September 22 | Week 4: Life Together
God Has Placed The Parts In The Body
1 Corinthians 12:12-20
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body–whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 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. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
Many Parts Form One Body
1. How many parts does the body have? How many bodies?
The body has many parts, yet there is only one body.
2. Why would it be silly for a foot to wish it were a hand?
Feet and hands having desires is inheriently silly to some degree. Additonally, a person who has a foot where their hand should be would be both deformed and dextrously challenged!
3. Who arranged the parts just as he wanted?
God arranged the parts of the body just as he wanted them! Therefore, If we ask ourselves, “why did I become a part of the church in this place/ministry?” the answer is “God!”
There Is One Body & One Spirit
Ephesians 4:1-6
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Make Every Effort
1. What kind of attitude holds the body together (v. 2)?
A “completely” humble, gentle, patient and forebearing attitude holds the body together. These ingredients are what constitute the “every” in “make every effort”!
2. List everything that verses 4-6 say we share as one.
Verses 4-6 teach us that we share the body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God, and Father – all as one.
Many Members, Many Opportunities
APPLICATION: The body only works when the parts stay connected. Reach out to two members this week that you do not know well, and start building a real relationship.
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:4-5)
The Many Members Belong To Each Other
Have you ever felt like someone was avoiding you? Have you sensed that there were things that were “unspoken” between you and someone in Christ’s Body? In my life, I have to own that there are times I’ve assumed malice or intent where there was none – just neglect or unawareness. (cf. Hanlon’s Razor) Additionally, I have sometimes thought things were good between me and another disciple, only to discover that they were still holding on to an earlier offense.
Sometimes, people get offended when you forget to greet them at church sometimes. Interstingly, I’ve had disciples get pretty upset because I failed to call them. The scriptures demand that leaders/teachers be judged “more strictly”. (James 3:1) Therefore, disciples rightly have higher expectations of evangelists, pastors, elders, teachers, deacons/shepherds, and leaders overall. However, the command of love (John 13:34-35), expectation of forgiveness (Matthew 18:32-35, and needed forebearance (Colossians 3:13) are universal.
Personally, I want to consider the double-edged sword of this truth the next time I’m tempted to rehash my own “church hurts” or levy assumptive accusation against anyone (leader or not)! Truthfully, I need those that have the role(s) of leadership in its various forms just as much as I need those who have more modest roles in the body of Christ, the church. Nevertheless, they all belong to me and I to them. We need each other and we need each other with this mindset. Amen.
