1 Corinthians 12 (4)

Pray Psalm 102.12-14.
But You, O LORD, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.

Sing Psalm 102.12-14.
(Leominster: Not What My Hands Have Done)
But You, O LORD, abide forever in Your place.
Arise and stand on Zion’s side and lavish us with grace!
Revive Your Church, O LORD! Let all her dust and stones
be strengthened by Your mighty Word, and compact be as one.

Read 1 Corinthians 12.1-19; meditate on verses 12-19.

Preparation
1. How is the church like a body?

2. How many of its members does the body need?

Meditation.
All for one and one for all. That’s how a human body works. Many members, one body. Every member and component of the body works to benefit the whole body, and the whole body, healthy and strong, supports and strengthens each member. So God intends it to be in His churches.

All who believe in Jesus share in His fellowship by virtue of the Spirit dwelling within us. The Spirit distributes gifts for the members to use in building-up the church into Christlikeness (Eph. 4.11-16). As the church grows and becomes healthy, it provides strength and direction for each member to use their gifts to maximum benefit. All for one and one for all.

It takes all the gifts of God, from the most visible to the least visible, to contribute to making a healthy, growing church (vv. 15-18), so we dare not overlook or despise any of the gifts of the Spirit. We must identify them, nurture and develop them, and encourage those who have them to put them to use, by God’s Spirit and Word, in edifying and loving others.

This is so simple and so beautiful. Imagine if our churches worked this way, what a powerful impact for the Lord we would have on one another and our local communities. And we can get to this. But first we’ll have to admit that we are but babes in Christ and more prone to divisiveness than to unity. Then we can take up “doing church” the way the Lord intends. All for one and one for all. Many members, one body.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Church work is not a means to an end, like a Betty Crocker Bake-Off, or a religiously themed episode of This Old House.

It is not to show off our personal good works skills.
So then, why do we do good works within the church network?
Is it merely to show that we know how to nail shingles on a roof, clean a house, bake a dinner, or drive another to an appointment?

Those things are all nice, no doubt, but the goal is to be like Jesus and to help others become the same: “The Spirit distributes gifts for the members to use in building-up the church into Christlikeness.” If that is not the ultimate goal of our good works then we are aiming at the wrong target.

“The equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” is done so that we all “come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” to “grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ…” (Eph. 4.12, 13, 15). That is the end all and be all, for the all for one and one for all.

The many members of the one body serve as a catalyst for Christlikeness; but they also provide encouragement, shelter, safety, and strength in the long slog that is our lives. Solomon wrote that “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl. 4.9-12).

All the parts of the physical body are necessary.
All the various parts of the body of Christ—the church—are necessary as well.
It cannot survive without each intricate part.

God made the world with an ecologically sound format; each part playing a significant role in the planet’s survival. The Church runs in much the same way.
Why would God have one survive differently from the other?
Each is His creation; each runs according to His fully wise plan.
“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth and it abides.
They continue this day according to Your ordinances, for all are Your servants” (Ps. 119.89-91).

All for one and one for all are His servants. The heavens, the earth, the people, and the Church. And all the purpose of all the things? To “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Pet. 3.18).

For reflection
1. In what ways have you been growing in Christlikeness lately?

2. How does your church show Jesus to its community?

3. Whom will you encourage today to use their gifts in ministry?

The unity of the body consists in the fact that its many members supply the things which the other parts lack. Ambrosiaster (fl. 366-384), Commentary on Paul’s Epistles

Pray Psalm 102.22-28.
Pray that God will revive His churches throughout the world, that greater unity will come into the Body of Christ throughout your community, and that your own church will realize the promise of blessings from the Lord.

Sing Psalm 102.22-28.
(Leominster: Not What My Hands Have Done)
Yet let us tell God’s Name and praise His glorious grace;
let all as one His love proclaim together in this place.
Though now our strength is low; though shortened grow our days,
our God will not forsake us so, but keep us in His ways!

Of old You made the earth and heavens by Your hand.
Though they shall perish You endure; forever shall You stand.
They change, yet You remain the same, without an end.
Our children shall Your favor gain, and theirs shall be Your friend.

T. M. and Susie Moore

The Church in Corinth needed revival. But there was much to be done before that would happen. The Church today needs revival, and the same is true for us. Our book, Revived!, can help us to discern our need for revival and lead us in getting there. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.