Unity in Diversity (Part 4 of 4)

No churches can function effectively. Diversity is important. Our differences may make us well different.

It also is what makes us necessary so if were all needed and we all need each other. How can we learn to work together today on Truth for Life weekend Alastair big concludes our series in first Corinthians 12 and explains what it takes. Okay, so the warranty is the problem.

On the one hand superiority is the problem so you have some people who spend their time saying they don't need me, and then you have others of us walk around like I don't need. Basically where the problems in the body of Christ all, some people's propensity is to say they don't need me another six propensity is to say I don't need that because you notice how he switches in the first few verses. He's saying if the foot should say I am not this, therefore I don't belong expressing a sense of disengagement. He changes and invest 121 he turns around the other when he says I cannot say to that end, I don't need you clearly some of the Corinthian context to believe that on account of the personal giftedness they can get along fine without anybody else need the unimportant contributions were made by the members of the body of Christ they could get along fine, but it can be wise. He is using this because that's what we do one another.

We say you want to meet you. I don't belong here and he is going to this almost simplistic level in order to drive home the flag and the distinctions within the body of Christ are distinctions of function. They are not distinctions of value and in this context the strategy of the evil one is to inflate us in order to defeat us and the pattern that God has is to deflate us in order to exalt us if the absolute reverse of so much of what we hear today you understand how important you are, how wonderful you are and how terrific you are know you got understand, under God, how unnecessary you are. Because God is God and because he cares about his church drives this home and there's 22 and following that can see the feet. I don't need you on the contrary says those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable in the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor you can live without your legs. We can live without your lungs but how much time have you given. Think about your lungs recently unless you are in that kind of chest area in that's not a lot probably.

You may have given a lot of attention to your legs for whatever reasons either in exercising whatever it might be but the fact is you can live without the legs. But you can't live without the lungs. The weaker are indispensable. The internal organs inevitably don't get the exposure that other parts of the body get stems. The reason right in our city want to come over to my house and and see my see my kidneys, nonminority cannibals could see one, revising my mother's kidneys, but you can you can't you don't do that with one okay so what. So that's what think about this is not a lesson in human anatomy.

This is a lesson in the body of Christ. This is what he said the base of the body that seem to be weaker are in this symbol would you underline that if you underline in your Bible indispensable. If you think about the things that we are able to reproduce in terms of prostatic surgery. Most of the stuff is external all endeavors internally are less than perfect, less than successful.

Much of what is external may be replaced maybe fixed may be badgered around me to function, but as soon as we go into the heart of the matter we discover the indispensability of those thing, therefore, think about those who have less noticeable parts in the body of Christ. Those with less noticeable ministries are often vulnerable to misunderstanding. They are often vulnerable to neglect, and they are often vulnerable to miss appreciation and incidentally is why some of them feel inferior because it stands then to the office to have a different role within the body of Christ to protect the laws indispensable believers in the same way that our external shell protects our indispensable arguments, but because they're not on public display. We don't give them a lot of thought, but when we lie in our beds and thing we realize it's the stuff that no one can see that makes me want love ones. Is that what Paul is saying in here or is that what policy here you see what he say what he saying is this the things that we attach the greatest significance to the body of Christ, the talkers and the walkers and the singers and the jokers in the upfront characters can be replaced at a moments notice. But there are indispensable parts of the body scene I noticed that are holding fellowships together. That's what you say we don't necessarily even know who they are in this church faithful prayer warriors. No class, no water in their homes in their cars. Whatever might be holding on where to God and to his promises for the well-being of Park Sager.

Only eternity will make that plan.

When the last of first and those of us who think were first and last and pastors don't like the teacher too much because what it does is it takes the pastor and it says you can drop them right down to the all clear what this 40 without regular problem and walk another guy out on here and they'll carry on without a great deal of difficulty, but there are some people, as it were, in the guts of the whole affair. The indispensable that those who are external and vocal and prominent need to provide protection for in the same way. Not only are the weaker parts indispensable but the parts that we think less honorable we treat with special honor. Have you ever seen on television somebody advertising for an eye master or an here master or an elbow master now. But you see them doing it for a thymus right real problem here with hex we cover it up and we were given we do all sorts of things to it. Why is there actually last and we treat them with special honor the parts that are presentable are treated with special modesty.

While our presentable parts need no special treatment. But where do we get the most treatment to the base that don't need the treatment.

26 so we don't look for the indispensable parts to secure them. We don't take the last little parts to clothe them uncover them and bestow them with a measure of honor and we take the presentable parts and spend all our time shining them up so that will look good, thereby neglecting the parts that need our consent of the flipside then of say no to isolation is clearly saying yes to involvement saying yes to involvement and that's what he's teaching here. The reason he says that I'm doing all of this is to let you know that every one of you is a part of every one of you is important.

This is a vitally important instruction for many of our churches have grown so dependent on a small number of people and often and in certain cases and usually in smaller churches, the gross so dependent on an individual whoever that pastor may be, and so the pastor lives with an unbelievable burden to the watching world. He's the guy who does not have them all the people at Saito must be nice to have your job. After all, he only work one day a week so we have that we walk around here comes a guy worth what the watching world. He does nothing to install, you should.

He's a guy I'm supposed to do everything you've been in a church like that you know that is true when Miss perception is tolerated or even cultivated it turns congregations into interested or disinterested spectators rather than into active participants and so they become dependent upon all that is fed to them and they sit around and watch and see how successful the pastor of the pastors or whoever they are, will be at providing all their needs. Harmony in the body of Christ is about individuality is about diversity is about that diversely operating under the unity of the Lordship of Christ in the tragedy of the Corinthian church was this that they were divided where they should have been unified, namely in doctrine and they were attempting uniformity where God's purpose was diversity so they were ever a recipe for total disaster. He says in chapter 1 he says I want to be perfectly united in heart and mind and thought.

I want you to believe the same things I want you to understand now if you are unity under the Lordship of Christ in terms of basic Christian doctrine, then you will be able to tolerate all the diversity that is part of you because you're all made very differently and y'all come from different backgrounds and God is give me all kinds of different gift, they instead bombed out on the unity of doctrine and attempted a uniformity of behavior. So you end up with a church that is trying to make clones out of people. They can never ask questions, they can never differ. They often wear the same kind of suits. The all carry the same kind of Bibles and and and so it goes. Now the reason is God has ordered things in this way very clearly and were not all the same as 27 to the end. All these rhetorical questions expect the answer no. There were temporary sign gifts.

There were foundational apostolic and prophetic gifts that word abiding and necessary gifts, but the unity was to be found not in displaying the same gifts, but in the middle being the same head and loving the other members. Let me try summarizing drugs to a close. Number one, we need one another. Number two were different from each other. Number three were supposed to care for each other. I sit we need each other were different from one another and therefore we have to tolerate those differences and watch out for each. What is God's purpose in all of this, we summarize it.

Verse 25's purpose in this is to deal with division goddess combined the members of the body and is given greater honor to the parts that liked it. Verse 25 so that there should be no division in the body. The word which is used here is a graphic word used for the tear in a cloth you would tear something in his jagged edges.

Nothing creates jagged edges more than an attitude of superiority on the part of some or an unhelpful allegiance to individuals. I'm Paul I'm up all assigned Cephas. This is my guy this is my group.

I like her. I like him. They wear our little deal says no, the will reason you're all like this this grade hodgepodge is so that there should be no division to deal with division and to call them to caring. Notice that no division in the body and that is parts should have equal concern for each other. Some people get tied up on this, this, it will be a very large church year and that is impossible for us to know everything and everyone. That's right, that's absolutely right that is an unsavory element of science, but it is an element of science. The fact that I cannot know everyone and everything about everyone. Nor can you does not mean that I cannot exercise equal concern for each one that I know what he saying here is not that we are equally involved with everyone.

But no matter who the one is, no matter how we encounter them, no matter their background or giftedness or whatever it is our concern for then must be the same because God put them in the body so nobody ought to be able to come to you and find that your level of concern for them is this much greater simply because you like are this much less because I don't like that kind of thing a supernatural activity. No group of people will pull this off as a result of an act of Congress.

No group of us will ever be able to bring it together and sharing one another's joys and sorrows, and if you like living like Siamese twins without the depth of relationship that only the Spirit of God can bring. That's why when Paul writes to the Ephesians and he says to them that God is given, pastors and teachers so that the church may be edified as the Scriptures are made clear so that you may come to maturity as each part does its work at the heart of that nature. For his love very dangerous for me to use illustrations like this.

I know I'll be corrected later but I'll proceed.

In conclusion any rate, in arthritis or in an arthritic condition. The joints have a brittleness enough friction to them. As a result of the absence of this synovial fluid is because that fluid is not in the abundance that it should be that the that the joints do not have the harmony and flexibility and ease of movement that they may otherwise have ordered that that the knee still in place are the ball and socket joints are there and they hit but something is wrong. There's pain involved in it is because of the drainage of the synovial fluid.

The synovial fluid in the body of Christ will come to in chapter 13. It is love and when love drains out of the joints in the body and the body may still have a skeletal structure but it will be paying the next movement. It will be impoverished in its actions and will be lax and none of what God intends. That's why, in our families more than anything else. What matters is that we love each that we teach our kids to love each that we tell our children that we love them unreservedly, unconditionally, for as soon as love drains away then we are left with mechanical motions disengaged. Life's disenfranchised people.

Disgruntled fellowships and ineffective churches. I think it's very important for us as individuals to be reading and rereading these chapters on our own to be asking God to speak to us through them. Those of us who are prone to inferiority and a feeling that we don't of apart asking the spirit of God to bolster is up those of us who have a problem with superiority asking the Lord to burst the bubble of our pride so that together we may be more effective than when any of us are on our own. There's no greater illustration other than when an orchestra plays they don't all play the same instruments they don't all play the same part. Indeed, I don't thing the all read off the same notes the way it's written for the French horn. The way it's written for the cello. The way it's written for the old boys not written necessarily on the same way I believe. But when they played apart. According to the score and when they bow beneath the batten of the conduct. The harmony and the music is powerful. Therefore, it's simple. We need to know the score.

We need to submit to the conduct we need to be cautious and careful with the people around us so that we don't stick our bowl in there. I or try and play louder than then to silence or go on and inferiority trip because were playing the triangle and in the whole movement. The triangle comes once you realize how important it is when it comes to us once a minute for cam 50 times will be sent back.

You know, the triangle being being being being being if that thing goes for 27 minutes and you play that thing just being once I think the composer thought I was pretty important to you know this afternoon Dan Majeski, the concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra went to be with Christ. When an illustration of a man who played his part, not only with great skill within the orchestra but also within the body of Christ.

Those of us who attended the prayer breakfast when he would calm and play along with Bob Vernon and his wife and his son never forget how he loved to take out that piece of paper and read the same point every year. The point about the violin found in the dusty old workshop and how the man said oh it's a piece of junk.

It's irrelevant.

It's not that great of a violin hi don't really know why we keep it around here than the plan goes on and the gentleman took a violin brush the dust off and he began to play said Majeski. This is how it is when we are placed in the master science sure were dusty surely look junky. Sure, people think that we lie around the shop, and a fairly irrelevant, but whenever the master takes is a to play our there is no other part that is necessary for that moment today tonight. We honor Dan Majeski, the part that he has played in the body of Christ in the city. The testimony that he is born throughout the world with the orchestra I reminder to us of the simple song there's a work for Jesus. None but you can do now, let's collect and help one another to do that work. Each one of us has a significant part in the play God's kingdom. That includes you to start Alastair back with the final message in our series firm foundation. This is Truth for Life weekend. Please keep listening as Alastair will close in prayer in just a minute here at Truth for Life. We intentionally choose books that will be a source of encouragement and spiritual growth for you and your family. Today's recommendation is specifically geared for college students or for high school students who are headed toward college. It's titled surviving religion 101 letters to a Christian student on keeping the faith in college as parents we often prepare our kids for college by stocking up on all the things are going to need in their dorm room but are they ready to face the kinds of questions that are to come to them on the college campus questions that might cause them to doubt their Christian faith surviving religion 101 addresses very practical, real-world topics and it's written so college students will be confident about what they believe when their faith is put to the test. Find out more about the book surviving religion 101 when you visit our website Truth for Life.work now.

Let's join Alastair in prayer, our God and our father for your Word, the Bible, we thank you from the depths of our hearts. Thank you for its clarity and its power. Thank you for making it known to us in this the thank you for all the instruction that there's been for all the help that is been exercised for all the playing of triangles and banging drums for all the unseen indispensable activity. Help us to see no to isolation to say yes to involvement and teachers unmistakably in these days that are significance and our effectiveness is far greater as a whole than any individual part on its own. Thank you for this place. Thank you for each other. Be with us as we go take us and safety makers useful to the master in the days of this week for we ask these things with the forgiveness of all our sin.

In Jesus name on Bob Lapine.

Thanks for listing today. We hope you will be back next weekend as we begin a new series of messages from second Timothy chapter 4 titled guard the truth.

Discover how every pastor should determine what to say Sunday by Sunday.

The Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life with the learning is prolific