Slices
Prepare
Reflect on the gifts others bring to your church, and give thanks for these brothers and sisters in Christ.
Bible passage
Unity and diversity in the body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptised by one Spirit so as to form one body – whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 And so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being 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 stop being 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 in fact God has placed 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.
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 honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honour 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 honoured, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of 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 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
Explore
Jewish people longed for the day when God would pour out his Spirit and write the law on people’s hearts, enabling them to do God’s will (Ezekiel 36:26,27). The Corinthian believers were experiencing that reality – but only in part. Paul calls them to live out the Spirit’s presence among them in renewed relationships that reflect the unity-in-diversity that the Spirit’s varied gifts bring to the church, Christ’s body.
Rather than God giving gifts to individuals for their own benefit, the Spirit’s gifts are to enable and build up the church. These gifts are as diverse as the different parts of a human body, with each part vital to the health of the whole (v 21). The church is like a human body, which is composed of hands, ears, eyes, a nose, head and feet (vs 15–18). Hence, Paul asks whether everyone has every gift, implying ‘no’ in each case (vs 29,30) – the Spirit deliberately distributes gifts so that every believer is dependent on God’s work through others.
Paul clearly expects believers to be deeply aware of the Spirit’s presence among us, and thus to be community-focused rather than individualistic. How will you ensure that you seek and promote such awareness and community-focus in your church?
Respond
Pray that your church will reflect the unity-in-diversity which the Spirit’s varied gifts creates. Encourage others in seeking the Spirit’s equipping for the sake of the community.
Deeper Bible study
Praise God for the church all over the world. Thank him that, despite all its faults, he loves the church, for it is Christ’s body.
A harassed manager was once asked, ‘How many people work in your department?’ The manager replied, ‘About half of them.’ In the church, all of us have work to do. This is part of the privilege of Christian discipleship. God calls us to join with him in his purposes for the church and, through it, the growth of his kingdom. Everyone has a part to play.
Paul develops the metaphor of the human body to illustrate how Christ’s body, the church, works. The key is to see the interconnections and interdependency. For example, in a human body, the eye needs the hand and vice versa. They both need the feet and the feet need them (v 21). To think otherwise would be absurd. Yet how often in churches do certain gifted people believe that those with less obvious gifts are not necessary and try and go it alone? How often do others hang back, embarrassed that their gifts don’t seem as important as someone else’s?
For all to use their gifts to serve others is obvious, but let’s go further. How often does the deep concern for others that permeates verses 25 and 26 characterise us? There it is again: that term ‘each other’. With pride and selfishness a problem at Corinth, the apostle strikes this note repeatedly. We need to hear this challenge today, when individualism can be all-pervasive. Paul goes on to place emphasis on ‘those parts of the body that seem to be weaker’ (v 22). We often court the person with the more noticeable gifts, but Paul says those with ‘weaker’ giftings are ‘indispensable’. This is because God’s judgement on what is important is often different to ours, but also because the way such people are treated is an acid test of the church’s love. How are you contributing to the health of the body?
Do you see anyone in your church whose gift is being neglected? How can you encourage them?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 15,16; Psalm 116
Pray for Scripture Union
Ask God to bless and guide these three young men as they make prayerful choices about what to do to serve him in future. (This week's prayers relate to this article)
