Church that God wants (1 Corinthians 12:27~31)
Church that God wants (1 Corinthians 12:27~31)
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the best[d] gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
Intro)
1. Church that God really wants should have 4 requirements of following.
1) Community: community formed by Holy Spirit
2) Mutual responsibility: has to form one body by Christ.
3) Leadership: build virtue and leadership together
4) Growth: community that grows without stopping.
Therefore, with these requirements we can see Christianity isn’t a religion, but relationship. God we trust in isn’t the target to fear or worship only, but God who we can have relationship like other person.
In bible there are records that God works in our community since book of Genesis.
God made us to live and work with his appearance in community of his.
2. Then, how can we make wonderful community with personal relationship?
We have to have idea to consider as one in community, consider other as needed, protect others, and share the pain.
Our body has many different parts, and has different job to do, but as it is all to work as one. This is like community God wants members have different job and position but does it for one, Christ.
However, nowadays some Christians are avoiding interdependent and mutual responsibility. Why is that? It’s because bothersome, requires sacrifices, low spiritual self-esteem, don’t have role model, and do not know purpose of why mutual responsibility.
Body)
4 Benefits from co-op with Christian members.
1. Increase of effect (Ecclesiastes 4 :9~12)
9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his
companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will
keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered by another,
two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Indeed, two are better than one, so if we help each other there will be better result and easier process.
B) 2. Effect of consolation (verse 10)
In living there are times that we face hardships, but if we have someone who gives consolation it will be easier to cheer up in depression and failure. But, without small consolation the hardship can feel worse and may put us into bigger depression.
There is a story about friendship in great sacrifice, where two friends want to become artists, but due to poor living one had to work and support the other. So, one decided to work and let other friend study art, and when time comes they would switch the role. Later on, one friend who studied art became famous and now it seemed to be a good time to switch the role. But the other friend who worked to support the other friend had ruined his hand due to hard working, so could not study art anymore. Friend with ruined hand prayed to God that other friend can be more successful in his field and draw wonderful artworks for God. Artist friend was touched and decided to draw his hand that praying. Having a good friend in our lives is important and it is true happiness we can get.
3. Effect of will (Verse 11)
Elijah who made great history of God used to deal with loneliness and hardships, so we shouldn’t live our lives alone, and live in friendship in God.
4. Protection effect (verse 12)
If we help each other and protect each other when things are hard we can protect it more effectively, so we have to live the life together.
In book of Psalm 133:1 says ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!’
C) Church that God wants is church that has leadership role works well for ordinary believers.
Church’s lead starts from pastor, but ordinary believers’ leaderships are also important such as deacon, and group leader. Leader is not ruling, but service.
Matthew 20:28 says 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Jesus who washed his follower’s feet is leader of role model in church.
Professor Robert Clinton who published studies of leadership said “leader is who takes God’s ability and have mission to help God’s people to achieve God’s will.”
D) Lastly, God wants church grows.
Therefore, we have to
Work harder to spread God’s gospel.
Christian Schwarz talked about limitation of growth in church he talked about prosperity.
In Genesis 1 said 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Meaning of multiply here means grow. Therefore, prosperity is purpose of God’s creation and blessing.
Prosperity of gospel is mission work, so it is our mission to fulfill it.
Mark 16:15 says ‘15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’ Why spreading gospel is important? It’s because when gospel is not spread people who do not know about our savior won’t be able to save from burning hell.
To do mission work, first person who are performing mission has to be a good tree (good base).
Today’s non-believers have more interest in my personalities and life than content of sermon. Therefore, I have to be a “good tree.”
To do so we 1) live our lives as small Jesus. 2) have to make a church like home. John Calvin once said if God is father, church is mother. So, we have to work hard to make our church feels like our home with comforting and peace.
We have to make fruit to become tree.
(Matthew 28: 19-20).
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen
Christian Schwarz said “apple from the tree is not an apple, but another tree,” so, small group’s true fruit is not a new family, but another small group, and true fruit of church is not a new small group, but another new church.
To do this we have to change our mindset a little.
Missionary work is what we have to do with responsibility beginning to the end. Missionary work’s result should be making the other personnel as I am, and this is true meaning of prosperity.
Missionary work should not just be about church’s growth, but also spreads of God’s world.
Con)
Let’s think about how we lived our lives and played our roles for Jesus and church from today’s sermon, and think about what should we change to make it better. Let us pray.