9/20/26 “The Embodiment of Unity”
"The Embodiment of Unity"
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Back in July at the Sauk County Fair....just around the corner from our outreach booth was a large table with a miniature farm scene....
It had numerous tractors out in the fields, there were some livestock roaming around a barnyard....
...It had a farmhouse, silos, grain bins, machine sheds....it was quite impressive.
I really enjoy gazing at these small scale farm scenes...probably because they remind me of working on my uncle's farm back in the day....
Being here in a rural area, I know that many of you this morning grew up on a farm as well....some of you still work in the field of agriculture.
Farm life is unique, isn't it.
There are so many different aspects to farming.
Farmers are professional drivers, mechanics, veterinarians, horticulturalists, day laborers, bankers, carpenters.....
.... I've even heard some farmers call themselves 'Professional Gamblers" because of the uncertainty of a good harvest each fall, or sustainable commodity prices.
Well....if you think about it....farms are also an organism.
Each distinct part of a farm needs to run smoothly in order for the entire farmstead to stay afloat....
The tractors, trucks, and combines...they all need to work in harmony in order for the crops to be planted and harvested....
The livestock need to be properly cared for....
The hired help must be hard-working and dependable....
The expenses and profits need to be budgeted...
The machinery needs to be maintained...
If any one of these areas does not receive the time and attention it needs.....then the entire farm suffers.
The family farm – something we don't see nearly as many of anymore - is an organism made up of individual parts that all must operate efficiently – and effectively – for the entire homestead to survive....
Our passage of scripture for today describes something similar....
It describes a unified organism that relies upon its diverse individual parts to successfully fulfill its mission....
....It describes - the local Church.
....That institution initiated by Jesus himself to be His representative here on earth in the absence of His bodily presence....
Look around you right now, what you are seeing is a living, spiritual organism....
....One that relies upon its individual components....that's each and every one of us....to give of our time, talents, and gifts to benefit this entire church....
In today's passage, Paul uses the illustration of a human body to represent how each part is vital to the health of the whole....
...how by each of us using our spiritual gifts for the benefit of the church...we are able to experience a supernatural unity as God uses us to further His kingdom here in LaValle and beyond...
Verse 12 (1 Corinthians 12:12) reads, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ."
If any of you happen to have a one-dollar bill on you this morning, on the back side, you will see this phrase: "e pluribus unum"
....does anyone know what this Latin phrase means?
(Out of many, one)
....it was actually our national motto until 1956, when congress updated the motto to "In God We Trust"
.... Paul here is describing a spiritual 'e pluribus unum' as it pertains to how the local church should find its unity through the diversity of its members.....and the gifts that each member brings to the table.
Verse 13 (1 Corinthians 12:13) ventures a bit into the realm of theology when it says, "We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."
This is an important verse on a couple of different levels...
First of all – it reminds us that all believers are on an equal footing before God...regardless of race...or gender....or ethnicity...or socio-economic status....
The Jewish believers in Corinth were being reminded that the Gentile believers were equals in God's eyes...co-heirs in Christ....fellow-recipients of God's grace ....
Secondly – It reinforces the truth that when someone comes to Christ....when an individual passes from unbelief - to belief in Christ....
They are not only indwelt with the Holy Spirit....but that they are indwelt fully and completely.
This is important because there are certain faith traditions that teach that when someone comes to Christ...they are initially given a partial – or incomplete – measure of the Holy Spirit.
...then - at some point in the future – they may...or may not...experience the full measure of the Holy Spirit in their life....
This view of a conditionally-delayed 'baptism of the Holy Spirit' really has no solid scriptural support.
Scripture never teaches a situation where we find 2 classes of Christians...
Some who have the entire Holy Spirit...and some who don't...
In fact, Paul makes it clear in many passages – including here in verse 13 – that when we come to Christ....we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
That's why he uses the words 'All' followed by 'One Spirit' ...twice in this single verse.
...ALL baptized by 'One Spirit'.....
...ALL given the one Spirit to drink....
Remember...as a member of the Trinity...the Holy Spirit is described as being a person....just like God the Father....and God the Son.
Nowhere in scripture do we see the Father - or Jesus (the Son) – being in a state of partiality....or anything less than complete.
...they are each fully present....all the time.
....So it is with the person of the Holy Spirit.
John 3:34 declares this truth very plainly when it states, "For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit."
Without limit.
If you are a believer in Christ....you have been indwelt with the fullness of the Holy Spirit...
....don't ever let someone try to tell you that you only have a portion of the Holy Spirit's power to draw upon.
However....with that being said....you have a choice as to how much influence upon your life you are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to have...
The more you surrender to His promptings...and live in obedience to Him...the more you will live victoriously through His sustaining power....
But....its up to you.
One pastor compares the believer's relationship to that of antennas on a TV set.
Remember the old 'bunny ears' antennas....and how they would have to be positioned just right in order for the signal to come in clear and strong?
Well...the television signal from the radio tower never changes....its always a full, robust signal....
....It's the positioning of a TV's antennas that determine how well the signal gets through...
Every believer has Spirit antennas....make sure that yours are positioned to receive a clear signal of the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
....and this is done through the faithful practice of reading God's Word...spending time in prayer....and fellowshipping with other believers...
....earnestly doing these things will guarantee that your spiritual antennas will always be in a position to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit's signal in your life.
The remainder - and the bulk -of chapter 12 is a description of how the church resembles a human body in the way it operates and functions....
In verses 14-16, Paul discusses a situation where certain parts of the body....such as the foot....and the ear...feel inferior to that of the hand...and the eye...
...and therefore, they do not feel as important as some of the more noticeable parts of the body...
This problematic mindset was especially prevalent in the Corinthian Church.
It seems as though many of the believers there felt insecure and underappreciated when it came to their spiritual gifts...
...this led to a scenario where church members were striving to obtain the flashier, more attention-grabbing gifts....such as miracles – or tongues.
....So - in response to this – Paul says in verse 18 (1 Corinthians 12:18) that God has distributed gifts to each person just as He intended....He never makes mistakes when it comes to the Holy Spirit's allocation of gifts...
...And that holds true for our congregation right here as well.
Maybe you have felt like some of these Corinthian believers....
Maybe you've wrestled with your importance within this congregation because of the gift - or gifts – that God has given to you...
....or because of certain gifts that maybe you don't necessarily possess.
Well...if that is you this morning...
I want you to listen very closely to what I'm about to say....because it is the absolute truth.
You...and whatever spiritual gifts God has given you...are absolutely essential to the mission and success of this body of believers!
...Just because your gift may not be one that gets noticed as much as some others...this in no ways makes it less important.
IN FACT, Paul writes that it is precisely the less noticed gifts that deserve the greater honor.
Look with me at verse 22 (1 Corinthians 12:22) it reads...."On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable."
...Continuing with verse 23 (1 Corinthians 12:23) "And the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty."
Paul goes on to conclude in verse 24 that God himself has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it.
How many of you think about your lungs on a regular basis?
Just recently, I had to have a couple of CT scans done on my lungs because they thought there might be something weird going on in one of them...
....well, turns out it was just some harmless inflammation that took awhile to go away...
...But over the course of a few months, I thought about my lungs more than I ever had before...
...Lungs are a perfect example of a body part that we hardly ever think about unless something goes wrong with them...
And yet...healthy lungs are absolutely essential to our health, aren't they.
Without lungs...we die. Simple as that.
Now a hand....Our hands gets a lot more attention than our lungs, right?
And yet....a body can survive without a hand.
It becomes impaired and – overall – less efficient...
...But it still lives on.
Try living without lungs....doesn't work very well.
Even though lungs are less noticed....they are more indispensable than a hand.
Paul is making the same argument for those who possess gifts in the church that are less noticed.
If that's you.
You are needed – probably more than you will ever know.
Those of you with less noticed gifts – gifts such as serving....or giving...or faith....or discernment....
...YOU are the backbone that supports the rest of the body....and without you...this body would crumble into a heap of flesh on the floor.
Don't ever think that you are 'less-than' just because you may have a less-noticeable gift...
Actually....It's the exact opposite.
In verse 25 (1 Corinthians 12:25) we are reminded that – as a body – each part should have concern for every other part.
We maintain unity through our genuine love and concern for each other's well-being.
This is what made Lisa & I fall in love with this church....the way in which so many of you are genuinely concerned about one another....
The level of authentic love and compassion in this church is like none other we've ever experienced....
....this manifests itself every Sunday when we open the floor for prayer concerns....
Prayers uttered for others...what's called intercessory prayer...is - I believe - a hallmark of one's spiritual heart position....
The more time you spend praying for other's needs...rather than your own desires...
....the more it points to a heart that is mature in the faith....
...A heart that has itself been refined in the fires of life's valleys, and cares deeply for those currently experiencing difficulties of their own.
....A heart that has its Holy Spirit antennas in just the right position.
Verse 26 (1 Corinthians 12:26) reveals something that is true of a spiritually active church...
...we rally to each other's side when things get rough....and we celebrate with each other when there is spiritual victory in our lives.
Verse 26 reads, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."
The human body is amazing....well, it ought to be...it is God's magnum opus of creation here on earth.
....It's far more amazing even than what people knew about it in the first century....
....Actually, its considerably more amazing than what we knew a few generations ago...
Things like the mechanical innerworkings of the single cell....the intelligent language imbedded in our DNA....epigenetics...my wife's ears...
Yeah, my wife's ears can hear snarky things I say under my breath from 5 rooms away......5 ROOMS!
The human body truly is amazing....far more complicated and advanced than any AI supercomputer is – or ever will be.
Think about this....When we injure ourselves, it is absolutely mind-blowing how our bodies respond by rallying to the sight of the injury.
The first thing that happens when the body gets injured – let's say – gets cut and begins to bleed....is the damaged blood vessels immediately tighten up.
Then, tiny cell pieces – called platelets – stick to the wound to plug the leak.
Then, a protein called fibrin forms a net over the plug to make a solid blood clot.
Cells then release chemical signals like histamine which cause other blood vessels to widen...allowing for more white blood cells to the hurt area...
Then...the area will begin to swell, which acts as a natural cast of tissue protection....and pain from our nervous system tells the brain not to use that area of the body while it is recovering from the injury...
After this, cells called fibroblasts move to the injured area and make scar tissue to bridge the gap in the skin...
But wait...we're not done.
Then – get this – New tiny blood vessels form to bring oxygen and food to the healing cells....
And – eventually – the weak scar tissue is replaced with strong, mature skin fibers....and the injury is completely healed.
Brothers and sisters.....do we have amazing bodies, or what!?!?!?
Praise God, Amen?
What a beautiful illustration of what we read here in verse 26.
Because this church is a BODY of believers....we respond to individual spiritual pain like our bodies respond to physical pain.
We tend to the injured member....we immediately send the platelets, proteins, and white blood cells of love, prayer, and presence to our injured brother or sister.
We enact physical assistance in the form of labor – or funds of benevolence...
We form a protective circle around them...we fight for them....we stand up for them...we spend time with them in their moment of need....
...And we care for them as they heal.
This is what a healthy church does when one of its own is in need...
...Let this continue to be a defining hallmark of LACC....
...Caring for others is part of what makes the Church organism unique....
....the desire to altruistically help each other in a bond of love .... under the banner of Jesus Christ.
So – to circle back to our farm analogy....
Think of yourself – for a moment - as a tractor....Ladies....bear with me here! 😊
It doesn't matter what kind of tractor you are....
Growing up, we had everything from a 10 HP lawn tractor, to a 210 HP John Deere 8440...a machine that – for its day – was a very large tractor.
(Show pics)
And yet...there were some things that the cub cadet lawn tractor could do that the 8440 could not....
Try mowing your lawn with a tractor that would actually tear up your lawn just by driving on it!
Try fitting a tractor as big as a house in between trees in the yard....it doesn't work.
The 8440 was meant for specific jobs...it was meant to work the soil out in the open field....not mow the yard.
...and the Cub Cadet was meant for yardwork.....not for tilling up the back 40.
Yet....the Cub Cadet and the 8440 were both essential to the success of the farm....
Two very different tractors....two different shapes and sizes....But one goal:
......To use what they are for the good of the farm.
Brothers and sisters....use what God has made you – and given you - for the good of the church...
...and watch how He will continue to bless our efforts.....
Let's Pray.
