Page 9 - 5-15-15 Friday's Edition

Sunday School
Members Of One Body
same function. An individ- ual member of the body is not dismissed because it is not like another (vs. 15). The church must not over- look and dismiss individu- als because they come with a different skill, gift, or abil- ity. The church hurts and hinders itself when it looks for a particular kind of per- son who has a certain gift.
If every member were the same, would the church be able to accomplish all that it sets out to do? “If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hear- ing, where would the sense of smell be” (vs. 17)?
Each member has a par- ticular function; none no more or no less important than the other. One mem- ber donates the money or uses the ability to catch the fish and another member may clean them. The one
who catches or purchases may not be able to cook them, and the person who cleans them may not be nice enough to sell them. If everybody in the church were “bougy” who then would do the work of the church that requires pretty manicured nails to get dirty?
But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose (vs. 18).
God has given to the church and the body the members that are necessary to fulfill His will. God has arranged members to be at the right place at the right time to do what needs to be done. God desires for the people to be completely ministered to and doing so requires different functions.
And God has ap- pointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teach-
ers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assis- tance, forms of leader- ship, various kinds of tongues (vs. 28).
Many people will read this verse and only see the hierarchy of the church. While this may be the case the meaning is more. This verse continues to shine light on the fact that God has called people to serve in different capacities to min- ister to His people. This is not for the purpose of mak- ing an individual look more important than another.
The members of the Body must work together and not against themselves. Re- gardless of the position a person holds in the church, he/she must work with all. When the members do not work together towards the same goal there is chaos and division. Chaos and di- vision will stop any work from being done.
The body is a well built machine. Although it has many members or parts they all know their function and how to come together to accomplish a task. This is the same as the Body of Christ.
The Body of Christ is made up of people from all walks of life and different experiences. With all of these differences the people who make up the body must come together to ful- fill the purpose and calling of God. Our lesson for the week in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 explores the Body of Christ.
The body has many parts but it is one (vs. 12). The body of Christ is not just one group, one race, one sex, one party, or one de- nomination. There are many members, but they are all a part of the same body.
In the local church everyone is not the same or comes from the same expe- riences, but they are all a part of one body or one as- sembly.
In his letter to the church Paul tries to help them un- derstand that God’s chil- dren are not all the same neither do they have the
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