1 Corinthians 12:28-30 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.
The body of Christ should speak and illustrate the WORD to the world. In Genesis 1, God speaks human existence into being and creates all that we can know through our senses: what we can measure, detect, and know through our intellect. This God who speaks nothing into something is greater than our imaginations, for who can imagine this genesis? We know God is beyond our wildest imaginations. He has always existed and never will cease to exist. How can we know such a Creator? Only through the Christ of the Word: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:1-5) Of course the Word in this passage refers to Jesus. He is, was, and always will be with God the Father. He is an essential part of God in trinity form. No doubt, this is a mystery, but the New Testament explicitly points to Jesus as Lord, a part of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. In referring to Jesus' position as God, Paul says, Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:5-7) Jesus answers Philip's request to see the God of creation by saying, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." (John 14:9-11) Jesus does not say He reflects God; He says He is one with the Father. He is in the Father and the Father is in him. In today's focus, we see there are many members in the body of Christ, the church. All of these members should function in harmony to reveal the Creator. Collectively, as the voice of God, we manifest his Word in the flesh. Each one of us has a limited time on Earth, but just as with John the Baptist, we present Jesus to the World. We should help people believe the oft quoted words that God loved the world so much that He gave his only Son, so we might not perish in the grave, but have eternal life with God.
Jesus let the people know who He was through the Word as well as his actions. Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:16-19) As members of the church, we are his voice today, continuing to carry out his mission. We are to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, expressing the good news of God to the world: Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11) In a world of sin, there is need for the good news the church has to share. If we function well, our message of hope and gladness will spread throughout the world. Every generation will hear God's voice if the church takes up its mission and serves the world in love. Those weary from the consequences of sin, sickness, and sorrow will see a great light, the light of Christ manifested in individuals in their communities of faith. The year of the Lord's favor can come to every generation if the church functions by the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. The people of the world will no longer experience life as inconsequential and unsubstantial grass. As Peter states, Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” (1 Peter 1:22-25) Because the word of the Lord stands forever, the people of the world will no longer have to despair. No, God has prepared a place for them in heaven, a place of rest for their souls, a place with their Father God where they will praise him forever. People are not inconsequential, generations are not inconsequential. God loves all people and has poured out his love and mercy upon all who accept his Son. The WORD, Jesus Christ, has come to redeem the world from sin and death, for all people, for all time.
No matter what gifts we display or what positions we hold in the body of Christ, we use our gifts to express God's word of deliverance to a needy world. All the parts of the body must function well for the world to understand fully God's plan of freedom from sin. Often, the winds of violence and degradation blow fiercely against every movement of mercy and love the church offers to the world. No matter how much we live out Christ's life individually and collectively, the world seems to be apathetic or hostile to the message of God's goodness, mercy, and salvation plan. The church must stand strong, as soldiers of the cross, never retreating, always displaying the Good News, as the angels proclaimed it at Jesus' birth. We should passionately fulfill our appointed positions in the church: First, apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Our callings strengthen and edify the body of Christ. A strong community of believers reflects Christ and his message to the world. He came to heal the brokenhearted, to set the captive free, to feed the poor, and to announce the good news to everyone. Our assignments in the church are important. As with Jesus, we must be about the Father's work. In this dark and difficult world, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be a strong voice, crying out the message and leading the way. As the body of Christ, we must prepare the way for the LORD, so He might indwell the people of this world. If we function well, based on love, mercy, and servanthood, the world will know God through Jesus Christ, the Lord. As we continue to share Jesus, people will come to understand their purpose for living; joy and victory will saturate their hearts. We should never give up but remember that God works behind the scenes, all of the time. We read in the Word: But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. (Hebrews 3:6) Dear friends, seek the kingdom of God first, fulfill your position in the church. Pray about your role in the body: follow your inclination. Help your pastors, love and serve fellow members. Open your life to a new direction, one that fits in well with the body of Christ. Then you will let the world know that Jesus is Lord in your life, and they can also belong to the God of Creation. Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment