One Body in Christ

Thanks Nathan for reading God's word "Dust's Morning" and morning everyone. It's good to be here once again even though lots of things are happening in my life but I thank God for opportunities like this. It helps my spiritual life to be encouraged to always remember that God should be the center of everything that I do in my life. I thank Pastor Joshua for always giving the opportunity to stand in this pulpit. Let's bow down our heads and let's pray to God. I'm most gracious and loving Father. We thank you that week after week you could gather your people to come to this place of worship of God. We thank you that you've always been faithful to each and every one of us despite Father that probably there are times in our lives that we walk away but you always hold on to us because you love us. Lord, this morning as we continue our series we pray that you will be with me. Just give me the words to speak. Words that would encourage not only your people but your servant also. Words that would remind us Father of who we are and what we should do as your people. I pray for those who are not here for whatever reasons. If it is sickness, Lord may you extend your healing hand upon them. If they are away in holidays, Lord may your protection be upon them Father. Lord, we thank you for technology that even when we are not in the church physically we are able to listen to thy word, we are able to steal worship Lord with your people. Lord, we just uplift you this time that as we look to thy word, your name will be honored, your name will be glorified, just hide me behind thy cross. And thank you for always forgiving me of my sins and so God. So all these things we ask in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now churches can be fascinating places. We have people who probably have been Christians for 20-25 years, sitting beside people who have been Christians for just a month or two months. We have extroverts, sitting beside introverts. We have people who love singing loudly, sitting beside people who sing like they are negotiating a ceasefire with a melody. We have people who read theology books for fun and people who think theology is a thing that happens when the preacher goes over 30 or 45 minutes in the pulpit. We have people who love change and people who become nervous when sitting arrangements are changed and they are asked to sit in front of the congregation. We have people who want more contemporary music and others would love old hymns. Some want more Bible. Other would want shorter sermons and probably some of you are praying hopefully he finished quick today. Some want more fellowship. Others define fellowship as saying good morning and getting to the car before anyone asks how they are doing. Probably some of us are like that. I would probably consider myself when I was younger. I will just say bye. See you next time. You are very different people and do you know what Jesus says? You are my body. You are my body. He did not say you are sometimes interested in my body. He did not say you occasionally volunteer around my body. He says you are the body of Christ. And church think of it. That is a very staggering claim because I would see here when I was reading this passage of Scripture that I am passed to preach this morning. Paul is not giving us a nice illustration about teamwork. What I see here is that Paul is making a theological declaration about our identity. He is telling us that the church is not fundamentally a crowd. The church is not fundamentally an organization. The church is not fundamentally a Sunday event. The church is not even fundamentally a building. The church is a people united to Christ and therefore united to one another. That is what we see in this passage of Scripture. That is what we will be exploring in this series our shared life. Because I think that was on the head of Pastor Joshua when he was planning this series. You see church because Christianity is deeply personal but it is never merely private. Jesus saves each and every one of us. Jesus saves individuals but he doesn't save us into isolation. He says you are my body. He saves us into a people into this church that we have here. When Jesus saves us, he doesn't merely give us a relationship with him. He gives us brothers and sisters in Christ. He gives us a body. When Paul wants the people in Corinth, when he was speaking, Paul was speaking this and also us to understand three things which is on our booklet there. He wants us to understand three things. We belong, we matter, we contribute. But I want first to share a bit of a problem here. The problem is most Christians or probably just some of us we want Christ without the body. We want Christ, we pray, Lord help me, do this for me, do this for myself but we don't want the body. Now I want us to move inductively as much as I would want to explain this versus the quickest way I could, hopefully I won't go over time but I want us to begin inductively. I want to share this first. Imagine you walked into a hospital and said I'd like to see the body. And the nurse or the receptionist says certainly they go away, she comes back or he comes back and bring you an eye. And you say no, I want the whole body. So go away again, comes back, brings you a hand. I want to see the whole body. Goes again, comes back, brings you a foot. Please understand me, I want to see the whole body. And finally they bring you an ear. And that is at this point. point probably you would suspect that they misunderstood my request. But imagine as this person brings the ear out, imagine the ear saying, "Actually, I'm independent. I don't need those other organs. I have my own ministry." You see church, that's funny when we think about a physical body. But spiritually, we sometimes live like that. We actually sometimes live like that. I love Jesus, but I don't really need the church. Sometimes we think I can follow Christ on my own, right? Sometimes we think I can worship God privately. Many times we think I don't need to get involved. I don't need other Christians. But church Paul says that it's not Christianity as God designed it. And look at verse 12 here. He says here, just as a body, the one has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. Read it again, just as a body, the one has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. There's a very fascinating phrase there. Paul is not saying so it is with Christians. Look at that, it's he says here, so it is with Christ. Why? Because when we are united and Christ, we are united to everyone else who belongs to Christ. Our relationship with Jesus Christ creates relationship with His people. That's why Paul says here, so it is with Christ. And we can even remember that's why the New Testament has so many one another commands. Love one another, encourage one another, bear one another's burdens, pray for one another, serve one another. Why? Because Christianity is not Jesus and me. Christianity is Jesus and us. And that is the message of fall here. And there's attention also. Paul moves into something incredibly human here. I want us to go to verse 15. He says there, now if the foot should say because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body. It would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And then verse 16 he says, and if the ear should say because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body. Now Paul here, I would say, is describing something we all understand and what is that comparison. Paul is describing something very direct that each of us today understands clearly and that is comparison. Because what we see here in the verse, the foot looks at the hand, the ear looks at the eye and suddenly the foot has identity crisis. I am not a hand. And the ear says, "Here I am not an eye." And so they conclude I don't belong. And church, that's one of the great enemies of Christian community comparison. That's what hinders Christian community comparison. We look at somebody else's gift and think, "I'm not like them." We look at somebody else's personality, we look at somebody else's knowledge, their confidence, their leadership, their ability to speak, their musical talent, their outgoing personality, their Bible knowledge, their apparent spiritual maturity. And we say, "I'm not like that." So I don't belong. We put ourselves on the side. And that hinders the church. But I want us to see this morning. Notice what Paul says. He says, "The foot doesn't stop being part of the body because it isn't the hand." He says, "The ear doesn't stop being part of the body because it is not an eye." He's telling us here, he's reminding the church in Corinth that difference does not mean disconnection. In fact, God designed the body to need difference. And firstly, in our outline, outline here, we belong. Christ brings us into one body. Verse 13, if we would go back there, it says, "For we were all baptized by one spirit, so as to form one body, whether juice or Gentiles, slave or free, and we were all given the one spirit to drink." And this is where Paul gets theological. You see, the unity of the church is not manufactured by the people's personalities. The unity of the church is not produced because we all like the same music. The unity of the church is not produced because we all vote the same way. It's not because we come from the same backgrounds or similar age or culture. Because if we see here, if we look at the Corinthian church, the Corinthian were dramatically different. Juice and Gentiles it says here, slave and free. So they were different, they had different social positions, they had different backgrounds, they have different gifts, they have different personalities, different in so many ways, different in experiences, but something deeper united the people in Corinth. The whole spirit united them to Christ and therefore to one another, therefore to one another. And this is the foundation of Christian belonging. And this is important for us to hear today. As I have said, we don't belong because we are alike. We belong because we belong to Christ. And that is the gospel church. That is the gospel. I want us to be reminded today a deeper theological truth here. The church unity is not primarily something that you and I create, no matter how many times you meet as leaders. Plan, this, that it's not something that primarily something we create, it is something God has created. And look at that verse. Paul says we were all baptized by one spirit, so as to form one body. Notice here the passive language. We were baptized. We were given. God acted. Before we even found one another, Christ found us. Christ brought us here. Before we even chose one another, Christ chose each and every one of us. Before we even agreed with one another, sometimes agreeing is very difficult in church. But church remember Christ already united us. This means our unity is not based on preference, it is based on the grace of Christ. It is purely on the grace of Christ and that is very, very important. Why? Because preference says I belong with people like me. Grace says Christ has brought me into a family with people I would never have chosen and they are now my brothers and sisters. Just look around. church. Probably sometimes, oh, I wouldn't choose this person. I wouldn't sit with this person. That's grace. That's because of Christ. And that is the miracle of a church. That is the miracle of a church. But there's something I want to say this morning. Probably to remind each and every one of us. I want to apply this point. Belonging is more than attending. This is where we need to be careful. Because all of us, or a lot of us, this is we can confuse attendance with belonging. Because we can attend church without belonging deeply to the church. Am I right? You can sit in a chair every Sunday and remain relationally disconnected. You and I can sing songs without knowing the people. We can know the sermon without sharing your life. And I think Paul's vision here is much deeper. I mean, if I would look at it, the church is not a cinema. So we don't come to watch a program and then leave. At least, probably in a cinema, we watch the movie, we go out, we talk about it. Oh, it was so nice. But do we talk about what we learn in church? So we're a body. And bodies are connected. So perhaps church, the question is not do I attend church. The question should be am I allowing myself to belong? Am I allowing myself to belong? I mean, who knows you? Who can encourage you? Who can correct you? Who can pray for you? Who's burden do you carry? Who's joy do you celebrate? Would someone notice if you disappear? Church belonging means allowing Christ people to become part of your life. And I think that's what in the head of Pastor Joshua, when he was planning this series, he wants us to understand. We belong. Secondly, we matter. Christ gives every member significance. Now, what I see here, Paul pushes the argument a bit more further in verse 18. He says, but in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. Now, look at that phrase there. God has placed the parts. Every member has significance because God intentionally places people within his body. And that's very, very comforting to hear, to realize. Because that means you are not an accidental Christian. That means you are not a spare part. That means you are not a spiritual clutter. That means you are not a necessary. It means if you belong to Christ, you matter to the body of Christ. You know what's the problem? It's the insecurity of the less important part. Si Paul has already addressed the food saying, "I don't belong." Now, he addresses another problem. I'm not important enough. And a lot of people feel it. A lot of us feel it in the church. Verse 21, "The eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you. And the hand cannot say to the feet, I don't need you." Now, Paul attacks the opposite problem. The food says, "I don't matter." The eye says, "I don't need you." That's what it says here. One is insecurity, the other is superiority, and both destroy community. Both destroy church. You see, brothers and sisters in Christ, there are two ways to miss your place in the body of Christ, in the church. First, when you say, "I don't matter," when you say, "I don't matter," this produces withdrawal. And I have seen a lot. And they just withdraw themselves. This produces withdrawal. I can't do much. Someone else can do it. I'm not that gifted. I'm too old. I'm too young. I don't know enough. I have too many mistakes in my life. People like me don't have much to offer. And what happens? It's withdrawal. Secondly, is I don't need anyone. This produces pride. I can do it myself. I don't need help. I don't need advice. I don't need community. I already know everything in life. And Paul is telling us here. Paul is reminding us this morning, both are wrong. The humble person says, "I need you." The healthy, healthy person also says, "You need me." And that is how the church should be. Not because we're individually indispensable, but because Christ has designed his body so that we belong to one another. We belong to one another. Let me illustrate it this way. I don't know if this is the best illustration. Let's think about that little toll. Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, "Lord, thank you for my little toll." Nobody puts a picture of their little toll on social media. Nobody says, "This is my favorite part of my body until you hit something." You hit your little toll with something suddenly, the little toll has become the center of the universe. You hop around the house, you consider every life's decision, you blame the furniture, you blame the architect that you built your house. Suddenly we discovered the little toll mattered. You don't think about it because it was just doing quietly his job each day. And sometimes that's exactly how the kingdom of God works. There are people whose names will never appear on a platform. There will be people who will never stand in the pulpit. There will be people who will never sing solo. There will be people who will never lead a large ministry. There will be people in the church that will not be publicly recognized, but they pray, they encourage, they visit, they welcome, they give, they listen, they make meals, they call someone who is lonely and they are the people who quietly serve. And one day church, one day in eternity, when we all go to heaven, we may discover that some of the greatest kingdom work happened through people, nobody noticed. Amen? People that nobody noticed. And it should remind us today that heaven keeps a different scoreboard. It keeps a different scoreboard. Now we need to connect this back to the big idea. Why do we matter? And we just sang the song Jesus is the center. Why do we matter? Not because we are impressive, not because we are talented, not because the church can survive without us. We matter because Christ has chosen to make us part of the body. This is where Christ's centeredness protects us from both pride and insecurity. All of us, leaders, members, worshipers alike. You see, if everything depends on me, I become proud. If I think I have nothing to offer, I become insecure. But the message is if everything begins with Christ, I don't have to prove my worth. My significance is received. It's not achieved. My identity is in Christ. I don't serve so that Christ will love me. I don't accept the invitation to stand in the pulpit to preach so that Christ will love me. I do it because Christ has already loved me. That is the difference between grace and performance. Christ gives every member a purpose. Paul moves from identity to function in verse 27. He says here, now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is part of it. Now I want you to notice two words there, each one. Let me read a verse again, now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is part of it. Each one, not just pastors, not just elders, not just leaders, not just exteriors, not just people with theological degrees, not just people who have been Christians for decades or been Christians for 20, 30, 40 years, the verse has each one. Paul says here, each one, that means every Christian has a place in the life and mission of the body. You see here, belonging leads to contribution, not just the movement. When I was, thank you Pastor Josh for this outline, when I was looking at this, this is the movement here. I belong, therefore I matter, therefore I contribute. And I pray that we see ourselves that way. See brothers and sisters in Christ, the gospel doesn't merely give you a seat. It gives you a purpose. Christ doesn't save us from meaningless existence and then say sit there until heaven. No. He gives us gifts, he gives us opportunities, he gives us relationships, he gives us responsibilities, he gives us a mission. You see what is the difference sometimes between us here in church, sometimes you ask what am I getting, but we should be asking what am I giving. It shouldn't be what is the service good, it should be how can I serve Christ and His people. And that should be the major shift that we should have in us. It correct me if I'm wrong for those of you who have been serving churches also, I think perhaps one of the great challenges facing the modern church is that we have sometimes trained Christians to become consumers rather than contributors. We asked, did I like the music? We asked, did I like the preaching? Was it too long? Was it too short? We asked was the coffee good? We asked was the program helpful? We asked was the ministry of discharge beneficial to me? Don't get me wrong, these are not wrong questions, but I would say they are incomplete. The deeper question is how did Christ want me to participate in this party? Because we still need to plan on how to make the music good. We still need to plan on how to make the preaching understandable, we pray. We still need to buy good coffee beans to make the coffee good or probably change the machine. You have a budget? See, those questions are not wrong, but they are just incomplete. The questions should be how did Christ want me to participate in his body today? Church, let me just share this also, share this also this morning. Here is where theology becomes Christ centered. See, Jesus, if we look at Jesus' life, Jesus did not merely tell us to serve. He exampleed it, right? He showed us. Jesus washed feet. Jesus, the Lord of glory took a towel. The Creator knelt down. The king washed feet. The one who was everything became the servant. So when Paul says here, you are the body of Christ. He is not inviting us into a competition of importance. He is calling us into the way of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is calling us into the kingdom of God. Greatness looks like service, or greatness is service. The question is, it's not how important it is my role. That's not the question. The question should be how faithful I can be on my role. In the ministry that I am doing. Imagine if in this church, let me just share this also. In this church in the service, someone says, oh, we need someone to make coffee. Suddenly, everybody develops a theological conviction about why that is somebody else's spiritual gift. One person says, I believe in the priesthood of all believers. Another person says, absolutely. And I believe someone else should exercise it. And someone says, my spiritual gift is administration. Wonderful. Please administer the coffee. And you probably say, no, I administer other things. Someone might say, my gift is prayer. Could you pray while making coffee? You see, we smile because we've all seen different versions of this in the church. But the point is serious. The kingdom of God is built through ordinary faithfulness church. It is built through ordinary faithfulness. A cup of coffee offered with love can become a ministry. A chair set out can become a ministry. A meal delivered can become a ministry. A prayer whispered secretly can become a ministry. Even a listening ear can become a ministry. Because the value of an act is not determined by how visible it is. But we just like to do it that way. But the value of an act is not determined by how visible it is. It is determined by the love with which it is offered to Christ. Now I want us to it's just a bit of time. Okay, forgive me. I repent, pastor, pray for me. Let's just go a bit deeper here. Why has Christ created a body? Not merely so we can feel connected. See, the church exists for God's glory and God's mission. Jesus said in John 13 verse 35, "By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples. If you love one another, our shared life becomes a witness." Think about that. Our shared life can become a witness. You see, we may not notice a church, but the world is watching what happens when people who shouldn't naturally belong together become one. They are watching. Different generations, different cultures, different personalities, different economic circumstances, different stories, different gifts, yet one Lord, one baptism, one faith, one hope, one body, that is evangelism. And I think we should work on that because they are watching. But if what they see here, they don't see that unity, we've failed in our evangelism. We fail. And I pray that as we continue to come to church and worship the Lord, we reflect upon what we receive today. We reflect upon His message to us today. Because there is that danger, what happens when the body forgets Christ. Here's the danger that church can become centered on something rather than Christ. We can become centered on personalities. We can become centered on traditions and preferences, on programs, on politics, on buildings, on ourselves. And whenever something other than Christ becomes the center, the body becomes distorted. We will become distorted here because only Christ is large enough to hold this body together because we're all different. Just look around you. Only Christ is large enough. And I want us to, as something for us to take away really Christ, it's not just part of the body. He is, Paul says, you are the body of Christ. But Christ is not merely another body, but he is the Lord of the body. And may we remember it. Let's bow down our heads and let's pray. Father, Lord, we just, thank you for this body of Christ. Thank you for your teaching to us this morning, your message to the people in Corinth is a message for us, oh God. Then I pray that each and every one of us will always remember that we belong, we matter. And we always have something to contribute. Lord, I pray that you will just let the whole this spirit move in our hearts today. That we would really take this message by heart. We're not just merely here, but we will be doers of that word. Forgive us, Father, where we have failed. Ask your body. Forgive us where we have slacked. Forgive us, O Lord, that we have not been serious in taking our place in this body. I pray today, as we go home, we could really reflect upon this and ask to turn it from you. All these things we ask Jesus name. Amen.