Series: Better Together

Scripture: 1 Cor 12

Title: “Body Builders”

Bottom line: God sovereignly arranges the body of Christ with his spiritual gifts for the common good.

INTRO

In the early 90’s, I woke up one morning to a scratch on my eye. After putting my contacts in, I got no relief. In fact, it got worse. Soon I realized I had a real problem and I was in a new city. I had to find a new eye doctor fast.

I did. And he looked through is instrument to see white blood cells (??) attacking the infection happening on the cornea of my eye. He said I had a cornea ulcer.

My nerves told me through pain that something was wrong. 

My hand covered my eye to bring temporary relief.

My brain worked hard to figure out what to do next.

My fingers did the walking through he yellow pages to find an eye doctor.

My feet propelled me to the dr. Office. 

My body parts—each member—suffered together with my eye and worked in unity to serve the eye. This is how the human body is designed to work. This is also how the church—the body of Christ—is designed to work.

EPISODE 1 - Gifts

Episode 2 - Body

Episode 3 - God’s sovereign will (note how the structure of this chapter highlights the most important point of all—God is sovereignly at work in and through his body)

Episode 4 - Body

Episode 5 - Gifts

Conclusion/Applications

• Believing that God is sovereignly at work in and through his body should encourage and comfort us. Does it?

• Recognize that every Christ-follower has at least one spiritual gifts assigned to them by God for the common good. 

• Recognize that no Christ-follower has all of the spiritual gifts (or they wouldn’t need each other).

• Recognize that every spiritual gift is for the common good.

• Decide whether or not you really believe that we, the body of Christ, are better together and that we truly need each other. 

• In light of this fact, how is God leading you to be a blessing to the body of Christ THIS WEEK?