church, is composed of many members, many parts. God didn’t use a cookie cutter when he made the church.  That would be boring! He shaped each member individually, intentionally, to contribute to the working together of the whole. There are all kinds of people, all kinds of gifts.  That is not a bad thing. We are different by design.

       No one should think their contribution to the body is expendable (15-16), and conversely, no one should think they are more important than anyone else. You might not be a hand, you might not be an eye, but you are an essential part of the body.  Much of the “working” of the body goes on behind the scenes, unseen, without attention or applause. We don’t even notice, as long as it is working that is.  No one knows, no one notices, but God knows. And that’s what really matters. And whether you get the recognition or not, the church benefits. It’s not about applause for any one of us. That is the flesh. It is about applause for the Lord. Our vision statement says that we envision a body of Christ followers rooted in the word, who treasure God as supremely valuable, and proclaim the riches of His grace to the world.  The song says, “And if I should gain any praise, let it go to Calvary... to God be the glory!”  That needs to be our heart beat, as individual members, and as a church. We want to glorify Him!

        If we were all the same, the body would suffer (17).  We need others to do what they were made to do, because we can’t do it as well or as effectively. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. For the church to function as Christ designed it, we each have to find that something we were created for, we need to find our place in God’s story.  God has designed the church, the body of Christ, empowered and united by the Spirit, with each believer uniquely contributing to the whole. On Body, One Spirit, Many members...

IV. By His Design: God has purposefully placed each member in the body (18,19; cf. 12:11). He is the Architect and Builder of the church.

¹⁸ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.  ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be?

            Most of you know that for many of years I operated heavy equipment, a good part of that time working at a dump.  Every now and then, we would have the opportunity for overtime and were assigned other jobs. I remember one Saturday the boss asked me and Willie to build a cistern out of cement and blocks. I was a loader operator, Willie was a welder. It did not go well. Everyone can do something, no one can do everything! God is our creator, and He is the architect and builder of the church. He has gifted each of us who know Christ.

       “But as it is...” We might think things would be better if everyone would be just like us, “But... God arranged the members in the body...” A uniform collection of cookie cutter members might seem easier, but the Author of the church had a different plan!  Have you ever heard it said, that a Camel is a race horse designed by a committee? God is a committee of one (ok, three in one!) and He arranged the members in the body according to His design. In the universal church, and in this church, He has “arranged” us according to His will.

“...each one of them, as he chose...” Don’t think for a minute that, ok this body talk is true in general, but I am an exception to the rule! I’ve got nothing to give! The language here is emphatic. God is working, Jesus is building his church.  “Each one” is chosen on purpose for a purpose. God doesn’t make any mistakes!

       Think about how the mission would suffer if we were all exactly the same (19)! Where would the body be?  A body that was all one part, or every part was exactly the same, wouldn’t really be a body. God didn’t intend for a church full of cookie cutter Christians, all of us being exactly the same.  God’s plan, a diversity of gifts: One body. One Body, One Spirit, Many Members, by His Design.  

What is God saying to me in this passage? God has designed the church, the body of Christ, empowered and united by the Spirit, with each believer uniquely contributing to the whole.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? I am obviously not anorexic. But just like some of you I can have moments when I get a distorted view of myself. At times I can become prideful. Other times come when I question my worth, when I doubt my contribution, when I don’t think I am making a difference. But you know what, on the authority of this scripture I can say that we each have a role to play.  Have you questioned your value to the mission of the church? If you know Christ as your savior know this: God chose you on purpose, for a purpose. He, the Potter, has been shaping you into who you are. He gave you what it takes to carry out your role in His story. 

       The Great Story of redemption reached a climax in the Cross and resurrection, and the Story continues as Jesus is building His church! We all have a part in that, each one of us who know Him. You are here by God’s design.  And you are who you are, because He, the Potter, has molded you into what he wants you to be. You may not feel you have a lot to contribute, but you are an essential part of the body. Do you know what your gifts are? Do you know what God has created you to do?  Someone said in our Thursday night group, seek the Giver, not the gift! Be available for Him to use. Are you available? Is God’s glory your heart’s desire? Howard Hendrix asked his students, “If you knew that you couldn’t fail, what would you do for the glory of God?”  You are a part of this team, this body. Let us help you find your place in God’s story. AMEN!