"ONE BODY IN CHRIST!"

Written and preached by David P. Nolte




1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-25


The Corinthians were a problem lot. They were full of pride, contention and immorality. They were riddled with division which set one group and one leader against another. They valued one spiritual gift above another. They had contempt for others in the Body. Paul would have none of that, so he wrote in the text (read it here). Paul's purpose was to remind the Corinthians that they were not opponents but allies; not competitors but partners; not antagonists or enemies but friends in the work of the Gospel. They needed to learn the lesson learned by Arnold Fornachou and Ernest Hamwi. These two young men went to the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904. They were enterprising fellows each of whom had a product to sell to the attenders of the fair. Though they were not hostile competitors, they had to learn a lesson of co-operation if either was to succeed. Though they didn't realize it, they needed one another. Arnold was selling his product but he couldn't keep up with the demand. He couldn't wash the dishes fast enough. Ernest was not selling any of his product at all. They would soon learn a lesson of partnership that would profit them both. Paul would have us all learn that lesson, too. Let's all gather together, let's all determine to be co-workers one with another and with the Lord in one Body, the church. What will it take to be one Body in Christ?
  1. IT REQUIRES A SENSE THAT WE NEED ONE ANOTHER TO SUCCEED: VV14-17, 21:
    1. No part of the body can say, "I am not needed!" Nor can any part say to another, "You are not needed!" All are needed! Each part must recognize the worth of the other parts.
    2. Paul recognized the worth of his co-workers and the value of their contributions. He was no Lone Ranger. He relied on Timothy, Titus, Mark and others. He needed them. Though Paul did the initial evangelizing, the seed planting, others did the follow-up work, the encouraging, the nurturing, the watering. He left Titus in Crete and Timothy in Ephesus for those tasks. The work of the one could not succeed without the work of the other. No single part of the Body can function well without other parts of the Body functioning well.
    3. There is a principle of mutual need and healthy interdependency running through the Scriptures:
      1. Solomon wrote, "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.
      2. Paul wrote, "Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2.
      3. The author of Hebrews wrote, "and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24, 25.
    4. So, what's the point? What has this to do with you and me? We need each other. None is insignificant. Every Christian has a place in the Body of Christ.
      1. One ministry is as important, if not as visible, as another! It is crucial to realize that so that:
        1. No important function gets ignored because it may not be as noticed as another ministry.
        2. People don't think all Christians have to do the same tasks and then get into ministries for which they aren't gifted and burn out in frustration.
      2. It is needful, then, to find your nitch, your place of service and your opportunity and then to faithfully fill it!
      3. It is important to discover your talent, your ability, your inclination, your gift and then to use it.
Arnold and Ernest were frustrated. Arnold was selling his ware alright, but he just couldn't keep up with the demand, and couldn't wash dishes fast enough so people grew impatient and were leaving in search of something else. Ernest just wasn't selling his product at all. Then an idea struck Ernest and he came up with a plan to work with Arnold. He figured out a way to work together so both would benefit. Paul teaches that same sort of "good for the other fellow" attitude, too. To be one Body for Christ:
  1. IT NECESSITATES A DESIRE TO ACCOMPLISH THE COMMON GOOD: VV7, 12:
    1. The Spirit gives gifts to the various members of the body not for personal status or elevation but for the common good!
    2. The common good means what is good for everybody concerned; the common good is a theme of the Bible:
      1. Philippians 2:3, 4 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."
      2. Romans 14:19 "So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another."
      3. Romans 15:1, 2 "Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification."
      4. Ephesians 4:11, 12 "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;"
    3. Not "What's good for me?" but "What's good for you?" or even "What's good for us?" and especially, "What 's good for the Body of Christ?"
    4. A certain shopper benefitted by that philosophy. She had underestimated the total cost of her groceries. When the cashier added up the items, the shopper discovered she was $4 short. It was an embarrassing moment. But then, something unusual happened. The man behind her saw her digging around in her purse and motioned to the clerk to put the amount on his bill. He refused to give the customer his name so she could pay him back. A few days later the "Grand Rapids Press" reported that a charity organization had received a $4 check with the following note: "This check is for the man who helped me out of a tight spot. I came up with the idea of thank-you to him." The man had merely wanted to benefit the woman.
Ernest had a plan that could benefit both him and Arnold. He took a sample of his ware and showed it to Arnold. At first Arnold didn't understand what the older man had in mind, but then the soundness of the plan struck him. Soon the two were working side-by-side as partners. Paul stresses that kind of unity, harmony, and oneness, in the Body, too To be that one Body:
  1. IT DEMANDS WORKING TOGETHER IN HARMONY: VV24, 25:
    1. A body is healthy when the parts function in correlation with one another. It is unhealthy when one member refuses or is unable to function harmoniously.
      1. Imagine a body with a foot that itches. The brain gets the message and signals the fingers to remedy the situation. The fingers, however, say, "No way! Touch that smelly thing? Not on your life! Tell the thumb to do it! All he's good for is hitch-hiking, let him do something for a change."
      2. Or imagine a body with an empty tummy. The brain gets the cry for help, and instructs the hands to carry grub to the mouth. The hands say, "Oh, sure! We do all the lifting, the mouth gets all the tasting and the tummy gets the pleasure! I don't think so! Get somebody else!"
    2. Jesus knows that harmony in the body is essential if we will fulfill His work here on earth. His pastoral prayer centered on the unity or harmony of His disciples. Then he prayed for all generations to come: "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." John 17:20, 21 NIV.
    3. Lacking harmony and working entirely independently or at cross purposes hinders the outcome! A couple of stories will illustrate my point:
      1. A couple were riding their bicycle-built-for-two up a steep hill. The effort was strenuous, but finally they reached the top of the hill. The husband said, "Boy! I thought we'd never make the crest. That hill must have been a lot steeper than it looked!" The wife said, "I know! It's a good thing I kept the brakes on or we'd have rolled back down for sure!"
      2. A man was struggling to move a huge crate. Another fellow said, "Here, let me help you!" Together they pushed, shoved, tugged and pulled on that crate, but it wouldn't move! The helper said, "We'll have to get more help; just the two of us will never get this box into your garage!" "Get it IN?" the first man said incredulously. "Why, I've been trying to get it OUT!"
    4. There is a principle called "synergy" which simply means working together so that our energies are linked up. But synergy increases our energies! If one horse can pull a load of 2 tons and another horse can pull a load of 3 tons you'd think yoking them up together would enable them to pull a load of 5 tons. But in fact it would enable them to pull even 6 or 7 tons. What one can do is compounded when done in harmony with others! Synergy works in the Body of Christ, too. What we can't do alone, we can do together.
So Ernest and Arnold worked together. Ernest formed his thin Persian pastry into cone shapes and Arnold filled them with his ice cream, and they sold like crazy. So it was that the World's Fair Cornucopia was born. We buy them today as ice cream cones. May we learn a lesson from these fellows. May we learn that we need one another; may we learn that when we do something for the good of someone else we, too, benefit. May we learn to work in harmony with one another so our gifts multiply in productivity. In order to be one Body in Christ, we must be available for service. So, may we determine to use what we have for Christ. May we put our gifts, abilities and resources into the task before us. You don't have to be an elder, deacon, or one of the Women's executive board to serve. You don't have to have some magnificent ability or talent. You just have to see a need and be willing to fill it; to see a hurt and be willing to soothe it; to see a lack and be willing to provide for it; to see a load and be willing to lift it. Regardless of who you are or what you have or can do, there is a place of service in Christ's body. Who is ready to begin serving Him even more faithfully today? Christ is rounding up workers, will you be one?
Story from "The Power of Partnership In The Church" by John C. Maxwell, published by J. Countryman, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN.

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