Timeless Truths Series: Body Building - The Workout #2

Body Building - The Workout #2 

This week presents excerpts from a series titled Body Building.

Series Theme: “…we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Ephesians 4:15-16

<See also 1 Corinthians 12-13 where Spiritual Gifts are discussed.>

All Scripture quotations are from the NIV.

Spiritual Gifts

1. What are they? 
2. Who gets them? 
3. Why do some get more than others? 
4. How do I know if I have one? 
5. What am I supposed to do with this gift? 

Those are only some of the many questions to be addressed in the remainder of this series.

• We often make some improper assumptions about spiritual gifts. 
• Wrong assumptions can lead us to make incorrect conclusions.

Here’s the definition we’ll use:

A Spiritual Gift is given by God, discovered and used by me, for the good of the Body of Christ.

This week we continue in 1 Corinthians 12. Part #3 of The Workout looks at 1 Corinthians 13 as we consider…

 GOD’S DESIGN FOR THE BODY…

• God is the great designer. 
• He was and is intentional in His design. 
• The design was and is perfect. 
• The flaws and failures we see in the Body of Christ are not the results of the design.
• The flaws and failures we see in the Body of Christ result from the fact that we don’t understand the design or we try and fight the design.
• Sometimes we fight the design unknowingly, but often intentionally.

Last we explored

1. UNITY – The GIFT of the Spirit (12:1-13)

This week we tackle

2. DIVERSITY – The GIFTS of the Spirit (12:14-31)

If you want to know something about God,

1. look around a room full of people,
2. spend some time at the San Diego Zoo or any other zoo,
3. hang out in an airport

You will discover that God loves diversity.

“I’ve got bad news and good news. 

The bad news is that you are really diverse. 

The good news is that God loves diversity, and I’m trying to do that!”

Look at verse 14…

“Now the body is not made up of one part but of MANY.” (v. 14)

The reason the body is made of many parts is simple. 

God does not require each individual to have the capacity for everything.  

• You don’t have to carry the weight of the world around on your shoulders.
• You don’t have to bear all the burdens that come your way.
• You don’t have to try and solve every problem you face. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

"None of us is as smart as all of us."

Our diversity in design gives us great strength if we can learn to appreciate, utilize, and celebrate our differences instead of trying to make everyone like us.

“If one part suffers, EVERY part suffers with it,; if one part is honored, EVERY part rejoices with it.”  (v. 26)

That means I hurt when you hurt and you hurt when I hurt and I celebrate when you have cause to celebrate and you do the same for me. 

Remember, whether we are 7000 bodies or 700 bodies or even 7 bodies, we are one Body with great diversity in our midst. 

“And in the church God has appointed…” (v. 28)

• Paul gives us an extensive list of the diversity within the Body. 

Study that list. You'll see that 

• all the gifts are important, 
• all the gifts are needed.

The Body is dependent upon each of us discovering and utilizing our gifts as God has appointed us. 

Unity, Diversity, and the third characteristic in the design is…

next week’s Timeless Truth.

Special thanks to Dr. Keith Newman for the primary teachings used in this post.

Next Thursday's Timeless Truths Series: We take a break from the workout routine with "Don't Forget to Say Thanks"

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