Welcome to the Come to Jesus Daily Devotional as we continue in our series, God’s vision for the church. Today, we reflect on how the church, as the body of Christ, is to be diverse in terms of people and gifts.
To watch this devotional, follow the link below:
‘Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptised 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. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.’ (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)
i. The body, though one, has many parts
This idea regarding diversity is repeated three times in our text: ‘has many parts…it’s many parts…Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.’ Along with unity, diversity is also a part of God’s vision for His church and is taught through this metaphor of the body. God’s vision for His church is that the diverse types of people in it, with their diversity of gifts, are united and working together for the glory of God. As the body, though one, has different members and organs with different functions, so the church, although united, is also very diverse.
ii. Beware of reducing the range of spiritual gifts.
‘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. 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. 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? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.’ (1 Corinthians 12:15-20)
Many churches minimise the range of spiritual gifts down to ‘pastor’ and ‘teacher’. For some reason, these people, who are often exemplary in their devotion to the Bible, ignore the Bible’s teaching on the body of Christ having a range of gifts for her health and mission - there is simply no warrant for this!
iii. Beware of reducing the range of the sorts of people who are acceptable in the church.
Our reading today from 1 Corinthians 12, emphasises that along with diverse gifts, diverse people from very different backgrounds need to accept one another as Christ has accepted them and united them in His one body. We read: ‘For we were all baptised 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.’ We read a similar but expanded list and idea in Galatians 3:
‘So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.’ (Galatians 3:26-29)
We are given three pairs of often disunited humans: Jew or Gentile; slave or free; male or female.The point being made is that all types of people have equal dignity because they are joined to Christ by the Spirit and, just as in the New Testament era, we all have to work hard at valuing all sorts of people as they join the church.
Response
Do we value diversity? Do we value any one of any background who may come among us? Do we value the variety of gifts that the Spirit gives or do we dismiss some? overvalue some? Wish that everyone was like yourself? Let’s end by reflecting on Paul’s words in Ephesians 4 that teach us to pursue unity whilst valuing diversity:
‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:“When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.’ (Ephesians 4:3-13)
Together meeting notes
At this week’s 'Together' evening, we will continue to reflect on our 'God's vision for the church' vision series. This week, we consider what it means for the church to be the body of Christ.
‘Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptised 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. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.’ (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)
Discuss:
What sorts of things does this metaphor of the body of Christ mean for how the church relates and operates?
What does it mean to be ‘baptised by one Spirit’? (Be careful to read the context of this phrase).
Read 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 and discuss: how have you grown in your gifts in the past? How are you or could you grow in your gifts in the present?
Pray together:
Pray for CCP to be a healthy body - united, diverse and submitted to Jesus our ‘head’.
Pray for your Community Group meetings to be places where we meet God in the Spirit and use our gifts to build one another up.
Pray for one another to be filled with the Spirit afresh so as to be empowered to use our gifts with greater effectiveness.
Comments