YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO GOD
1 Corinthians 12:14-31
ONE BODY, MANY PARTS
V:14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 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. 16 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. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
God created everyone for a particular reason. We are all important to God. God calls some to be in
the Body of Christ. Thank God we are in that number. Everyone that has been called has been
equipped for the mission of the Gospel.
To emphasize how important you are, Paul used the visible parts of the human body. The eyes
were designed for seeing. The ears were designed for hearing, The mouth was designed for
speaking. The nose was designed for smelling. The feet were designed for walking. The hands
were designed to reach and carry. Every part of the body is important, not just what we
can visibly see but all the internal organs and body processes that work automatically without
our knowledge. The many parts of the body function together to make us well and normal
human beings.
How would you function if only one of your hands work? How would you function if only one
of your legs work? You could function, but not as efficiently. Each of us has a function in the
body of Christ. If one of us sits on the sideline, then the rest of the body would have to pick up
the slack. There is enough work for all to do. We were designed for specific jobs.
EVERY MEMBER IS IMPORTANT
V:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, \”I don\’t need you!\” And the head cannot say to the feet, \”I don\’t need you!\” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 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, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
If you had to choose a part of the body to lose, what would you choose? Now that you made the
choice, how would you know fully, the importance of what you lost? What part of the body would
have to be strengthened to account for the lost function? What adjustments would have to be made?
The point is every part of the body has an important function. Consider the hairs in the nose.
I have to constantly clip them to keep them from running down to my mouth. Can I give
them up? According to Healthline.com nose hairs are important;
“Nose hairs act as a filter that prevents dust, pollen, and allergens from entering your lungs. When particles enter your nose, they get stuck on a thin layer of mucus that coats your hairs. Eventually, the particles either get sneezed out or swallowed. Your nose is also filled with microscopic hairs called cilia.”
In the body of Christ, every person in the body affects, protects, or aids other believers
in Christ. Can the Pastor say he/she is more important than the janitor? Can the
janitor say he is less important than those who work in the mission field? God sees
us all the same as His servants. All of us are combined to benefit each other by doing the
work of Christ.
We all are valuable to the Lord and have equal importance
EVERY BELIEVER HAS A POSITION IN CHRIST
V:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 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. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And now I will show you the most excellent way.
We all have been given gifts and talents and placed in a position to benefit the Church Body
Paul lists the positions
Apostles An ambassador of the Gospel, one who is sent
Prophets Foreteller, inspired speaker
Teachers Instructors of the Gospel
Workers of miracles ability, abundance, power, strength
Healing one who cures (maybe a doctor)
Helps one who provides relief
Administrator directorship
Tongues one who speaks different languages
The greater gift is love and compassion. All of our work should be performed out of our love for God and man. God gave us positions to be used for His glory. Our job is to promote the Gospel with
work in everyday situations.
WHAT IS YOUR ASSIGNMENT?
Once we accepted Christ as our personal Savior the work began. We are empowered by the indwelling
Holy Spirit to serve. Each believer must decide for him/herself what position they have been gifted
with.
The question is, how do you know what position God has assigned you to? Each of us has
talents and gifts we use every day. These are the same we use for Christ.
Looking at the list Paul provided, the positions are interrelated.
In the Book of Genesis God assigned Moses the job of leading Israel out of Egypt. Moses complained
that he was not qualified. God ask him what he had in his hands. That was what Moses instructed
us as the tool for the task. During the 40 years Moses was in Median, he was trained as a shepherd,
and he learn to lead and direct sheep. These same skills were used to lead Israel out of Egypt under
the direction and guidance of the Lord.
It is these same gifts and talents that you use every day that God uses in the positions He assigns.
A key to your assignment is what you do daily. If you are a cook, cook for the Lord. If you are in administration, administer for the Lord. If you are a teacher, be a teacher for the Lord. You have
many gifts and talents. Used them for the Lord.
AMEN
