Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

One Lord-One Body Pt.2

Let's turn to Romans, Chapter 12, we want to continue along this line of really being able to identify what God's called us as individuals to do, where He's placed us, and the ability just to rejoice in it, to rest in it, and see it from the eternal perspective and not just where we find ourselves momentarily. Of course the first part of Romans, Chapter 12, we're all very familiar with: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." And then he goes on and he says, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you...," now this is the bottom line of what we were talking about this morning: don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think; that pretty much says it, doesn't it? Now, most of us really wouldn't respond to the Lord or to someone here that asks us to perform a certain function, "No, you don't understand, I'm too good for that." Most of us here, if asked to do something, will do it, but what's going on in your heart? How do you see yourself as it relates to the wisdom of God and the supernatural placing of you in the body for mutual edification? The Scripture says that it might please God. Do you believe that your ambitions, your preferences, are the will of God? You know, we might be individuals and we like to sing, and because we like to sing, we think that God's called us to be singers. Maybe all of your singing is to be in the bathrooms, while you're cleaning them, amen?

So many of us really believe that those things that we enjoy doing are what we should be doing. Now, God isn't out to try to make things hard on us--don't misunderstand what I'm saying--but what I'm talking about is being able to respond to the calling of God in a way that is by faith and by grace, and not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to be sober and realize that God is going to give you the grace and the faith to perform whatever it is that He's placed you to do. Now, what we're going to see tonight is that the placement of God is not as most of us think because we think too highly of ourselves. We think God needs to speak audibly to me and I have to have a witness, and I have to have confirmation and I have to just know within myself that that's what God wants for me. The fact of the matter is, wherever the leadership places you is where God put you. Anybody want to say amen to that? But you see, we think of ourselves a little too highly for that, don't we? You know, we need a confirmation, I need a word from the Lord, and you just got one, because that's how the body works. We'll see in Ephesians in a moment that the Lord has placed us as it pleased Him and the Lord gave gifts to the church for the purpose of administrating the church, for the purpose of perfecting the saints to do the work of the ministry.

Now, I'm not going to ask for a show of hands, but I'd be willing to bet if we were truthful, most of us have approached things from that other perspective many times, "I just don't feel led," "I don't feel called," "I don't feel that I have the gift or the talent for that, surely there's somebody better," or "surely I'm better than whoever it is that's in that particular position." Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think.

Then look what he goes on to say, with every placement think soberly, for God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. We're not just talking here about the measure of faith to believe unto salvation, we're talking about presenting our bodies to be used of God to how to best serve in the community. Verse 4 goes on to say, "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office," [the measure of faith allows you to walk humbly in that community.] "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity [that word really means liberality; if God's blessed you and given you money in abundance, you're to be a giver, and it's to be liberal]; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation [pretense]. [Abhor hypocrisy, abhor self-will, abhor self-exaltation, or as it says,] Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." You see, in the context that's what it's speaking of, brotherly love, humility, serving one another. Verse 10, "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another."

Now look over to Ephesians for just a second. Let me show you what we were talking about just a moment ago. In Ephesians, Chapter 4, Paul's speaking here to this great church of Ephesus, one that is very proud of its maturity and its intellectual prowess. We know clearly--turn to Revelation for just a moment. As we read through the Scriptures and we begin to see what Father is speaking, it's an amazing thing to watch Him reveal the condition of the churches; as you look at the different churches and He reveals the heart of them in the midst of this we can start off in Revelation, Chapter 2, and He speaks to the church of Ephesus, and He says, "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick..." What are the first works, what is the first and greatest commandment? Love the Lord God with all of your heart, and the second like unto it, and your [say it] neighbor as yourself. You see it's not about pure doctrine, it's not just about pure living, it's not being able to be the greatest individual as it pertains to hermeneutics (that's the science of study of the Scripture); it's not enough to be a great exegete (again another one of the hermeneutical terms-the ability to draw out truth from a passage of Scripture and give it it's proper interpretation). You see even some among us, we get caught up in all of the scholastics and we think knowledge is spirituality. It's loving one another, amen? It's serving one another. It's not how good of an exegete you might be, but do you love your brother? We've made stands for holiness, we've rebuked those among us that are bringing a reproach on the gospel, and we should, but what about the first love of fulfilling God's mercy, and grace, and compassion, and tenderness toward one another, the ability to walk in humility and honor God?

So as Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus he says, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." What is our vocation? Christian, Christ-like; walk worthy of the calling, the placing, generally we're called to be Christians, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, that's what our general call is; our specific call is to be placed in the body as it pleases Him, to bring corporate edification, and that's our two roles. So to the world as evangelists, we are salt and we're light; to the community we are placed as it pleases Him to bring about a mutual edification, to strengthen each member, to fulfill the task of caring one for another, of carrying out the task that's at hand. So he says, "...Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." So again we see that spirit; don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, the Romans passage said; with all lowliness and meekness, the Ephesians passage says. Forbearing one another in love--that just means being patient, enduring, putting up with each other, bearing long. You know, when we realize--and this is the way that you really can, if you're having trouble, how you can become patient, just always take one step back and realize how patient God is with you, because regardless of how messed up that person is that's trying your patience--you know we're so much more spiritual, disciplined than they are, committed, humble--just step back one step, because there's only one other place to go, "of course I'm more spiritual than this guy." The next comparison has to be between you and Jesus, and it's a much bigger gap than that one you were just wanting to hold that person accountable for.

So, he says as we've received we're to give. What do we have that we haven't received? None of us are perfect; I know I'm the closest one here to it, but none of us are perfect. I'm, of course, being facetious; you can make those kind of statements when you don't believe it--I know who I am, I know what my problems are. Man, if anybody needs God's mercy on a daily basis, it's me; if anybody needs the grace of God to be able to fulfill the task at hand, it's me. I've had--the men have said sometimes, "You're so longsuffering!" I have to be! When I realize the patience Father has with me, how can I hold anybody else accountable to my standards, to my preferences? I'm not talking about holding them accountable to the Word of God. As Paul is speaking here to this church at Ephesus, he says, "listen, you guys need to think a little less highly of yourselves and your great accomplishments; everything you have [we read in Corinthians 4 this morning] is a gift. Why would you boast in what's been given to you, handed to you?" So he says, "[I want you to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit for] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and [dwelling] in you all [equally for the same purpose]. But unto every one of us is given grace." Can you say praise God for that? To every one of us is given grace, unmerited favor. You don't deserve what you have, you deserve a devil's hell. You feel like you've been short-changed on intellect, looks, position, despising the mercy and the free gift that God's given us. You ought to rise up every morning, look in the mirror at your ugly mug and say, "Thank You, Jesus." Amen? Not because you're ugly, but because He loves you, amen? Because the fact of the matter is you're uglier on the inside and God still loves you. In everything [say it] give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. So we're talking here about position, call, gifts, and whatever it is we feel short-changed in, like I said, our physical prowess. You know, some of us have stronger constitutions; some of us are more frail physically. Genetics, some of us are more attractive, we won't mention any names; how can you boast in that, how can you take any comfort in that? So what he's speaking to us here, and it's very important for us to see, he said, "...unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." Now realize--and he's getting ready to get into the universality of the church, when He ascended on high He gave gifts; and these gifts, and we've taught on it many times, are the five-fold: the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Now, let's stop and realize then: these gifts have been given to mature, perfect, train all the diverse gifts that we read about this morning in 1 Corinthians 12; your gift and your calling exists for one reason. What was it? We just read it right here. You exist in our midst, you've been gifted and placed for one reason; what is that? The edifying of the body of Christ, verse 12, just another verse of what we've said so many times, it's not about you, is it? If you weren't who you are, there would be a gap. There are so many things that need to be done to make the body function.

What's the most important thing in your body, what do you think? You say, "Well, let me think, the blood, life is in the blood." Well your body can be full of blood but if the heart's not working to pump it, guess what? How good is blood without the lungs to provide the oxygen? Hmm. What would happen if that blood wasn't following certain routes called arteries and veins and it all just piled up in your feet? And so here we are and we have this great body, the muscles that need to work together; in the muscles the tension, and you know there's tension between us, iron sharpens iron, there's tension. And this tension many times is what gives us the strength and the ability to work, and we push and pull against one another for a common purpose. Have you ever seen people who over-develop? Over the years, at times, when we used to work out it would be humorous, you'd go to the gym and you'd see guys that overworked certain parts of their body; they'd have favorite body parts or genetically one part would respond and when it did they just kept working on that part whatever it might be. The person would have these gigantic biceps and no triceps, or big pecs, you know, big pecs and lats and you've got these little bird legs hanging down, keeps falling over, people have to stand him up, whatever. What happens if there isn't a common preparation? You know you're going to continue to injure yourself, there has to be the biceps, the triceps working together; these things have to be developed in conjunction with one another to perform their tasks. So as this body is being fitly framed, as each member is performing its task, then we're able to bring that glory and that honor to God.

The thing that we want you to see here as we were looking at the passage in Romans, "I beseech you brethren..., present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." As we're submitted to the Lord and trusting in Him, the Ephesians passage says there's only one Lord, there's one baptism, there's one body, and in this then He's ascended on high, He gave gifts, and these gifts then begin to supernaturally--and this is the thing that sometimes we really miss: recognize and place the gifts to affect what we saw in Corinthians, as it pleases Him. You see, many times we think we know how we should best be used; we've trained ourselves for this particular task. Now, we're to become the best we can for God, but I just want to share one of these things with you. What about the person who has professionally trained themselves, and let's speak again toward something that would be part of ministry, let's say the singing, somebody who is a professional singer, someone whose been trained, someone who has the natural abilities, all that it takes to become an outstanding singer, are they the one that should be leading worship? Who's probably the best female vocalist today, Dion Sanders, Celine Dion? He's getting ready to make his comeback again. I think I saw him the other day doing something. I can't believe he's going to try to play again, at least that's what I thought I saw. I could have been hallucinating, I don't know. But let's take Celine Dion, probably the best female vocalist going today; should she be leading worship? It's not about talent, it's about anointing, it's about calls, it's about letting no man glory in the flesh. So the gifts that have been called to place, to administrate, aren't looking for talent, but faithfulness, commitment, humility, because that's what God's looking for. A lot of times we get our noses out of joint because, "Hey, don't you recognize my talent?" Yeah, and we recognize a lot of other things that you're not seeing. So when we're talking about edifying the body, the edifying of the body is in great contrast to the exaltation of self, so these gifts have been called and placed to bring about that ministry and to be able to perfect the saints to do the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ until we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God.

We've taught so much on this passage, but I want to make reference to it again tonight: don't be childish, verse 14 says, "...Tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men." There are just fads that come through, there are preferences that people have, there's--You know if you look at the context again, and it is important, always check out context in these different areas, you can draw principles that are true, but the primary specific truth is that that's definitely contextual. In 1 Corinthians 12, the context of where Paul begins to use the body as an illustration and each of us having different gifts and us being placed as it pleases Him relates to the gifts of the Spirit, doesn't it? What he's trying to get across to us is there's to be many different gifts being used, and of course we know the abuses we know that were going on in the Corinthian church of people just speaking in tongues, and so he was trying to say, "don't everybody think you have to speak in tongues, but there are other gifts," and he begins to tell us what some of the gifts are: there's tongues, there's interpretation of tongues, there's prophecy, there's the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the discerning of spirits. He begins to bring to us all of these different gifts. He talks about faith and healing, and miracles, and so don't think you have to be in one of those, whatever the fad is of the day, but be ready to be used of God so that the body can be edified. Some of the gifts are more public than others, some are more spectacular than others. He speaks in the other epistles of the fact that there are gifts of administration, of helps. You know, most natural people would rather be used in the more public gifts; we want to prophesy, speak a word of knowledge, call fire out of heaven, raise the dead, but there's the ministry of helps, of consolation, the mercy gifts that come and are just tender in our midst--the grandma spirit. We need prophets that will thunder against sin, and we need people that will just come up and hug us and comfort us. The diversity, he says in 1 Corinthians 12, of all of these gifts and administrations in our midst, placed as it pleases Him. That placement we begin to see here in Ephesians is administered by the ministry gifts, so don't ever think you have to have a word from the Lord, and don't you think for a minute that those who are overseers have missed God because of your word from the Lord; but be humble, be longsuffering, believe for the grace and the mercy of God to fulfill the call that's at hand, because everything that's working in our midst is for the corporate edification, it just makes us stronger as a body. Part of that strength that we're looking for isn't "look at me," it's not for the people on the outside to look in and say, "Man, how powerful they are, look at all the talents they have, look at the great witnesses they are." You know, what the strength that we are talking about is the strength that brings security, a comfort; you ought to feel safe here, and I think most of us do. We're loved, we're provided for.

As Forbe and Ruth came to the house last night and said, "You know we really..." Forbe knows the spirit--it's a thing that he came and he said, "You know what's so good about the Lord," he said, "I know how this thing works, if you said, 'I want you to go to Africa,' that's the word of the Lord to me. I don't need to hear from God because I already heard from God. I know how this thing works." But he said, "The cool part is that...," and this is how most of the time I would do something in these areas, I just went to Forbe and I said, "You know, I don't know for sure, but at this time I'd just like you to pray about going to Africa. There's a need there, I'm not exactly sure of how we're going to see that need met at this particular time, but you pray about it." While he was away praying, I then knew; then he called me and he said, "I want to come by the house. Can I see you?" I said, "Yeah, come on over." He and Ruth came over last night after home fellowship and he said, "I just want to talk to you for a minute." He said, "Ruth and I have been talking and praying and we're just excited about what God's doing in our lives, and I just want you to know if you're wanting us to go, we of course are ready to go knowing that if you sent us it's of the Lord, but I just want to tell you we believe God has told us that's where we are supposed to be too." It's exciting and not confirming to me, confirming to them. And then Ruth made a very interesting comment as they were leaving, she said, "You know, I'm at such great peace. I've seen fulfilled now the law of reciprocity as it pertains to community and giving and preferring." She said, "For years I've provided for other people's children and now my children are so well taken care of here, they are loved, they are safe, they are just as much at home here as if they were with us in a common dwelling." That's the unity of the spirit, the bond of peace, when we're living for one another, when we're preferring one another, when we're willing to be used. I want to tell you something, those of you who have opened homes to these two young people have provided as vital a ministry as if you were over witnessing in the streets in Africa. The teaching that went on in these lives, the longsuffering, the training, the different things that took place, and with those two children, there was a lot of longsuffering that went on. But we're living for the edification of the body and there is that natural draw, affinity, the natural, but we need to understand that it is not greater than the supernatural. There is a natural tendency toward those that are of our blood, but there is a greater love, a greater commonness, in the unity of the blood of Jesus. Who is my mother and my brothers but those who do the will of the Father? And when we begin to truly believe that and we humble ourselves to where, for a lack of a better term, there's not sibling rivalries among us. Have you ever felt anybody here in this fellowship, you know, they seem to get special treatment; they always get this or that, how come they get to hang out with so and so. As we've shared with you this morning, you're putting the wrong value on things, and in the process of this you've done two things, you've devalued improperly yourself and your role, and you've overvalued another's, and you've misunderstood the unity of the Spirit and the commonness of the body of Christ. And so, as the Lord's trying to take these few services that we've talked about here to deal with that in our midst, it's not anything that's out of control here but it's in our midst, and what we want is for each one of us to boast in the Lord and to walk worthy, verse 1 again, of the vocation wherewith you were called. Are you walking worthy of where God's put you in our midst? Are you doing the best you can do for the glory of God? And that's what Paul's addressing here: Endeavoring to keep in that spirit of lowliness and meekness the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

He goes on and he speaks toward this a little more in specifics as we go on in the chapter, and I'm not going to get to it right now, but he goes on and makes statements along the lines of being angry and sin not, don't steal anymore, let no corrupt communication come out of your mouth, grieve not the Holy Spirit, let all bitterness, and wrath, and evil speaking be put out of your midst and be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. And so what we're doing is always looking to edify those that are among us. Love doesn't think evil, love covers a multitude of sins, love rejoices when those among us are exalted. The realization of God's love for us causes us to count the call and the gifts and the vocation a privilege. The grace is sufficient (we saw) to perform the task that He might be all in all in our midst. Are you confident in God's ability to make you the conqueror in the vocation wherein you've been called, are you looking for the grace necessary and not trusting in your natural ability? "Oh yeah, I can do that." You don't know how to clean the bathrooms to the glory of God. When you go in there, look for the grace of God. Last time you cleaned these facilities, were you worshipping God or performing a task you had to do, fulfilling an obligation, following the rules? Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you've been called.

Father, we do thank You tonight for Your Word and the privilege of serving in Your body. We thank You for the call on our lives and the gifts that You bestowed upon us; they vary, they are several, we are not limited to one particular phase of ministry. We are not limited to be the bathroom cleaner at all times, we may be cleaning the bathrooms and the next day prophesying in the service, a fresh word from God that brings edification. We sang praises to You in the shower room and we spoke as the oracles of God in the sanctuary severally as You will. Help us to walk worthy of that vocation: Christian, Christ-like. Father, You haven't called us to look for a job and what could I do, what is it that I can do to help? We'll be placed, the gifts will be recognized, the need will dictate the ministry, the grace will be sufficient to perform it, we just come into Your presence and say, "Here am I Lord, use me. I have so freely received, I want to freely give; cause it to become my daily routine, Father, in Jesus' name, amen." Amen.

Let's stand before the Lord. As Gary plays for us, we'll take just a moment and--it takes every one of us. The fad that's gone around here in the States, and it's in Africa right now, everybody thinks to be spiritual you have to be full-time in the ministry. If everybody was full-time in the ministry, how would we be supported? God's placed givers in our midst; that's a gift. There's a group that He's chosen to set aside for five-fold ministry, for full-time service and has given provision for the method for how they are to be provided for; it's very clear in the Scriptures. I was looking at a ministry just the other day and learning a little about it; this ministry was boasting how that their ministry was one that lived by tent-making, they all held jobs, that's nothing to boast in. You don't take one exception and make it a rule. That's not God's rule; that was an exception, there's nothing meritorious about that, there's nothing special about that. Every man of God has the heart to do that if it's necessary, but you see, this is how men think. God has made His provision, He's set up His method and you working and just faithfully honoring God is as vital as the guy standing with the microphone in Africa, or Sterling, or wherever else it might be, preaching. We say that, but most of us don't believe it. I want to tell you something tonight. Believe it, believe it, don't despise--understand the value of every member. I'll tell you what; it will cause you to go to work with a different attitude. What a privilege to be a part of this great body, the church of Jesus Christ.

Let's sing this together and just thank Him for placing us and calling us as it pleases Him. "Lord, Here Am I." Oh, we thank You, Jesus. Let's sing it one more time. Lord, just use us. Cause us to walk worthy of that vocation. Oh, we worship You, Lord. Oh hallelujah, hallelujah! Take just a moment and just thank Him for placing you in His body, for the call on your life, for the privilege of serving in this great Kingdom. Thank You, Father. Thank You Lord, for the opportunity to serve. Thank You Lord, for the grace sufficient. Thank You Lord, for the gifts that are working in me for Your purposes. Take a minute and thank Him for your brothers and sisters and their contribution into your life. We are thankful Father, for every person that's contributed to me, that will contribute. Thank You for the opportunity that I've had to contribute to others and will have as opportunities arise. The dynamics of the body of Christ! Just be glorified, Father, we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Before you go, turn to somebody and say, "The Lord has need of you." Amen. Go in peace; God's love go with you.

Back to Top | Audio   |   Purchase Audio   |   Bible Teachings   |   Print