We spoke yesterday about giving your gift. Let’s think a bit about how the Lord intended the Church to function. We know that Jesus is the head and we are the members as we read in 1 Corinthians 12. Any body has a purpose. It’s meant to accomplish something and so did the Lord plan for His body. “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose (1 Corinthians 12:18).” The Head wanted the body to be organised in such a way that it could function independently in a hostile world. If we look carefully at the passage below, we’ll see that if each gift functions properly, the body could be self-sufficient.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-3).”
As individuals and as the body of Christ we need to be separate from this world. We need to be unpopular with the world. As individuals we need to sacrifice our bodies, which mean they’re not ours anymore. We don’t have a say over them. If we do that and renew our thinking to think like God does, we’ll understand His will and plans for our lives and for the Body of Christ. Once we understand this, we move on to step two.
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness (Romans 12:4-8).”
In the light of the above we can see all these gifts serving one another, to accomplish the function of the body of Christ, which is winning souls and making disciples. The prophets continuously let the body know what God wants on a daily basis – who to evangelise, who to disciple, what to do to influence the worldly systems, etc. The teachers teach the body how to do it and as the body gets going, the leaders keep them on track, the givers ensure they’re provided for, those serving make sure everybody’s physical needs are met and the mercy givers look after the emotional and spiritual needs. All along the exhorters encourage them. Everybody is involved.
If, as a body, we all function according to God’s will, following His Plan, we would be a force in this world to be reckoned with.
Lord, help me to know my gift and to do it. Motivate my leaders to use us please.
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