Theme: Stewardship

Text: 1Cor.12-14; Rom.12; Eph.4; 1Pet.4

Devotion: 1 Peter 4:10-11

Title: The body of Christ

Introduction:
Good morning to everyone. Before we continue let us first have a moment of prayer…
As we continue on the topic of stewardship for this month, today, I want all of us to
focus on one of the most important aspects of Christian stewardship: and that is our
stewardship in the body of Christ. we have seen some of the different things that are involved
with stewardship, and it involves a lot more than just material things. We realize that
everything in our life is involved. God has given us so many blessings, not just the physical, but
also the spiritual. But with these gifts should come a proper management of our God given
resources. Today, God’s word will speak to us concerning the body of Christ, and our place and
purpose as Christians in the body of Christ, and the spiritual gifts that He has given each of us
through the Holy Spirit. The title of our message for today is The body of Christ.

Exegetical Idea: Every person who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is now joined
into the body of Christ, and each person has its own part in the body. To that end, each
Christian is given by the Holy Spirit spiritual gifts in order for us to fulfill each of our God-given
purpose.

Proposition: Brothers and sisters in the Lord, as each of us has received salvation, we also
received Spiritual gifts from the Holy spirit, and it is our duty to use these gifts for the glory of
God, and the fulfillment of our purpose.

Interrogative: What does the word of God say?

We go again to the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans. After dealing with 11 chapters of
various important doctrines of the Christian faith, Paul begins chapter 12 with an imperative:
because of all of the various blessings we Christians have received from God, it is only logical
that the Christian should now then do his/her duty as a child of God. Paul started with the
individual in verse 1-2, but our focus for today is our duty in the body of Christ: Let us read
Rom.12:3-8.

I. We must assess ourselves correctly – v.3

Paul begins this section with a very important reminder about our view of ourselves. We
should all have a proper and truthful self-image. He says this not just to those weak in the faith,
or to those men and women of good standing: He says this reminder to EVERYONE. Because all
of us are susceptible to the danger of having an incorrect self-image.
A. Avoid the wrong ideas about ourselves
For the purpose of our study, we observe two extremes on self-image that we
should always try to avoid. The first is 1)self-deception: this is what Paul directly
addresses in verse 3. It is thinking of yourself more than you ought to think. These are
people who have fallen into the sin of pride. They see themselves as important and
indispensable persons. They look down on other people who are not on the same level
or status as them, and pride themselves on whatever achievements they might posses.
This is the dangerous sin of pride and we should avoid such thinking at all times. These
were how the Pharisees saw themselves among the “common people” during Jesus
time, and we saw how Jesus put them in their place. Althoughout scripture the dangers
of pride are always mentioned: Prov.16:18-19; James4:6. Every Christian is important,
but no one is indispensable. The second is 2)self-depreciation: which is the opposite of
the first, but can somehow still fall into the same sin of pride. More often is people fall
into the trap of false humility, instead of showing genuine humility. There are people
when called upon by the Lord to serve instead of accepting the task, instead go into the
defensive: (di ko kaya yan, wala akong alam jan, hindi ako bagay jan) when this happens,
it seems that God has made the mistake of calling them into service. But remember that
whom ever God calls, God equips as well: as in the case of moses: as in the case of
Jeremiah,Jer.1:4-8 as in the case of all the believers like us. That is why we need to…

B. Have the right mind based on God’s gift

Again in v.3, Paul says we ought to have sober judgment: we must look at
ourselves with the proper view, with a realistic view of ourselves. If we do this, then we
maintain the right balance in our lives, and do not easily fall into the two extremes of
pride in our lives. the bottom line here is that we need to be honest about who we are
in the sight of God, and what the Lord has done for all of us. One way, we will find, in
order to maintain the right view of ourselves and our ministry is rooted in our
understanding of God’s grace. Grace is central in our lives as Christians and it is
important if we want to keep ourselves in the right way of living. Grace reminds us of
two important truths: 1)We are saved by grace: all of us come from the same condition:
whatever our lives, what ever our status, we are all sinners worthy of punishment and
destruction. No sin is big or small, we all faced equal punishment. But God saved us. And
His salvation is the same for all as well. We are washed in the same blood, headed for
the same heaven. We are all sinners saved by the same grace. Eph.2:8-9 (walang
nakalamang, at walang naluge sa biyaya ng Diyos) and 2)We are serving by grace God
calls every believer into his service. But his basis of calling is not dependent on our
ability or talent, because we know that it is he who empowers us to be able to serve
Him. 1Cor.15:10 so this time when you think about ministry, don’t think just in terms of
your own status or ability, instead, remember that it is God who empowers you and me
for His service. Remember that when Jesus came to earth and called out disciples to be
with Him, he did not choose the Pharisees, or the scribes, or the doctors, or the teachers
of the Jews. Who were His disciples? Fishermen, tax collector, activist, common people
for an extraordinary purpose.
Application:
Without a proper and truthful assessment of ourselves, we may find ourselves not
acting and living the way God wants us to be. Paul reminds all believers to think of ourselves
with sober judgment. Always, always, always remember the word GRACE in relation to our lives
and in relation to our ministry. When we make the grace of the centerfold of our daily lives. We
can live and act in the way we are supposed to be.

II. We are placed in the body of Christ – v.4-5

The moment we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and savior of our lives, not only have we
been saved from punishment, not only is heaven made possible, not only are we called children
of God, not just these things, but we are also inducted into the family of God, and we are called
children of God: Gal.4:4-7 throughout scripture the church of God is likened to many things
through the use of metaphors: it is called the bride of Christ, the family of God, the house or
household of God, the temple of God, and of course, the body of Christ. These are all used in
order to highlight certain things about the quality or funtions of the church. Today, we see what
it means to be in the body of Jesus Christ.

A. The picture of the body

Once a person becomes a Christian, he/she immediately becomes part of the
body of Christ. Rom.12:4-5 this picture highlights the composition and function of the
human body as we relate it to the church. Notice that we are all part of just one body.
Not many bodies, but one body, each of us comprising of different parts of the same
body. In Eph.4:15-16 see that as many as we are, we are all part of the body, but there is
only one head of this body, and that is Christ. There is only one owner of the church,
and that is not the pastor, the founder, the missionary, or the leader, the owner of the
church is the head of the body, and that is Jesus Christ. It is his will that we follow, and it
is His commands that we obey. Whatever the “head” wants the “body” should follow.

B. We are individually different

God has made each of us unique, with our own personality and character. And
that much has not changed even when we became Christians. Even in scripture, we
recognize the vast differences in the personalities of various servants of God. How Jacob
was different from his son Joseph. How David and Daniel handled their troubles. Even in
the new testament, we would know right away if it was Peter or Paul who was speaking.
In the same manner, all of us are different, even in our place in the body of Christ. Yes,
we have the same central goal: to glorify God, to love our neighbor, but how we go
about our lives and ministry is different. Paul mentions this in 1Cor.12:12-14 the body of
Christ is made up of individually different members, various personalities, various
backgrounds, but are brought together into one body.

C. We are integrated and united

So even though we are all different, we are still integrated and united in the
body of Christ. God designed us uniquely for He gives each of us a different purpose in
the body of Christ. We are not all the same. We do not all possess the same spiritual
 gifts, and that is the way God intended it to be. Paul continues his illustration in
1Cor.12:15-26 no one is indispensable in the body of Christ, but no one is worthless in it
either. No one person is more important than another, for all of us are serving a
function in the body of Christ. We are called to be united in one body, even if we are
made up of diverse members. Phil.2:1-4 unity is only possible with humility.

Application:
We see that we are part of the body of Christ. All that we do should bring glory and
honor to the head of this body, which is Jesus Christ. We are all different from one another, just
as our function in the body is also varied. We may be doing different things in different ways,
but we are united in the purpose of obeying the will of God for us. We don’t need to act like a
different personality, or copy a well-known persona or style. Yes we should do things that add
to the quality of our service, but we are not bound to become somebody else we am not. God
will accomplish His purpose in us by His grace alone. All of us are equally useful in His service, if
we will let ourselves be used by God.

III. We must be functioning in the body of Christ

Lastly, but most important is that we should be functioning in the body of Jesus Christ.
and this is where most of our problems stem from. Christians accept that they are part of the
body, but many of them do not do anything. And no, attending church is not serving God, it is
just the first step of obedience. The Church has become a spectator sport in our time today.
Many would rather watch from the sidelines rather than participate in serving God. They see
the ministers as the ones responsible for “keeping everything running” while they are just the
ones who observe. This is so far from the truth. Everyone who is part of the body has a
function. No one is ever left out. Eph.4:16

A. Every christian has received a gift

As proof of this, we read in 1Cor.12:4-7 that each of us has been given a spiritual
gift by God. This was given the moment we received the Holy Spirit in our lives, which
happened the moment we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. Every believer has
already received their spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit. As we remember in the parable
of the talents, some are given more, and some are given less. God gives appropriately to
each of us according to our ability. He does not give us more than we can handle. Our
duty then is not to compare with other Christians and ther gifts, but to use our spiritual
gifts in a manner that is pleasing to God. These spiritual gifts are different from talents
or abilities that we have gained or will gain through human means. Spiritual gifts are
always a result of the work and power of the Holy Spirit.

B. Spiritual gifts are for the fulfillment of our task

Now, we must understand that spiritual gifts have been given by God for the His
own purpose, and not just our own. He has given and will give numerous different gifts,
but all of it is for the purpose of glorifying God, and ministering to other people.
1Pet.4:10-11 a good summary of this purpose is found in Eph.4:11-16. We are not to
misuse any of the gifts that God has given to us. Be it by misusing it for personal gain, or
 misusing it by keeping it hidden. In the end we are reminded that all of us are
accountable to God for everything in our lives, and this includes the spiritual gifts that
we have. So since each of us has been given a gift, what follows should be we should use
these gifts as God intended them to be used. Rom.12:6-8

C. Our service is motivated by love

In Paul’s discussion of spiritual gifts with the Corinthian believers, from 1Cor.12-
14, he stopped in the middle of His discussion to remind them of something they have
forgotten about utilizing spiritual gifts. In essence, he says that you can be the most
gifted man (spiritually) but if you lack this one thing, even your spiritual gift is
meaningless. In the middle of Paul’s discussion about gifts, he stops and gives us the
most beautiful chapter about the most excellent thing: love. He reminds us in verse 1-3,
1Cor.13:1-3 love is essential in our service, love is essential in our lives. love is essential
in everything that we do. Not the love that the world likes to parade in front of our eyes,
but the true love that we received from God. remember that 1Jn.4:19 we love because
He first loved us. We love God because He first loved us. He loved us so much that we
received eternal life. There is nothing else we can give to God other than our own love
and devotion to Him. We serve God because we love him. I do my duty as a servant of
God, because of love. Even my love for you, brothers and sisters, is only made possible
because of His love. So everything in our lives, especially in our service and spiritual
gifts, love will always be our motivation. We obey God because we love Him.

Application:
Most people ask: how would I know what my spiritual gifts are? The best way to know
your spiritual gifts is to serve God at every opportunity. You will never know your gift if you are
waiting for it to be revealed while you are just spectating in the church of God. we discover our
gifts by responding to the needs and opportunities around us. How will you know that your
spiritual gift is giving if you have never given? How will you know that your gift is
encouragement or exhortation if you never speak out? How will you know that your gift is
teaching if you never involve yourself in serving God? Remember that gifts are not related to
our human ability: maybe you are not talented in such matters humanly, but gifts are from the
Holy Spirit. Barnabas never meditated in the mountains and afterwards came down with the
conclusion that his gift was encouragement. No, he just did what was needed at every situation.
If you ask me, what are your spiritual gifts, my simplest answer would also be a question: “what
are the needs that you can see around you?”

Things to avoid:
1. Giftedness is not spirituality
The great error of the carnal Corinthian church was to confuse spiritual gifts with
spirituality. Those who spoke in tongues thought themselves to be several notches higher on
the spiritual scale than those who did not have this gift. The Corinthian church was apparently
an exceptionally gifted church, but it was also one of the most carnal churches in the New
Testament. We need only recall the Old Testament figure, Samson, to be reminded that while
he was performing great feats of strength he was living a life devoted to the flesh.
2. Giftedness does not excuse us from other responsibilities
The watchword of the Christian sluggard is ‘that’s not my gift.’ That mentality is an
abuse of the biblical teaching concerning spiritual gifts. We will see that every gift relates to a
function that is the responsibility of every Christian. Although some are gifted to give, all
Christians are to give cheerfully to the Lord. While some are gifted to be leaders or
administrators, every man is to be a leader in his home. While our spiritual gift necessitates that
we establish priorities, we are never excused from the responsibilities of all Christians. Let us be
careful about excusing ourselves from tasks for which we are responsible. We may not be gifted
at leading people to Christ, but we are to be witnesses for our Lord Jesus.

3. Comparing our gifts to the extraordinary

When we define our gifts in comparision with other people, personalities, well-known
theologians and evangelists, we at once hinder in our own minds our effectiveness in our
service. Again we are remnded that all of us have been given gifts according to what we can
manage. It is God himself who gave us these gifts, so He knows best about what we can handle.
Our duty is not to compare to others what we can do or what we have done. Our duty is simple.
We should be faithful in what has been entrusted to us. Be faithful to what God has called you
to do. It may not be as big or spectacular as the ministries of other people, but we are
comforted by the fact that when we do our part, we will share in the reward of our master.

Conclusion:
For my conclusion, brothers and sisters in the Lord, I hope our message for today has
not only reminded us, but also inspired us all to do our part and duty in the body of Christ. no
one should be a spectator here. The only spectators allowed in our church should be guests and
unbelievers. But for every Christian, for every child of God, who has been saved by grace,
washed by the blood, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we are part of Jesus Christ body, and we all
have a function, even if some are more noticeable, while others, less. God’s love and grace
motivates all of us to serve Him in whatever capacity we can, and our focus should not be on
our own ability, but on God who will give us the strength for His glory. To God be the glory.