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

No such thing as a part of the body that is worthless or useless. There's no vestigial organs in the body.

No useless organs. If the foot should say because I'm not a Hannah not of the bodies and therefore not of the body year should say because I'm not on.

I am not of the body is therefore not body to body. I would be the hearing God sees in his family is loves and cares for each believer equally today on connect with Skip.

I think Skip shares what you were essential to the body of lies in carrying out God's purposes on earth you want to tell you about a recent that will encourage them to be part of cultivating a more loving church than ever before. The most 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 here. Skip I think the say that this nation is divided would be a gross understatement but I am not going to take sides. 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's a sin issue will help you understand this divisive issue from a defined stack to $20 or more today to this type of teaching ministry pastors expect that the church and racism teaching.

Teaching conversation with pastor Tony Clark get these relevant resources today when you get online clearly connectwithskip.com/offer or call 819 to 18, 88, which doing Skip as he begins today step work involved in a task it's dinner time and a message from your stomach is sent to your brain says I'm hungry so the brain sends a message to your feet to walk toward the barbecue in the backyard were there barbecuing burgers and as you get closer your noses and body starts smelling the meat and smelling the grilled onions and your body is cooperating and then as you get closer your eye spots.

They catch up on the mustard in the bun and the burger and the brain says dear hand grab and grab the mayonnaise and mustard product and then your mouth cooperate you open your mouth and chop and swallow it in your fearfully and wonderfully made when your body is working together. It's a beautiful thing. I years ago.

I'm from California and we would go to Venice Beach and if you ever have the interesting and sometimes awkward experience of walking Venice Beach.

But there's all sorts of interesting characters on the beach from bodybuilders to young 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 apples are you know of bowling pins he was juggling chainsaws live chainsaws would start up a little. Chainsaws are up another one start epidemic cost when in the air and catch the handling skin insight and overall 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 news 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 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 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, is 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 any compares those to two parts of the human body that are often seen more visible ones that are often seen our VI and the hand parts that are not seen as as regularly foot and ear. But there are important, but what is my forte said I'm tired of always I'm always down here down low. I want more visibility you know I I'm I'm I'm always in this dark, dank, wet, smelly place I'd rather be applied if I could just be on the four head. I would be a happy big toe be an ugly dude you have to call a tow truck. I suppose I know I know I nailed it right now. Hands are visible. You should you reach out and grab somebody's and we shake with her and you don't shake feet but you know walk on your hands, you could.

Some people can, but it's not normal and you will go very far, you wouldn't take a walk on your hands, you might do it as fun party trick but you need your feet to give that cadence to the rest of your body, but the feet aren't as visible as the hands. The eyes are more visible than the years when I first met my wife Lenny and her eyes were standing still are. I went and noticed her brow. I just the gleam in her I didn't I didn't walk away from eating or going and she's got great lobes.

Her ears are like awesome because honestly here's are never awesome their ugly their twisted I mean right. And if you think years are beautiful or not, but there formed a certain way to direct sounds other brother they're not as visibly stunning as the eyes. There are important so that's that's the analogy that is making and then just to kinda go off the chart and an almost be ridiculous.

Paul in verse 17 says if the whole body were an where would the hearing be you just have to picture that because that's just highly impractical and what would you do with a 5 foot six eyeball roll around and see a lot of wouldn't be able to hear or speak.

You have to put a big sunglass on it out in the sun.

I guess driving your car onto know what you do with it. It's ridiculous. So if the whole body were and I were with the hearing be if the whole body were hearing were with the smelling be but God has set the members each one as he placed so he is talking about the equality in the necessity of each part of the body, whether you see it or not, and he's going to go on to say that you are parts of the body that are never seen or rarely seen, and you protect them.

You can thank God that your body. Your physical body doesn't act like the church of Jesus Christ. What is your long decided he wanted more exposure the scene. I'm tired of being under the shirts and blouses and under the skin and I'm important yet you're so important.

We don't want you out and about.

You gotta stay tucked in there and a bacteria free environment breathing away but but so many times you'll have people just trying to you know leave their giftedness to leave their calling. Leave the importance because they think wrongly that I am not as important as somebody else and we can give them the disservice by putting certain ones on pedestals and send what we really esteem goes over the rest of the body buses. You can do that you shouldn't do that. You want not to be that maximize equality. Verse 21 and the eye cannot say to the hand. I have no need to view nor again the head to head to the feet. I have no need of you. That's another principle we need to minimize self-sufficiency.

Nobody can say I don't need anybody else. I don't need to go to church and I've heard people say that I don't need to go to church early to go to a place and be around people I can watch it now on my phone or on my computer on television I can get the information. If you can get the information you will nearly get the amount of transformation that you get by the accountability of being with other believers. By the way for you to say I don't need church is a lie's ally, God created us not to be independent but to be interdependent. We need each other we do and it's it's not until you have a real life giving relationships within the community of the body of Christ. You really understand that that's what we tell people get involved in the connect group, don't just come to listen and gather information, but now now spread the inspiration and and see the transformation that comes from those kind of relationships so the I can save the hand. I don't have any need of you.

Nor can the head save the feet.

I have no need of you. I just want to say, especially to the American church. I realize that these studies go around the world, but there is a problem in the American church and I love and listen. I'm an American, I love hello America. America bought one of the haughty idea, but one of the hallmarks of America is self-sufficiency don't need anyone we we put on a pedestal. The rugged individualism of the pioneer who goes it alone and forges his wife doesn't need anybody else does rely self-reliant, but God created us to be. Enter locking in interdependent on other people in the body of Christ ought not to function like any other institution, especially the government, which is one of the worst forms of malfunction on the planet. Any government is any form of human government is so we need each other. The point we need each other so verse 22. No much rather those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. Think about that your hand is important, but you can afford losing hand. I don't suggest you try but you you can survive. You can't survive without a liver. You can't survive without a heart or brain or survive without some of your intestine, but certainly not your whole alimentary canal, so you don't see them, but you need you need your pituitary probably didn't go to the day at all thinking about your pituitary gland today. You did, if recently, you've been diagnosed with the disease that affects the pituitary gland to see that's the point were so many parts of the body that are vital and necessary and you really don't know or think about them until one malfunction. So it is in the church. If there's malfunction and that all of the focus in all the attention goes to that one little member that is creating the difficulty will now you have to address that you have to attend to that you have to get that fixed. Go to radiation therapy or physical therapy or surgery.

Whatever it might take to address the issue, but on a normal day. You shouldn't have to think about your pituitary or your lungs just automatic functioning away creating chemicals, exchanging synapses, etc. the body should just function, but those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. Sometimes those gifts and those gifted people that you see on the platform and think all that person is so important when you get to heaven, you're gonna see who really is important. You cannot, you're gonna see people that maybe you saw him church but did you wonder why are they in the front row or they were the prayer warriors that they were the reason that the church had any success at all or is pastor's Always here. He made it he's in the back row and I'm not just saying that to be like in self humility are. I really think that sometimes God places people in the church and places of visibility because he knows we need church Morrissey. I come to church.

I'm a church all the time I I listen to the message on the weekend three times used to be four times with four services free covert and Wednesday night, so I'm always in the word and I'm I'm learning and speaking and thus listening to the message. I think God knows that I need to be in church that much. I think you know it's like when Jesus spoke at the Sea of Galilee, he said to Peter. Peter launch out from the shore. I need to use your boat here to speak to the crowd, so Peter did that in Bobby was there with Jesus, maybe even felt like I'm special.

I'm holding the boat for Jesus.

People get a look out here in the shed and in this little cove at the sea of delicacy Jesus appeared together because I'm Peter and I'm important. I'm holding about. Well, maybe Jesus knows Peter you need to hear this message. That's why you're so close to him holding the boat you need this more than anybody else and I think the Lord knows I need to be around this stuff up may be more than the average bear because he knows me so those members that seem to be unnecessary yet are vital are necessary and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable on these we bestow greater honor and are un-presentable parts of greater modesty, but our presentable parts of no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks certain parts of our bodies need to be made presentable. So we select clothing that will make us more presentable.

We want to wear certain things to cover up. Love handles or bulges here or write and we were were presenting work work clothing were covering ourselves up to make ourselves presentable.

Verse 25 that there should be no division or schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another and if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. It's that way in your physical body. If you get hurt your body compensates for the hurt so if you're swinging a hammer and you miss the nail and you hit your thumb hard.

Playing with the hammer were you hurt everywhere is not like you go old-line. My thumb hurts right now it's there's a reaction you ride your face can torture like that slow-motion card to your and if you stub your toe, your whole body is impaired and you are compensating for the problem. So in the church. If one member suffers, all the members suffer, we are only as healthy as the health of each member together as the cooperation of each member getting the signals from the mind of Christ and being obedient to that were only as strong as that. We are also as weak as people who are not involved, not plugged in not using their gifts not listening to the Holy Spirit, and so we might limp in the whole body is affected one member suffers well suffer of one member is honored, we are all honored and we rejoice. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually and God has appointed these in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, gifts of healings, helps administration varieties of tongue interesting list because first what Paul puts first is not what some of us might put first, we might say first of all, miracles of healing that's way down the list for Paul. It's the apostles. Those church planters who go out and then those teachers who bring maturity to the body of Christ and then way below that healings administration varieties of tongues are all apostles of these rhetorical questions are all apostles is everyone here apostle know are all prophets no are all teachers know are all workers of miracles. Nope, do all have gifts of healings nope do all speak with tongues. The context is in the congregation.

Nope. Do all interpret, of course not, but earnestly desire the best gifts and I will show you a more excellent way. So is not about superiority and is not about inferiority it's about variety and it's about unity and is about equality. It's about finding our part and doing our part being part of the church body of Christ. I love how it closes.

He said, but earnestly desire the best gifts. Which brings up a question to which gifts are the best gifts. My answer is, it all depends. It all depends what work needs to be done. Certainly the best gifts you could have are the ones that God has ordained that you have the best gift for you is in the gift that I have the best gift for me is in the gift that you have. It's the gift or the gift mix and and and variety of of expression and administration just for me just for you so earnestly desire the best gifts. That's that's like saying earnestly desire the best tool. If your space.

Which tool in your toolbox in your garage is the best tool I would say depends what you want to do well.

I need a saw. What's your best saw again it depends what you want to cut if you're if you're trying to cut a pipe. I'm not can give you my skill so I can give you a tree saw many give you a hacksaw. But if you want to cut holes in wood. I wouldn't give you a hacksaw. I would give you a skill.

So I give you a jigsaw.

It all depends on what work needs to be done. What is the best gift depends on what God needs to do and he gets the people with those gifts and applies that to that need.

And it gets done. That's how the body will so the church is to work that Skip message from the series expound use gift to share.

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Skip Heitzigs and brings the gifts of the spirit into perspective, sharing how your life gifts can be fueled by love, true gauge of spirituality is the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness and gentleness Jesus spoke about profits and false prophet, you will know them by their not you will know them by their power over them by the know them by their