1 Corinthians 12:11-13:13 - Part A

Using the analogy of the body. All speaks here about body of Christ is favorite analogies, favorite metaphor.

The church is more than an organization. Yes, it should be organized. It's an organism is alive, living like a body there are other analogies the Bible uses to speak about the church, not just the body of Christ for all of the living analogies, the bride of Christ.

The apostle Paul compared the church to a living body, each believer, functioning as an essential part today on connect with Skip Skip shares how you can serve even more effective as a member of the body of Christ.

Did you know the Scriptures and updates and biblical encouragement on social justice model Facebook, twitter and Instagram to get the latest from him and this ministry that's at Skip Heitzig at Skip HPI cheesy IG the best way for you to connect with God is connecting to his part that finally made a slight change in Bible teachings available around the world and if you want to see more people come into a relationship with the living God. You can help make that possible with your generous gift to thank helps keep this by Going to reach people around the world with the gospel.com/donate to get the gift today and help connect more people to their Savior connectwithskip.com/donate or you can call 819 to 1800 9288.

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Chapter 12 as we dive into her study with Skip Heitzig. Your body is amazing.

Bible says in Psalm 139. You are fearfully and wonderfully made beautiful verse fearfully and wonderfully made or is one translation says you are wonderfully complex and some of you may be, are more complex than others, but you're still fearfully and wonderfully made, and so your body. The human body. That's the analogy that Paul is going to be working off of next year. The human body is an analogy for the spiritual body, the church, so your body, your unit that you call you. You have about 30 trillion cells 30 trillion cells. Compose your human entity your human body in each of your cells, you have a nucleus in your nucleus of each cell you have 23 pairs of chromosomes you know this. You remember this from grade school going to those science classes. One pair come from your mom, one pair come from your dad and in your cells you have this material that is scrunched up like a ribbon that has densely coded information on it.

DNA that densely coded information on that scrunched up tape inside the nucleus of every cell of your body gives instructions of how that cell is to operate and it gives instructions of its operation from from the moment of conception in the womb to the moment of demise from birth to death dictating the complexion of your skin dictating the color of your hair how tall you will be color of your eyes. All that information is in the nucleus of yourself on that DNA if you were to take one cell and translate that information that densely coded information in the nucleus of just one cell the equivalent of a written book information.

It would provide one cell would provide a volume of 4000 volume library one cell translated into a written code would give you 4000 volumes. If you were to do that with all 30 trillion cells. How big of a room would you need while you could fill if you get all 30 trillion cells took that DNA coded information translated into written form. You could fill the Grand Canyon. Now you know the Grand Canyon's a big hole right. It's between three and 20 miles across and about 200 miles long, you could fill the Grand Canyon 40 times to overflowing with the information decoded in written form in all 30 trillion cells. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are wonderfully complex. Your human body is amazing.

Most of us know that and most human beings are body aware body conscious maybe a little too much. So in our culture we spend in America roughly $33 billion a year on products to make us look good. Don't know how much it helps, but we buy into it.

Obviously it's a big industry. $33 billion a year to make our bodies presentable to make us beautiful to make us our appearance attractive. That's important to us. Our bodies are important to us. That's how we relate to people using the analogy of the body.

All speaks here about the body of Christ is one of his favorite analogies, favorite metaphors.

The church is more than an organization. Yes, it should be organized but it's an organism it's alive it's living like a body there are other analogies the Bible uses to speak about the church, not just the body of Christ.

But all of them are living analogies, the bride of Christ.

That's that's a living entity.

A bride is alive a flock of sheep.

There is life there so all of these analogy speak of the fact that the church far more than an organism far more than a polished organizational machine that has checks and balances in its an organism filled with people who are filled with life. So the Bible talks about our bodies presenting our bodies. Romans chapter 12 as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God if every one of us filled with eternal life.

Ionia passes away everlasting life. All of us are filled with life are are dedicating giving our bodies over to the Lord presenting our bodies to the Lord and finding our place within the church within that group. It's powerful. It's a powerful expression of the life of God on the earth to the individual members of the body of Christ. The problem with Corinth is that the body of Christ, and Corinth was giving off a poor reflection of the life of God.

They were riddled with all sorts of problems that we have noticed over the past several weeks all the way from divisions noted in chapter 1 and two and three divisions schisms in the body and so the antidote to that is to realize what we are who we are, what our identity is the body of Christ and what I want to do now on and we've gone to the gifts of the spirit is sort of recap a little bit and jump into verse 11 we didn't get into that and then and then screwed all the way to the end of the chapter so to fix the problem at Corinth.

This problematic church. This body that was not really reflecting the intention of God because of the problems that they were dealing with, especially division the antidote to that is found in chapters 12 1314.

The first principle we are recovered and we covered in depth the last few weeks is to recognize variety recognize variety.

There are diverse cities of gifts verse four there are differences of operation. Verse five there are diversities of activities. Verse six and we looked at the differences all the different gifts that are listed word of wisdom. Verse eight word of knowledge also verse eight faith verse nine gifts of healings by the same spirit, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues. God is a God, a variety God loves variety.

Look at all of us so different from one another are fingerprints or thumbprints are different are facial features are different, so that if you have a facial recognition software on your phone.

I can take it in and dress up like you and fluid it.

It is too many subtleties in you are unique. As an individual fearfully and wonderfully made. So we recognize variety because God loves variety and he puts variety into the church with different gifts different operations different styles of ministry aren't you glad there's not one style of ministry by I would say aren't you glad, but a lot of people actually aren't glad they want everyone in the church to think exactly like they think in every church to be exactly like their church. I don't.

I am so glad that there are different expressions of the Lord in every community and that because there are certain people that just wouldn't sit here and I'm glad they fit in other churches, I might not fit in those churches, but they do and they may gravitate toward that style. God loves variety pretty evident just looking around at creation. I am glad that the world doesn't all look like Albuquerque or doesn't all look like California or doesn't all look like Colorado but there's variety you go in one direction you get desert and you get mountains and you get ocean you get planes is there's variety, so it is with gifts of the spirit and even to people with the same gift is to be like a fingerprint like a thumbprint like a facial recognition is to be subtleties and differences of operation.

That's the beauty of it recognize variety as a kid I always look forward to Christmas day and I hoped that I wouldn't get 10 packages of the same thing. 10 packages of T-shirts and underwear. That would be boring for a kid you want to have variety in the gifts that you receive specially what you asked for you, but that's in there somewhere. And so, in the body of Christ.

There there is variety so now go all the way down to we covered verse 10.

Now verse 11 but one and the same spirit works all these things he's controlling the variety distributing to each one individually as he wills.

So who was in control of the distribution of the various gifts of the Holy Spirit is the body of Christ. Christ is like the head. He's the brain as we have noted, the Holy Spirit is more or less like the nervous system, conveying the messages from the brain to the different members different parts, each of us so that we can operate smoothly together.

So then I should never be part of a group and seek to impose my will on that group or come to a church or a small group meeting and it's it's let me tell you about what I want my will, were here to discover God's will and were God placed us and what gifts God has given to us and so he is the one who gives gifts one of the great joys and pursuits in the Christian life is to discover the gifts of the spirit that you have and it's okay to experiment Christ different ones out different things out different places out to see where you fit not only with your temperament and your natural talents and abilities, but your spiritual gifts it'll be an interesting mix and it's something only you can do and because it's spirit given it's a gift it's not earned you're not working for so it's not like well if I'm if I'm really good at the word of wisdom you think I can work my way up to being a prophet, if I'm really good at the gift of helps you think I could fill in one Sunday as a Bible teacher, you don't work your way up in in the body of Christ in terms of guess you really discover how God made you and where God has placed you and be content to operate as that part of the body that only you can do. I guess I would be sort of like my kneecap saying if I'm a really good kneecap that I become a shoulder.

One day I work my way up now.

It's best for you to just any End and because you know it. If we lose the kneecap for have problems so it's the Holy Spirit that works these things, distributing to each one individually as he well so that's first year recognize variety.

This second and again I'm I'm going generally know we've covered it in depth.

Those first several verse with the gifts that serve the general summation to recognize variety second is to emphasize unity and this balances out that first one. If the first one. Recognize variety is important and it is this the second point balances out the first we need to emphasize unity because if we don't if were all about celebrating variety and then it's about who I am is about who God made me there can be a malfunction in the church because you're off to celebrating variety and doing your own thing your own way.

Not really concerned about everyone else in the harmony and the unity so you are not the body of Christ individually.

We are the body of Christ together anymore than you are not the temple of the Holy Spirit.

We told you before, is not singular like you're a Temple you're a Temple I'm a Temple no.

We altogether when we gather together are the temple of the Holy Spirit. So we need to emphasize unity, the brain, the head of the body that the head is Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives us his orders. If were not listening to his orders. There's going to be a malfunction.

I had a friend.

I remember when I was growing up and I remember the day he told us that he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and I was young I didn't quite understand what that meant and then I had explained to me that the brain has the cortex of the brain little hard patches form on the brain and on the spinal cord and so the message that is normally transmitted from the brain to the parts of the body are are are unable to make the right connection, and so the body instead of a smooth motion will be forced to make jerky motions and uncontrolled motions and I watched my friend deteriorate over the years as those patches, I became more pronounced. So back to the body. Our physical body you got 30 trillion cells in your brain. You have 10 billion cells, roughly, some have a bit more.

Some have considerably less. I would imagine, but about 10 billion neurons that are there to basically send messages to all the different parts so there's a smooth function, ligaments, and bones and and when it's all working together awesome to watch. So there's real teamwork involved in in a task.

So it's dinner time and a message from your stomach is sent to your brain that says I'm hungry.

Got a so the brain sends a message to your feet to walk toward the barbecue in the backyard where their barbecuing burgers and as you get closer your noses, and Bobby starts smelling the meat and smelling the grilled onions and your body is cooperating and then as you get closer your eyes spots the catchup in the mustard and the bun in the burger and the brain says to your hand grab and grab the mayonnaise and mustard production and then your mouth cooperates you open your mouth and drop and swallow it in your fearfully and wonderfully made when your body is working together.

It's a beautiful thing years ago. I'm from California and we would go to Venice Beach and if you've ever had the interesting and sometimes awkward experience of walking Venice Beach. But there's all sorts of interesting characters on the beach from bodybuilders to weightlifters to people who do magic tricks and I remember one evening there was a guy out there who was a juggler but he wasn't just juggling like Apple Store you know of bowling pins he was juggling chainsaws live chainsaws would start up a little. Chainsaws are up another one start of any costs when in the air and catch the handling get insight in a world everybody standing way back, but it what it was a marvel and I thought if the message doesn't make it at the right time from the brain to the hand he's in trouble he's in trouble if there's a malfunction in this beautiful coordination. There's going to be blood everywhere. There's going to be a new story. There's going to be bad news.

So the church like the body only works when we are receiving the messages that come from Christ and we are discovering our gifts and operating smoothly together so I should've read the text before I went into that long tirade verse 12 for as the body is one there's a unity. The body is one and has many members. That's a variety but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. Just like the human body that has a variety of different units in and out members so also is the church, the body of Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and of all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member, but many verse 15 if the foot should say because I am not a hand, I'm not of the body, is it therefore not of the body. Now verse 15 introduces us to 1/3 little principle here so it church at Corinth. Not a beautiful body. It's an ugly body exit malfunctioning body.

So Paul is saying we need to recognize variety. We need to emphasize unity.

Third, we need to maximize equality.

We need to maximize equality.

There's no such thing as a part of the body that is worthless or useless. There's no vestigial organs in the body of Christ. No useless organs. If the foot should say because I'm not a Hannah not of the body as it therefore not of the body. If the ear should say because I'm not an ally. I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing. The whole were hearing, where would be the smelling but now God has set the members each one of them in the body just as he pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be the body of Christ.

The church malfunctions when we emphasize one gift over another gift.

When we put a certain gift or a certain gifted person on a pedestal, pedestal lysing, any person is bad for that person, and bad for the rest of us because you're saying that certain people are more important than other people, not according to Paul, all parts of the body are necessary and so what he does is compares the two parts of the body that are rarely seen, and he compares those to two parts of the human body that are often seen more visible ones that are often seen our FBI and the hand parts that are not seen as as regularly foot in the year, but there are important conclusions Skip a text message from the series expound first Corinthians to share a vital resource that shares how you can grab hold of the critical opportunity to represent Jesus. Even better, to the world than this recent U.S. Census revealed that our population is much more diverse than ever before.

In fact, over the past 10 years.

Our multiracial population increase of 276% which presents new challenges. I think the say that this nation is divided would be a gross understatement but I am not get it fixed five politically I am to take sides, morally, spiritually, and biblically, to raise the conversation to a different level to a higher level to a biblical level because the issue is I see it is not a skin issue is much as it is a sin issue will help you understand this divisive issue from the defined active $20 or more today to this Bible teaching ministry pastor states that that the church and racism teaching. Teaching conversation with pastor Tony Clark get these relevant resources today when you get online securely connect with.com/offer for call 819 to 1880 11:52 tomorrow as Skip Heitzigs of shares why you are essential to the body of Christ in carrying out God's purposes on earth God created us not to be independent but we need to do and it's not until you have no life-giving relationships within the unity of the body