Title: OUR PLACE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

Focus: By knowing our place in the body of Christ, we contribute to its well being and effectiveness in its mission.

Function: To move the people to live as the body of Christ, using the gifts God provides, and practicing unity and mutual care.

Text: I Corinthians 12:12-31

INTRODUCTION

            God has richly blessed Calvary Church these past few months: in two weeks we may commission Pastor Todd Hilkemann as our Pastor of Congregational Life; and today we have the privilege and joy of installing Pastor Cody Statema as our ordained Pastor of Youth Ministry.

As lead pastor, I’m thrilled to work with them in pastoral leadership in your midst. And I think that you, children and young people, are especially blessed having Pastor Cody as your own Youth Pastor. He knows and loves the Lord Jesus; he knows and loves God’s Word; and he is committed to love you, to serve you and to know you better, so that you may become strong in faith, indeed, so that you may live as “men and women of God.”

            Pastor Cody has chosen the Scripture passage for this morning. It resonates with him and his sense of calling; and I think the Scripture passage provides you and me with a lot of food for thought in the context of Pastor Cody’s installation as Pastor of Youth Ministry.

You see, this passage teaches us, in essence, that by knowing our place in the body of Christ, we contribute to the well-being of the church. By recognizing and honoring God’s gifts to the church, and by acknowledging our own place within the church of Christ, we can be effective in our mission to lead people to a committed and growing relationship with Christ and his church.

THE PASSAGE: I Cor. 12:12-31

As I lead you through the Scripture passage, I will touch upon its Movement of Thought, its Flow of Argument, and finally upon its Call to us today. The apostle Paul writes to the Christian community in Corinth—a community that has a lot to learn when it comes to being the body or church of Christ. In chapter 12:12-31 we notice first of all

·        Paul’s Movement of Thought: In verses 12 and 13 Paul points the spotlight of attention on the church as a unit, a body. Keeping in mind that the church is the body of Christ, Paul says: (vs. 12) “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.” The first movement of thought, then, is this: the church, as the body of Christ, is one entity or unit.

            The second movement of thought comes to us in verses 14-26. There we learn that the church, as the body of Christ, consists of many parts.

And the third movement of thought comes to expression in verses 27-31, where Paul teaches us that God has blessed the church, as the body of Christ, with many spiritually-gifted people. Listen: (vs.28) “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.”

Thus we notice the three movements of Paul’s thoughts on the church in this passage: first movement: one body—one whole unit; second movement: one body—many parts; third movement: one body—many gifts.

            Now we must spend some time on

·        The Flow of Paul’s Arguments: In the first movement of thought, Paul reasons or teaches that we must see the church of Christ as one unit. For example,  Calvary Church has over 540 individual members. We become members of the church through baptism in the context of faith in Christ Jesus.

Our membership of the body of Christ is not on the basis of nationality or economic status, or even gender. It’s on the basis of God adopting us as sons and daughters through faith in Christ Jesus that we become members of the body of Christ. And that adoption into the body of Christ is marked by baptism at which time we receive the promised Holy Spirit as a sign and seal of God’s love toward us.

All of this teaching is included in Paul’s assertion when he says: (vs. 13)  “For 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 means that baptized individuals make up the church together. United by the Spirit of Christ, we must learn to think “we” instead of only “I”. As a member of the community of faith, I must learn to think in terms of community. Members of healthy families learn to think in a balanced way: “us” and “we.” If children and parents only think of themselves and only do whatever suits them rather than what contributes to the health of the family, the family as a unit will break down and become dysfunctional.  So it is with the  church: Members of healthy churches learn to think in a balanced way: “us” and “we”—we are a community together.

            This is why the leadership of the church is correct in emphasizing that when a congregation makes a community decision, the entire community supports the decision. This is then also, for example, the reason why I would like to encourage all of you to participate (if you have not yet done so already) in the pledge offering for the lower-level remodeling of our church building.

Church members are not a bunch of individuals who can do whatever they please; no, we are a community together. And we must practice that community life by pulling together, by living in unity together, by supporting one another as much as we can together. For Paul argues that “we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body…and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” In other words, though I am individually a member of the church, I must learn to think and act in a balanced way: the community made up of many is where I have my being. The health of the community depends on our place and role and behavior in that community.

            Paul’s second argument unfolds in verses 14-26. He makes the point that divisions in the church occur because individual members set themselves up over other members, or cause division by arrogance and pride.

For example, If I should I think that I, as a pastor, am more important in the church of Christ than you are, I am on the wrong track. For one thing, I would become divisive in your midst; for another, just because I should come to think that I am more important than you or that I should come to think that I don’t need you, does not make such thinking true.

Listen to the text: (vs. 15) “If the foot should say ’Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be 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 cease to be part of the body.” Here Paul argues that we recognize our place in the body of Christ. We all belong in the body, and though we are all different, each part in the body matters. Each one of us has a vital role to play.

Some, like Pastor Cody as Youth pastor, are more visible than others. Others, like the elders and deacons, play a leadership role; others serve in the background, quietly perhaps. But we all need each other; and we all play a vital role. Let there be no division of class, rank, race, gender, or economic status, please! We need each other!

On the contrary, argues Paul in verse 25. Let there be mutual care, love and acceptance. Listen: (vs. 24b, 25) “…God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” So then, away with arrogance and pride!

But how, then, should we consider the various positions and leadership roles and staff functions in the church? We should see them as God’s gifts to the community for the sake of the community. That’s Paul’s last argument in the passage: (vs. 27,28) “All of you are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers…”(and so on).

Practically speaking, in the context of Pastor Cody’s installation, we need to recognize that God has called Pastor Cody to this position as Pastor of Youth. God’s finger of appointment is behind our affirmation of Pastor Cody’s call and installation today. That’s the way we need to see Pastor Cody’s place and our place within the body of Christ.

 By seeing our place in the body of Christ in light of Paul’s teaching in I Corinthians 12, we contribute together to the well-being and health and mission of Calvary Church.

            Let me be very practical and open with all of you: Calvary Church has a rocky history when it comes to pastoral leadership. Those who have been part of Calvary for a long time, know that history far better than I do. But this is what I have learned so far:

All of you want to do better. All of us want to live as

healthy, wholesome members of the church.

All of us want to avoid the sins and mistakes and follies committed in the past.

As members of the church and as leaders of the church we want to flourish and give honor to God by the way we live and treat each other.

GOD’S INHERENT CALL

            That’s why I want to bring out the inherent call of God as found in today’s scriptures. I want to make that call very specific so that we are all on the same page:

·        Number One:

 Because we are human beings, stained by sin, and under constant construction by the Spirit of Christ, (we are not yet perfected) we will be prone to go against the Scriptures.

 At times, you may be tempted to choose sides with one pastor and try to play the other pastors out against each other. Power struggles are a ploy of the devil, especially in the church.

At times, I may be tempted to see Pastor Cody as a threat—what if his popularity exceeds mine, you know? Or I may see Pastor Todd as a competitor— what if his sermons (compared with mine) are a knock out, you know? Their presence and their excellence as pastors may lead me to act insecurely or immaturely. And I may become defensive. Personal insecurity and a lack of understanding our roles as pastors, then, may serve as a tool of the devil.

God, however, calls us—pastors and congregation—to a healthy congregational way of life. So,

·        Number Two: let me communicate clearly to you our resolve as pastors in your midst:

            We are a team—we work together, not as competitors, but as “co-workers” in the vineyard of Christ, called Calvary Church. Pastor Cody is God’s gift to the church; we accept that gift with gratitude and we work together to serve the body of Christ. Pastor Todd is God’s gift to the church; we shall work together toward healthy church life and toward the faithful proclamation of God’s Word. Each one of us pastors will do so in the way that God has wired us. We are a team, along with all the other staff members. And we shall function as a team!

            We are servant leaders; God in Christ—through you, the congregation—has called us to respective tasks and duties within the congregation. Our agenda is God’s agenda for this church as articulated and formulated and directed by the members and leaders of the church.

Your pastors are servant leaders; we are not kings or autocratic rulers. We have a mission; we shall focus on the mission of this church; and we shall do so in light of God’s Word. We are servant leaders!

            We are pastors, called and equipped by God. We shall not function as puppets in the hands of powerful members. We shall not function like yo-yos tossed back and forth by the whimsies of a few or by the subtle pressures issued by some vocal members.

We are pastors. We have a pastoral office, pastoral authority given by Christ through the church—an authority which we shall exercise appropriately. We will laugh and weep with you; we shall not be afraid to admonish and rebuke when necessary, nor shall we refrain from supporting, loving, and encouraging you. We shall speak in the name of Christ and we shall hold ourselves accountable to the office bearers of the church.

We are not competitors, kings, puppets, or soloists. Rather, we are team members, co-workers, and servant leaders. Yes, we are pastors! And thus we shall declare and live out the good news of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ.

            Pastor Cody and I, along with Pastor Todd have discussed our place in the body of Christ; we will learn together as we go along.

I trust that you, elders and deacons, as well as you members of Calvary, will continue to hold us accountable as pastors; and I pray that you will receive our respective, pastoral ministries with gratitude to God.

Let us learn from the Scriptures! Let us discover healthy congregational life, by knowing and practicing our place in the body of Christ.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!