Finding Your Place Part 2

One reason Jesus found in the body of Christ. There is great diversity, mature Christians enjoyed every member of the body.

Since each believer has a unique contribution to make the growth of the kingdom of Christ on her from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning when Sir helps us make it across the finish line. Some are given more important than the gift.

Others receive the answer to your question Davis yes there are some gifts that are more important than others, but it is essential for us to recognize that every single gift is necessary.

Some parts of my body are more important than others, but every part makes a contribution every part is necessary.

Now let me ask you a different question to all of our listeners and that is when Job experienced the death of 10 children and you know the story well I'm sure it is because God had given the devil the authority for wind and for Hayfield to kill his children and his cattle. Why didn't Job at the end say the Lord gave, and the devil took away because he had good theology.

Those are the kinds of questions I discuss in my new book entitled pandemics, plagues and natural disasters and that the subtitle is very important.

What is God saying to us, where I emphasize the sovereignty of God.

Let me put it to you plainly if COBIT 19 is out of God's hands, then I am out of God's hands because after all I could get the virus I could die of the disease. Would you like encouragement. Would you like some tough theological questions, discussed pandemics, plagues and natural disasters. Here's what you do for a gift of any amount you go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and now let us open our Bibles as we continue our discussion of spiritual gifts.

You know why there is inferiority in the church and I would like to take care of that in the next couple of minutes if I could try but I'm not so naïve as to think that I can accomplish it.

Let me tell you why. It's because of the idea of perverse idea that church is going to church on Sunday and having no wonderful meeting and that's church and when you go to church. You notice that there are certain people who lead the service. There are certain people who sing because they're particularly gifted and and therefore people say will I can't sing like that I can't read the Scripture like that.

I can't speak like that.

And therefore there is nothing for me to do hope please get rid of that idea forever. Gary it what we need to do is to understand that the body of Jesus Christ is to go about the earth healing the broken hearted. The body of Jesus Christ comes together on Sunday, but it has its ministry on one day and on Tuesday as we go out into the world and represent Jesus in stores and trees and office buildings, and where ever we may find ourselves as is represented, and that's what we need to understand and we will never electrify the church again. We will never see the church transforming society unless once again we understand the vision of Jesus going about explaining to people how they can have a relationship with God explaining forget this and reconciliation to God and going into the highways and the byways being willing to be identified with the people of the world to lead them to the Savior, about whom we sing so beautifully. That's the responsibility of the church and you see that's why we need all the members of the body. Every one has a function, maybe not in a public meeting but every member functioning uniquely made by God to fit somewhere in the body.

No room for inferiority, but no room for superiority.

We come to the same text. If the whole body were and I were with the hearing date of the problem with the eyes are they say what why can't I why can't everybody be and I just like me in the mouths bless them, they say, why can't everybody be a mouth just like me and and so they began to feel that other members are inferior because everybody should be like me. I cannot tell you the harm that is come to the body of Jesus Christ and the weakness of the body because their members in the body who will not accept other members who had weaknesses, particularly it's difficult to accept those who had weaknesses in the area in which we are strong.

You see, and so we say, in effect, why cannot he be like me.

Well, I think it was will what Rogers is that I've never yet met a man of whom I wish there were two so that's one reason why he shouldn't be like you. Your friend would you get over that.

You see many of you don't know me very well. You hear me on Sunday but you don't really know my weaknesses not really how those who work with me doing some of those some of them here on the pastoral staff sitting right behind me thing you know my weaknesses, but the reason I never say anything to anybody about them is because I know there weaknesses to their areas in which I am weak in the members of the pastoral staff. They are strong in those areas so we work together we try to minimize our weaknesses. We maximize our strengths because were helping one another, but there's no room for inferiority I learned from someone that I have a part of my body that is absolutely essential to my preaching, but it's a part of the body that you have never seen, and I predict you'll never see it. My big toe because apparently if you didn't have a big toe. You couldn't maintain your balance, you know that your toes are constantly sending these messages to the brain and think now you have to tilt a little bit this way and he leaned this way. So, to compensate you got to do this and just to think all that is happening in. I'm not even aware that it's happening quite well, actually without me being aware of it. So he realized today that I could not preach like I do if I didn't have a big toe. So since I've learned that I've always been protecting my toes and don't you dare step on my toes because they are a part of my ministry. You see what God wants us to do is to understand there is diversity except it and enjoy it and delight in the fact that we have some people in this church were very very different.

There is unity there is diversity.

And thirdly, there is interdependence, interdependence, verse 21 that the eye cannot say to the hand. I have no need of you.

Again the head to the feet. I have no need of you and Paul then goes on to say it is truer as I mentioned, that the members of the body would seem to be weaker are massive necessary and those members that we deem less honorable on these we bestow more abundant honor and and they actually become very very important and and so he goes on in verse 25 that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care. One of another. And if one of the members suffers, all the members suffer with it at one of the members is honored, all the members rejoice with that because there is this inter-relatedness within the body of Jesus Christ here in Chicago. There used to be a law school. I don't know if it still is in existence called the cancel law school. I told that there were two students who met almost on the first day of class and they became fast friends and graduated together.

One was a man without any arms.

Good eyes and another was a blind man and the blind man would carry the books in accordance with the instructions in the guidance with the man who had no arm and then in the evening when they studied the man without the arms would read. Of course, to the man who was blind and that's the way they got through together and it's a wonderful story that even though both of them were physically challenged, they made up for their own weaknesses by compensating by someone else coming to the rescue to help. That's what is called inter-dependence, interdependence, and I am here today to try to exalt with all that is within the into the best of my ability to exalt those works in the church and those gifts upon which we generally stole less honor because they are in visible, but God honors them and what we need to do is to think of creative ways in which to honor them as well.

Take for example the maintenance people here at the church usually don't see many of them usually you see them when there's some kind of a tragedy that has happened, or some kind of a need, but how long can we operate without the maintenance crew here at the church, not very long. How long can we operate without the nursery workers without the ushers without the parking attendants without the Sunday school teachers, without the social committee that prepares those lovely meals that we have how how long can we operate without these ministries, which are often done in those areas where there is less visibility. Don't you dare tell me that they are less necessary.

There's a terrible equation, sometimes in our minds. Visibility important. No visibility less importance God says no. They are all necessary to the working of the body interdependent. One upon another.

What is the bottom line the bottom line is simply this, my friend. Today you are a cell in the body. You are a part of the body of Jesus Christ. If you have believed in Christ and you impact the entire body for good or for ill. You impact.

I'm not sure if it's true that the flying in Bolivia impacts the air currents in the United States, but I am sure of this, that your spiritual life impacts the Moody church.

No matter how remotely you may be involved in our ministries, no matter how distantly and independently. You think you might be. Every cell in my body either contributes to what's happening or else becomes a drag on the body and what is happening. Because there is no such thing as a cell making it on its own.

It receives the light from the body.

The sustenance from the body. It's interdependence on the body and if it becomes a parasite that lives off the body but doesn't contribute to the body.

Then it becomes a drag to the body and I don't mean to say another.

Some people were going through times of hurting others. Some people who, for whatever reason, are unable to serve, I'm not talking about them when I use that word parasites I think of that man that I met in Florida who so tenderly looked after his wife who had Alzheimer's disease and how even though she couldn't serve him how he served her and and therefore there are people within the body who give us opportunities to serve and they are not. They are not harming the body they are benefiting the body. There are some people who through their criticism through their to their angry spirit through their independent on broken spirit and heart. They become overweight to the body rather than a blessing to the body.

And we must bear them yes because the body must function but whether you're a hindrance or help depends on the kind of cell you are within the body of Jesus Christ.

Notice pulses that we should have the same care for the body.

Last part of verse 25 we I guess what he means is the same care that our physical bodies have ever slipped on ice you slip on ice and your hands will go out and will absorb the blow and they won't even think about it will just do it like that. I slipped on ice in my hands didn't say well you know we don't want to get ahead. Let's just go to the back and just let him fall on his face in his chest.

My hands have not done that when I slipped they don't even pray about it. They don't say now what shall we do, let's think about it instantly. They are there and they will willing to absorb the blow. The wrist will be broken.

The fingers will be broken. The arm will be smashed but we got to do everything to protect the head and the heart and will do it.

That's the body of Jesus Christ functioning the way in which God intended it to function you find is somebody you find somebody who is hurting, Paul says in verse 26 if one of the members suffer all the members suffer with it.

You say will what good is that if we just all suffer. The idea is that you suffer in order to help that other member in his or her suffering.

You lighten their load we can lighten the load of missionaries by writing to them. We can write like the load of those were going through grief by calling them on the phone, praying with them, encouraging them, strengthening them pulses strengthen those who have fallen down and so that's the way we help and that's the way the body function you know anything about your white cells. I've never seen any of my white cells but I read about the white cells in my body and you've got some to know you've not seen them.

I'm told by doctors that they ramble through the body as if they're going nowhere just aimlessly. They remind me of a college student who just can't make up his mind as to what is major should be an end. That's the way the white cells are meandering no special no special aim just here we are. The minute you have a pin prick. They come from all over, and nobody knows who lets them know that I have a fax machine and say everybody get to the hand were in trouble. They come from all over the body and instantly there is some of those white cells who immediately take the bacteria and they wrap themselves around the bacteria and then they detonate and they end up dying and they give their life to keep poison from entering the body, and if you have enough of those happening we call it pus and you see these white cells, of which I think there are what is it 50 million whatever they exist in the body, but the moment they are needed they are there willing to lay down their lives and is not that what the Scripture says we should be willing to do for one another even give our lives for the brethren as one of our brothers did 2000 years ago on the cross. That's the responsibility of the church, the body functioning. So the apostle Paul says there is unity the baptism of the Spirit. There is diversity all, let's just celebrate celebrate our differences and when you see a weakness. Recognize that you have yours to you have yours to. And then there's interdependence and the bottom line is that the way I live the victories and defeats in my life and my use of my gifts or my lack of use of giftedness all impacts the body becomes a part of the total picture. I'd like to remind you that the body is so important to Christ so important to him that it is the body for which he died. And this pulses only way to get into it is the baptism of the Holy Spirit and that happens when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior. When we receive him into our lives.

Many different things happen. The Holy Spirit indwells us. We drink from one spirit, the spirit baptizes us, we become a part of Christ. We receive a new head we receive a new name and new identity. And we thankfully are going to spend eternity in a brand-new and different place. That's the ministry to which now we have been cold as the Moody church as as part of the total body is an arm of the body, the great and joyous responsibility of representing Christ.

However, he's put us together. However, he supplanted us for his glory and for his honor. For as the body is not one member, but many so also is Christ. And I say let it be, let it be so. You join me as we pray our father, we want to thank you today for every single person who is listen to this message. I thank you for every week part of the body, and there are some going through trials and hurts and pains and disappointments. I thank you for each part of the body. I thank you that there is no such thing as a member of the body was simply a nuisance because you have created each and each plays a part. Thank you for those who are strong in the body. Those who can lift us up. Those who can encourage, thank you for those who are multi-gifted and then there are those with one gift, or perhaps because of illness, unable to use any gift, but still all a part of us sharing the same life headed for the same destination. Loving the same Savior. Father, help us to fall in love with Christ that we might fall in love with each other. We pray in Jesus name, amen. And you know my friend, this is Pastor Luther I need to emphasize that the Bible stresses that we shall be together for ever and natural disasters remind us that life is short eternity. As long.

I've written a new book entitled pandemics, plagues and natural disasters. What is God saying to us.

I believe that it will be a great blessing and a help to you to think through theologically God's relationship to these events is also a great book that you can give to unconverted friends because they will be challenged to see God in a new way for gift of any amount you can go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 it's time once again for you to ask Pastor Luther question about the Bible or the Christian life.

What constitutes marriage in the eyes of God. One listener wants to know. He asks, is it still true as it seems to say in the Old Testament.

If a man has sex with a woman than she is. His wife, even though they did not have a ceremony and lack recognition from the government. Thanks so much for your very practical question. But there are a couple of things that we need to sort out as we answer it.

First of all, it is not true that in the Old Testament you were married to the person that you had sex with now it's true.

Sometimes, it appears that way because you remember Isaac for example, took Rebecca to his tent, and they became intimate and she became his wife. But always remember that in addition to that sexual relationship. There was also a promise to live together and that's what the wedding feast was about. It wasn't simply a man connecting with a woman sexually and then suddenly you have a marriage.

No, there had to be a commitment and that's true in the New Testament as well.

I frequently have counseled young women who perhaps got pregnant to feel obligated to marry the father of the child. But if it's going to be a bad marriage to begin with.

It'll probably be a bad marriage farther on, because the act itself did not mean that they were married in God's eyes. What was lacking is the vile the covenant to live together until death do us part. Now you also say they did not have recognition from the government. The reason for that is, of course, that Israel had an entirely different system that wasn't so much the government that Ted gave them recognition as the community and that's why to repeat again the wedding feast was such a big thing.

It's because in the eyes of that community.

The elders and the leaders of Israel people were married today. Our structure is a little bit different. We do have governments and as a result of that. We also when we marry someone filed certain papers and applications with the government. So always remember, marriage is the intimate relationship plus the promise to live together the vile has to be a part of it.

Thank you Dr. Lidster for that clarification. If you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor Lidster or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 as members of the body of Christ, we have a mission to fulfill and disciplined use of our resources is to getting God's work done.

Next time I'm running to win will look at how to determine our priorities and then live by them. Plan to join us for the message. I'm finding your priorities taken from Romans chapter 12 running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Thanks for listening for Dr. Erwin Lidster this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the teacher