Teachings from Quest for God's Own Heart Ministry

The Most Excellent Way!

Part One

 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:7

Our lesson today is Part One in a series on The Most Excellent Way. I want us to spend the next few weeks looking at what God desires from us. He has made it very clear that He desires for us to be in an intimate relationship with Him. He has also made it clear that He wants us to love one another. 

Before we can do that, before we can go deeper into what He means by loving one another, we need to look at how the Body of Christ functions.  

Of course, Jesus is the Head, giving us the gifts we need to function as His Body. He has prepared us to be a powerful force, shining His Light in the shadows of this world.  

We are Christ Body (1 Corinthians 12:27) 

1 Corinthians 12:27 tells us that:

“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”

We are the Body of Christ Through His Sacrifice (Romans 8:1-2) 

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” 

         We had already discussed the fact that when we gave our lives to Jesus, we became a member of His Body. We are the Body of Christ.  

When Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins, He freed us from the power of sin in our lives. We are no longer under the penalty of death, for Jesus has set us free. We no longer are bound by our old nature. We can live a life of freedom because of Jesus’ sacrifice. 

Jesus promised His disciples and His promise holds true for us today that He will and has sent the Holy Spirit to live in us, sealing us for all eternity. No one will be able to take us away from the Love of Christ, for we belong to Him. We are His Body. 

Jesus has also set up His body to go out and preach His Good News to all the nations, starting with our homes. He did not leave us wondering how to serve Him. He has given us every gift of the Holy Spirit that we need to live our lives for Him. He has equipped us to live a life worthy of His calling.

    

God Has Given us Every Gift we Need to Serve Him (1 Corinthians 12:28-31) 

“Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: 

first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages. 

“Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.” 

We are Equipped to do God’s Work (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Jesus, first of all, has given the church; apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip His Body to do His work. Ephesians 4:12-13: 

“Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” 

Jesus did not leave us alone. He gave us a Holy Blueprint on how to serve Him. Through His Word, we are able to learn how to live our lives for Him, and through the Holy Spirit, we are given guidance every step of the way.  

Jesus has also given some in His Body the responsibility of guiding His people to do His work. Jesus works through our leaders as they guide us in the direction He desires. 

As we work together as the Body of Christ, we will be able to reach our community, and eventually the rest of the world. 

  

Jesus has called all of us to: 

“…go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20) 

He has not called us to sit on the sideline, watching others work for His Kingdom. He has called us all to do our part in reaching others for His name. 

When we come together, each doing our part, we are able to reveal our Loving Savior to those who are hidden in the shadows of our societies.  

By reflecting Jesus in our life, we are reaching out to those in need, helping them to see the Light, releasing them from the bondage of sin that keeps them from seeing hope. 

We need to use the gifts that He has given us; working together to fulfill His desire for our community. We have a mission, and He has given everyone in His Body a part to play to fulfill His mission. 

I think it is awesome that Jesus wants to use everyone. We are not a body of the 5%.

We are not just a hand. 

We are not just a foot. 

We are not just a leg or arm.  

We are a complete body, every member just as important as the other. If we don’t work together, we are not functioning as a complete body.  

The Pastor is not the only member of the Body of Christ. The Associate Pastor, Music Minister, Deacon, Elder, Prophet, Teacher, nor Evangelist, is the only member of the Body of Christ.  

We are all the Body of Christ, and Jesus is the Head. Jesus is the One in charge, directing each member of His Body to fulfill the work He has for us. 

What is the mission of the Body of Christ? The general answer is reaching the lost for Jesus Christ. But, Jesus has a specific mission for your church. 

There are specific needs in your community that only your church is equipped to meet. It is not an accident where you church is. 

He has a vision for your church. He has a mission for your church. He has equipped each person in your church for that mission, and He will direct your church to fulfill that mission as you work together as one body, sharing the love of Jesus Christ to your community. He will lead the way.