So that there may be no division in the body...

1 Corinthians 12:1-26 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

The Use of Spiritual Gifts

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. ² You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. ³ Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. ⁶ There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. ⁷ But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

¹² For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴ For the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵ If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. ¹⁹ If they were all one member, where would the body be? ²⁰ But now there are many members, but one body. ²¹ 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.” ²² On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; ²³ and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, ²⁴ whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, ²⁵ so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. This is why it is important for us to be in the body where God wants us to be. We all have a part to play and a contribution to make for the body to be able to fully function. If we combine what is being said in today’s text along with a couple of other passages about gifts and the body we can better understand the importance of each individual’s contribution.

In Romans 12:3-8  Paul writes:  For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. ⁴ For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ⁶ Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; ⁷ if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

In Ephesians 4:11-16, Paul talks about the actual gifts and callings within the church. He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. ¹⁴  As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; ¹⁵ but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

In each case the goal is for each person to use the gifts that God has given, to the best of their ability for the common good of the body so that as a whole the church can fulfill it’s purpose, call and commission.

In far too much of the church today only a small portion of the body are actually operating in and using the gifts God has given them. There is a tendency to allow all the ministry to be done by those who are paid to do it. Nowhere in any of these texts does it mention the gift of attendance. For the body to operate properly, to it’s full potential each member must know and operate in the gifts God has given them. Notice what Paul says in Ephesians 4:12:  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;  Part of the responsibility of the leaders is to train and equip others to work and serve. Too often we become territorial about our ministry and gifts. Rather than training and equipping others to walk in their own gifts, we hold tightly to what we have, fearing that we might lose our position. We need to recognize whose body and whose ministry it really is. If we are building our own ministries they will not last. If we build up God’s kingdom our work will never be destroyed.

One of the other things that tends to hurt and hinder the individual local church, is our tendency to like being comfortable. Our desire to be with people who are like us, people who think like we think causes us to form churches and ministries that are unbalanced. We tend to group ourselves together, those who operate in the prophetic gather at one place. Those whose focus is evangelism somewhere else and so on. Every church body should have a balance of gifts and callings operating within it on a regular basis. Churches may have individual visions and missions. They may focus in one or two primary aspects of ministry, but every spiritual gift should be evident, encouraged and operating within the body. Only then can the body truly operate as it is intended.

As individuals it is important that we know and recognize what our spiritual gifts are. It is important that we be part of a body in order for those gifts to be both discerned and utilized. God wants us all to be actively using the gifts He gives us. Remember Jesus words to the servants in the parable of talents in Matthew 25:23 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'  If it seems there are only small ways we can use and operate in our gifts we should not be discouraged. We should be faithful. Many people wait a lifetime for their opportunity to do what God has called them to do, never realizing their full potential because they never took the first step in response to God’s call.

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good….      Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly…     …we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love…..   … so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

To You God,  be all the glory forever. Amen.