Hey everyone and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
This week we continue our study focusing on Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.
Today we are talking about The Church, The Body of Christ.
Text
1 Corinthians 12:27 NKJV
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
Scripture Reading
1 Corinthians 12:1-31 NKJV
Spiritual Gifts: Unity in Diversity
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
Unity and Diversity in One Body
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
31 But earnestly desire the [i]best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
Prayer
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Introduction
Of the many figures of speech Paul used for the church, none has been more captivating to the human mind than the metaphor of the body.
The purpose of this message is to help understand this concept.
- The church, as the body of Christ, has many members with various functions, but it is still the body of Christ.
The Scriptures are the best illustration of this.
The body has many different parts, such as the hand, head, foot, arm, and eye.
Each of these parts has its individual function, but all are important.
Each one is dependant to a large degree on the way the others function.
The Scriptures tell us that various types of work must be done in the church.
As members of the church, Christians are endowed by God to perform specific tasks, just like the members of the human body.
As members of the church, Christians are to develop their potential and use, or their usefulness will diminish.
As members of the church, all Christians are to follow the law of cooperation.
2. The church, as the body of Christ, has one head, which is the unifying factor, and that head is the Lord Jesus Christ.
The church has been defined as the local and voluntary fellowship of baptised believers, bonded together in the Holy Spirit to find and do the will of Christ, their head.
A breakdown of this definition enables us to see the church as a body.
The church membership is made up of a local, voluntary fellowship of baptised believers.
It is bonded together in the Holy Spirit to find and do the will of Christ, the head of the church.
Believers find that will through prayer, Bible study, and human experience.
The doing of that will is known as Christian service.
The church, then, has Christ as its head and is to be controlled by Him.
The church is to hear and obey the divine Word.
No one is to argue or deny this truth.
No one is to change the gospel of Christ into human philosophy, nor is anyone to surrender the divine truth to those in error.
3. The church, as the body of Christ, has one major objective, to bring people to Christ for salvation.
To do this, the church needs to use everything available that is scriptural and right.
Lost people cannot be brought to Christ if things are not right.
People are brought to Christ through personal work, public preaching, and organisational activities.
To do this, the head of the church must be placed above human desires and petty ideas.
An application of this thought is that Christ is to come before some personal feeling or idea.
Some people might seek to justify not working in the church because they don’t like some other person.
But this is not scriptural or practical.
Conclusion.
See what your personal function in the church is and do it with all your might.
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at www.refinerylife.org
When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.
So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us
2022 IS A YEAR OF REPENTANCE AND BLESSINGS
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