Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Corinthians 12:27

The Body of Christ, and You

 

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”[1]

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any Christians know what the Bible teaches, but this knowledge does not necessarily mean that we who bear the Name of the Master eagerly embrace the instruction of the Word.

Thoroughly indoctrinated in the mindset of the world, modern Christians frequently resist divine truth in order to do what “feels” right.

We are certain that personal desire is the final arbiter of the validity and veracity of both attitudes and actions.

Personal comfort is of greater importance in determining what we do than is obedience to Him who calls us to life.

Thus, our actions and attitudes often demonstrate that the teaching of the Word concerning the Body of Christ is poorly understood, if at all; or worse, that we have rejected it as authoritative for our own lives.

Contemporary evangelicalism is more accurately defined in the popular mind as the reflection a broad consensus of what makes us feel good about ourselves than it is defined by what is written in the Word of God.

We modern Christians have weak commitment to truth, though we have strong commitment to what we feel.

Consequently, we witness weak commitment to the Body of Christ, in part, because we do not know what that Body is.

Christianity is thus reduced to an expression of individual feelings instead of being a corporate expression of obedience to the revealed will of God.

If we will please God, and if we will witness the power of God’s Spirit among us, we must faithfully adhere to the teachings God reveals in His Word.

What I feel, what you feel, what we feel, is of ultimately of little consequence in the Kingdom of God.

What God says is vital if we shall present acceptable worship.

Therefore, if we will build a strong church, and if we will honour the Lord Christ as Head of the church, we must turn to His Word in order to understand what His will is for us as a congregation.

*What in the World is God Doing?*

In order to understand what God is doing, we need to see the big picture.

Often, as we study the Word or listen to a sermon, we become so focused on the immediate passage that we fail to see how the particular fits into the general.

If we fail to remain focused on understanding God’s revealed will, the tactical will ultimately supplant the strategic, and we will become confused.

The church of the Lord Jesus is often thought of as an organisation to join, rather than a Body to which we are united by the Spirit.

Consequently, the emphasis of many of our peers is less on responsibility within the Body of Christ than it is on privilege for those joining.

The evidence that this is so is the requirement for ever more complex constitutions that assume greater authority over the members than does the Word of God.

Other Christians picture the church as a great, universal, invisible entity that has no authority over their lives.

They assume that they are free to take what is pleasant from this catholic entity without any particular allegiance to it.

Perhaps we would have a better understanding of God’s design if we considered the verse under scrutiny in context.

In our text, the Apostle Paul addresses a congregation that was treating the church as though it was a platform permitting individual Christians to promote themselves.

For many of the Corinthian Christians, the church was being treated much as though it was a self-improvement society.

The attitude displayed by many in the church had become “every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost.”

A “me first” attitude was evident in worship, and even prevailed at the Lord’s Table!

A number of people came to church for what they could get out of the experience instead of coming to participate in the life of the Body and to build up the Body.

They sang songs, but they did not worship.

They said prayers, but they did not pray.

They clamoured to deliver a prophecy, but they did not have a message from the Lord.

They spoke ecstatically, but they did not recognise the presence of the Lord.

The emphasis of many of the Corinthian saints was to draw attention to themselves; the emphasis of too many was securing power for themselves instead of humbly seeking to serve others.

Because the Corinthians had become dysfunctional, Paul was compelled to remind them of God’s purpose for His church.

Throughout this letter, he speaks of the corporate character of the church.

He identifies the congregation of the Lord as */a garden/* in which God gives the growth, though His servants labour through planting and through watering [*1 Corinthians 3:5-8*].

The Apostle then compared the congregation of the Lord to */a buildin/*g [*1 Corinthians 3:9-11*].

Paul compares his work among the Corinthians to that of a “skilled master builder,” clearly teaching that those who are appointed to teach and to preach must always take care to build only on the secure foundation of Christ Jesus the Lord [*1 Corinthians 3:12-15*].

Then, he speaks of the congregation of the Lord as */the Temple of the Lord/* [*1 Corinthians 3:16, 17*].

Where the Lord is at work, the membership is being built into a great temple dedicated to praise and worship.

Each description speaks of a */corporate/* identity and of a */corporate/* labour.

However, none of Paul’s word pictures speaks more eloquently of the interconnected nature and of the interdependence of the people of God than does his depiction of the church as */the Body of Christ/*.

The specific error that necessitated this instruction was the abuse of the spiritual gifts given to the Corinthians.

Some, perhaps even many, of the Corinthians were jockeying for position through misusing the gifts that God had given.

There are many “quiet” gifts represented within any congregation.

Simply because a spiritual gift does not attract immediate attention does not mean that it is not vital to the health of the Body.

The gift of */faith/* is vital to the advance of the church.

Few churches prosper without some members of the assembly possessing the gift of */generosity/*.

Chaos could well ensue if there is no one with the gift of */administrating/*.

Those people gifted with */helps/* are vital to the cause of Christ.

Each of us rejoices at the thought of those among us who reveal that they are gifted in practising */acts of mercy/*.

Yet, none of these gifts is necessarily noticed—until they are absent.

The gifted individuals who serve in public ministries such as teaching, evangelising and shepherding, are obviously vital to the health of the Body, but they are no more important than are those individuals who possess quiet, less obvious, gifts that God has entrusted to members of the Body.

Paul taught the Corinthians that the important need was for each member was to see himself or herself as an integral part of the Body.

The individual with gifts that are used in a public manner certainly receives attention, but without others exercising their various gifts, working together to make the Body of Christ advance in a co-ordinated manner, the public gifts would be worthless.

Scripture convinces me that each congregation is meant to fulfil God’s purpose as the Body of Christ.

The Body of Christ is not meant to be some great, amorphous entity that permits Christians to live unconnected to one another; rather, the “Body of Christ” is the local congregation.

The members of the local congregation do not so much “join” the church as they are “added” to the congregation by the Spirit of God.

He appoints and gifts each member so that together we reveal Christ through the assembly.

Each member of the local congregation is responsible to strengthen one another, to encourage one another, and to build one another up in Christ.

Every action of each member of the Body must be guided by the question of whether we have the benefit of the Body in mind, or whether we are focused on fulfilling our personal desires [see *1 Corinthians 14:12*].

God’s purpose is that the church will reveal Christ through the life of the congregation.

Outsiders, watching the local congregation at work, should see the character of Christ the Lord revealed through the way in which the Body carries out the work Christ has assigned.

The local congregation is the Body of Christ on Sunday when it meets in assembly, but it is no less the Body of Christ when it leaves the meeting hall.

The members are just as much the Body of Christ on Monday, or on Friday, as they are on Sunday.

We are under the control of the Head of the Body, who is Christ the Lord, and therefore, we are called to work in concert, “being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” [*Philippians 2:2*].

Whatever defined or characterised Jesus our Lord in the days of His flesh is to be characteristic of the Body of Christ as the members labour and work in the community wherein it is situated.

It is in the routine of daily life that the Body of Christ reveals the presence of the Risen, Reigning Lord of Glory.

Though no one of us can be perfectly Christlike in all things and at all times, together, we can reveal the character of the Lord.

Though all are to be generous, some will prove to be exceptionally generous.

Some will be merciful in a powerful demonstration of the Spirit of God.

Some will possess great faith that encourages others to attempt great things for Christ’s sake.

Indeed, there will be teachers and evangelists within the congregation, and other members will speak prophetically.

The power of God will be evident as the people of God labour together to show compassion toward the weak and the wounded.

There will be a spirit of unity as the members of the Body “outdo one another in showing honour” [see *Romans 12:10*].

However, the one great mark that will reveal that this is the Body of Christ is that all the members will make every effort to build one another instead of promoting their own individual interests.

To the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” [*Philippians 2:3, 4*].

I want you to reflect on the character of our own congregation.

Is our service each week a performance?

Or do our actions reveal Christ at work through us and among us?

As outsiders come into our service, what impression do they carry away?

Do they leave saying, “Wow, that was great singing!”

Perhaps they are attracted by the friendliness of the congregation.

I would be terribly disappointed if all they had when they left was an impression of a “good speech.”

My prayer for us as the “Body of Christ” is that an outsider entering in will be convicted and “falling on his face he will worship God and declare that God is really among” us [*1 Corinthians 14:25*].

*Your Role in the Body of Christ* — I cannot emphasise too strongly the truth that one does not “join” the local congregation.

Rather each member is appointed to that congregation.

The Spirit who appoints His people prepares each one by providing precisely the gift that is necessary for the benefit of all.

He determines what is necessary, and then He equips each one as He decides [see *1 Corinthians 12:7, 11*].

Perhaps you can “join” a service club and find a measure of satisfaction in your membership.

You can assuredly “join” the Canadian Forces, provided you meet the qualifications for joining.

However, you cannot simply “join” the congregation of the Lord.

If you have no intention of participating in the life of the Body, or if all you are seeking is what you can get, then you cannot truly join the congregation of the Master.

If, however, the Spirit of God has given you freedom to invest your life in the assembly where you worship, and if you are willing to invest in those good people the gifts and talents the Spirit has entrusted to you, then by all means openly unite with that congregation.

In doing so, you will honour God and glorify the Name of Christ the Lord.