Scripture
Joshua 23:10-“But now there are many parts, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again, the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another. And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it.
Observation
Paul desired to unite the church of Corinth because of the many division that is amongst them and spiritual gifts were not used as a gift but as a weapon of division. The gift that God chooses to give, has nothing to do to make an individual feel superior, instead to serve each other!
The church needs to understand that in order to function they will need to know that every person is given varieties of gifts, they are valued and vital to the church! But they were passing each other off as if it was a competitive league; certain gifts were rated higher. But Paul knew that each gift is what the church needed to operate effectively! It didn’t matter if you were behind-the-scenes or upfront, both were necessary.
It’s like sports everyone has a certain position they need to play in order to win as a team! Our very own body works as a team with specific senses or when I stub my toe, my nerve sends communication throughout my body either to express myself in pain with words or most of the time my hand automatically will cover the toe to calm the pain.
Application
One thing I loved about coming to New Hope is the culture of “Doing Church As a Team.” Everyone has a part to play and everyone is a part of the team. The church would need to be careful not to compromises how the world works because it is easy to fall into the trap of my gift is superior to yours. The enemy will use the misuse of gifts to his advantage any way he can to see the church divided.
I want to own my part to contribute to the church according to the gifts God has given to me. I desire to uphold the heart Paul encourages the church by these 3 things
- You are valued (verse 23)
- You are vital (verse 25-26)
- Your gift adds variety (verse 20)
Prayer
Lord, help me to build people for your kingdom by helping them understand how crucial they are to the body of Christ. I pray for unity in the capital C church and pray Lord if there is any division may we look to you. Father, I desire to see strong churches that would shine your light. May we continue to do church as a team!
