1 Corinthians 12:12-31 - Audio

We spent the first message in our 1st Corinthians 12 study discussing spiritual gifts. Now Paul will give us a framework to understand how spiritual gifts work in a practical way and in real life. The ultimate truth he is conveying to the church is that the gifts are not given to make the recipient superior, but rather to make them useful. The gifts are not for their enjoyment or boasting, but for their contribution to caring for others, using the very gifts God has given them! The picture? A human body! You are—we are—the most complex machine that exists on the face of the earth. Who could possibly estimate how many functioning parts our bodies have and how many unique functions are performed on a moment by moment basis. Think of that extrapolated out to our entire lifetime! We are, in fact, a “complex unity.” Our bodies have 600+ muscles, 206 bones, 600,000 miles of circulation, and 12 systems that all cooperate when the body is healthy. In any given moment, all of these various parts of the body are working together—fighting disease, adjusting to stress, accomplishing the simplest of tasks, replacing cells, using energy, and on and on and on. Some parts are visible and external, but many of the most important functions happen invisibly, hidden from sight. Some parts have great and important functions and others less significant. But each part is there for a reason, by design and the whole functions as one complex but unified unit! How does the church work like a body? What does a healthy church look like? Listen in as we open up the great truths of 1st Corinthians 12 together!