Every Believer has a part, a gift, and a purpose.

Christ stands at the front of the whole call as the living Lord, not a dead memory from two thousand years ago. Jesus died, Jesus rose, and Jesus saves, so worship ought to look like adoration for a risen King, not polite respect for somebody gone. God made people different on purpose, just like Adam and Eve were made male and female with different roles, and just like angels served in different ways as messengers, guardians, and leaders. The body of Christ was never meant to be a room full of people who all look alike, think alike, and do the same thing.

First Corinthians 12 gives the main picture. The human body has many parts, but all those parts make one whole body, and “so it is with the body of Christ.” Paul’s picture will not let the foot quit because it is not a hand, and it will not let the eye tell the hand, “I don’t need you.” God puts each part right where he wants it, and the parts that seem weakest may be the most necessary.

The call begins with the deepest question, “Am I really a part of this body?” Salvation comes first. Being born again, trusting Jesus, and following him in baptism places a believer in the body, not as a spectator, but as a member who belongs. The believer who feels unimportant, too young, too old, or out of place has to hear the Word say otherwise: if Christ has placed that believer in the body, that believer belongs and is needed.

First Peter 4 says each one has received a gift, and each gift is to be used to serve one another. The gift is not meant to be hidden in a closet for twenty years, unopened and unused. A gift put on the shelf may have been the very thing that could have changed lives. God gives gifts so that his truth can be spoken, his strength can serve, and his glory can be seen through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4 pushes the purpose further. Christ gives gifts to equip God’s people, build up the church, and keep the body growing toward maturity. Each part doing its own special work helps the other parts grow, so a church that refuses service becomes unhealthy, stagnant, and short on love. Mark 10 brings the final pattern: Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Greatness in Christ’s body goes downward into humility, service, and love.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Every believer has a part The body of Christ does not have spare parts. God places each believer where he wants, and that placement carries weight even when the believer feels unseen or unnecessary. The question is not whether a believer matters, but whether that believer will trust God’s wisdom in making the body many parts and one body. [46:57]
• 2. Belonging begins with being born again The body is not entered by church attendance, family history, or feeling comfortable in a room. The real question is whether sin has been forgiven and whether Jesus has been trusted as Savior. Baptism does not save, but it openly marks obedience to the Lord who saves. [49:17]
• 3. Unused gifts begin to rot A gift from God is not decoration for the shelf. The refrigerator picture makes the point plain: what is stored but never used does not stay fresh forever. A church full of unused gifts becomes mixed with mold, while used gifts become fresh fruit for the kingdom. [69:30]
• 4. Service needs Christ’s power The branch cannot produce fruit by trying harder apart from the vine. The believer who “unplugs” from Christ loses the very strength needed to serve well. Abiding is not a private luxury, it is the power line for every gift God expects to bear fruit. [60:19]
• 5. Greatness goes down into serving The world reaches upward through control, fame, and authority, but Christ’s kingdom moves the other way. Jesus defines greatness by becoming servant and slave, then proves it by giving his life as a ransom. The believer who wants to follow him cannot treat service as optional.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [38:57] - Children Lead Worship
• [39:25] - Jesus Is Alive
• [40:40] - Every Believer Has A Part
• [43:32] - One Body, Many Parts
• [48:54] - Am I Really In The Body?
• [51:53] - Every Believer Belongs
• [53:50] - Use The Gift God Gave
• [55:49] - Stewardship, Not Church Consumption
• [59:08] - Serve By God’s Strength
• [61:46] - Equipped To Glorify God
• [67:15] - Building A Healthy Body
• [69:30] - The Refrigerator And The Rotter
• [71:41] - Greatness Comes Through Serving
• [75:05] - Finding A Place To Serve

Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 12:12-27
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” [43:41]

1 Peter 4:10
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:” [53:50]

Ephesians 4:11-12
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,” [01:02:38]

Mark 10:42-45
“And Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” [01:11:41]

Observation questions

1. In 1 Corinthians 12, what are some of the body parts Paul names, and what do those examples show about how different members relate to each other? [45:05]
2. According to 1 Peter 4:10, what is each believer supposed to do with the gift he or she has received? [53:50]
3. In Ephesians 4:11-12, what are church leaders given to do, and what is that work meant to produce in the body of Christ? [01:02:38]
4. What pictures were used to describe wasted gifts and unhealthy church life, and what point did those pictures make? [01:09:30]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul says the foot is still part of the body even if it feels lesser than the hand. What does that say to a believer who feels unimportant, unnoticed, or out of place in the church? [51:53]
2. Being part of Christ’s body begins with being born again. Why is that question more basic than questions about talent, activity, or church attendance? [49:17]
3. If each believer has received a gift and is told to use it to serve others, what does that suggest about a church culture built mostly around consuming rather than serving? [56:31]
4. Jesus says greatness is found in being a servant and even a slave of all. How does that challenge the way people usually think about influence, importance, and leadership? [01:12:18]

Application questions

1. The first question is whether a person is really in the body of Christ. Is there settled confidence that sins are forgiven through Jesus, or is there still uncertainty that needs to be faced honestly? [49:17]
2. Some believers quietly assume they do not matter much because of age, personality, background, or ability. Where is there a temptation to think, “I do not really belong,” and what would it look like to believe instead that God has placed that person in the body on purpose? [52:09]
3. Every believer has received a gift from God. What kinds of service, burdens, abilities, or opportunities seem to keep coming up in life, and could those be clues to how God has shaped that person to serve? [55:22]
4. Gifts are meant to be used, not stored away. What is one area of service that has been delayed, avoided, or left on the shelf, and what is making it hard to step into it now? [58:57]
5. A branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine. What tends to “unplug” a believer from Christ’s strength during the week, and what helps that connection stay strong? [01:00:19]
6. As each part does its special work, the whole body grows in health and love. Who around this group might be helped, encouraged, or strengthened if one person began serving more faithfully in the place God has given? [01:08:19]
7. Jesus did not come to be served but to serve. In everyday life—at home, at church, or at work—where is there a chance this week to choose the lower place, serve gladly, and reflect the heart of Christ? [01:12:50]