Living as Christ's Body: Active Love in Service

Devotional

Day 1: Baptized by one Spirit into one body

You didn’t drift into Christ’s body by birth or tradition—you were placed there by the Holy Spirit the moment you trusted Jesus, united with believers across every ethnicity and class, and filled to share one life together; because of this, you move in the world as Jesus’ hands and feet, so don’t settle for a sedentary faith—receive anew the joy and warmth of His presence and live as His active presence today [11:59]

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (NIV)
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Reflection: Before the day ends, text or call a believer from a different background than yours and ask to pray together for five minutes, affirming your unity in “one Spirit, one body”—who will you contact today?

Day 2: Every member matters; God places each part

There are no spare parts in Jesus’ body; God Himself arranged you in this church and neighborhood on purpose, so resist comparison or excuses and step into the mission where you live—your ordinary place is your appointed post to serve, love, and move with the hot gospel [18:46]

1 Corinthians 12:14-20 (NIV)
Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Reflection: Take a 10-minute prayer walk where you live today and ask God to show you one specific person you can serve this week; what concrete act of love will you do for them, and when?

Day 3: Honor hidden parts; pursue interdependent care

The weaker and hidden members are indispensable, and when any part sits out the whole body suffers; a church alive refuses division, shows equal concern, and gives special honor to those unseen servants, so that Jesus’ presence is clearly encountered through our interdependent care [21:22]

1 Corinthians 12:21-26 (NIV)
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Reflection: Identify one unseen servant in our church (e.g., nursery worker, tech volunteer, cleaner) and write a handwritten thank-you note or deliver a small gift today—who will you honor, and how?

Day 4: Discover gifts and desire the excellent way

You don’t have all the gifts—and you don’t need to; God gives diverse prophet, priest, and king gifts so His body can fully serve, and while you should eagerly desire greater gifts and step in, remember the most excellent way is love—gifts are powerful only when fueled by Christlike character [30:39]

1 Corinthians 12:27-31 (NIV)
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of 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? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

Reflection: Which lane resonates most with you today—prophet (communicating truth), priest (caring and mercy), or king (wisdom and administration)? Before tonight, choose one specific ministry task you will try for the next four weeks and message the leader to step in—what will you choose?

Day 5: The Spirit makes Jesus real to you

The Holy Spirit takes what belongs to Jesus and makes it known to you, bringing the living Christ near so that faith is sustained not by bare ideas but by the warmth and joy of His presence—abide and let Him direct your next step as part of His body [12:35]

John 16:14-15 (NIV)
He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.

Reflection: Set a 5-minute timer right now and pray, “Holy Spirit, what are You making known to me to obey today?”—write the one clear step you sense and do it before the day ends.

Sermon Summary

God has given us the human body as more than an illustration—it’s a living window into how we are meant to function together in Christ. Christ is the Head—He gives life, direction, and purpose. We are His hands, His feet, His presence in the world. The world knows who Jesus is through what His body does. When the body goes sedentary, atrophy sets in—both physically and spiritually. That’s why I pressed us to see the crisis: many acknowledge we should serve, few actually do. And when we remain inactive, the world misses out on the presence of Christ moving through His people.

We enter this body not by birthright or background but by the baptism of the Holy Spirit when we confess Jesus as Lord. “You in me and I in you”—the Spirit unites us to Christ and fills us with His presence. That means no spare parts, no spectators. God places each member where He wants, and even the hidden parts are indispensable. Our gathering is like training; the work is out there—presenting everyone fully mature in Christ, serving in love, and making Jesus visible.

To help you locate your role, I named three broad lanes of gifting patterned after Christ’s offices: prophet (bold proclamation, evangelism, teaching), priest (mercy, care, serving, often behind-the-scenes), and king (wisdom, administration, getting things done). Ask what stirs your heart, and invite affirmation from others—real gifts bear real fruit in people’s lives. And yet, gifts are not the goal; love is. Don’t confuse activity with maturity. Scripture urges us to desire the gifts, but then points to “the most excellent way”—love that makes the church not just active, but alive. So I invited seekers to open their hearts to the Spirit, strugglers to return to the Head, and followers to ask, “Lord, where are you calling me to serve?” Imagine an every-member, Spirit-filled, love-driven body—this is God’s plan to heal a broken world.

Key Takeaways

1. Christ is the Head; we are His body. The world recognizes Jesus through what His body does—our words, our presence, our service. If we remain inactive, the world misses the nearness of Christ through us. Activity isn’t optional; it’s how the Head moves His life into the world through His people. [06:15] - We are baptized by one Spirit into one body—across ethnicity, class, and story. This union is real whether or not it came with dramatic feelings; Jesus makes Himself known by His Spirit: “you in me, and I in you.” Unity in Him precedes and empowers our mission together. The same Spirit we drink is the life we share.
- There are no spare parts; God has placed you where you live to play a necessary role. Hidden, modest parts are indispensable—when unseen gifts awaken, the church becomes unstoppable. Our gathering is training, not the finish line; the work is out there as we labor to present everyone mature in Christ. Your absence leaves the whole body less healthy.
- Discern your gifts by holy desire and tested impact. Prophet gifts communicate truth; priestly gifts carry burdens; kingly gifts organize and execute. Ask, “What stirs me?” then confirm it with community: do people actually grow, heal, and move forward when I serve? When each part engages, the church comes alive.
- Don’t mistake gifts for fruit. Busyness can camouflage barrenness; love, joy, peace, and the rest of the Spirit’s fruit reveal who we are. Desire greater gifts, yes—but walk the more excellent way of love, because love makes the church not just active, but alive. A love-driven church is God’s instrument to mend a violent, weary world. [06:15]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome

Sermon Clips

How do you know me?The way that you know me is through, primarily through my body. What my body does, what my body says, okay? You can't look inside of me, you can't read my mind, you can't even see what's going on in my heart really, right? The only thing you know about me is what my body does.So if I smile, you think, oh, he must be happy. And if I'm mean mugging, you're like, ooh, he must be angry. He must be mad, right? You look at this, you see this. When I'm talking, you hear my words. If I'm writing,you read what I write if I'm laughing if I'm fighting if I'm working whatever I'm doing whatever it is you know about me what you see through the body does that make sense well this concept is important because we are united together with Jesus Christ the head and we express his life in the world. [00:07:21] (53 seconds) #SpiritBaptismForAll

I Want to tell you this is an optional So if someone asks you well have you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit you could tell them Wholeheartedly if you are a believer in Jesus Christ you can say yes I have been baptized by the Holy Spirit if you're a follower of Jesus you couldn't be a Christian Without having been baptized by the Holy Spirit. [00:10:39] (21 seconds) #PresenceOverProof

This is what the church is. The church is every believer united to Christ, filled with His presence, sharing one life together as His body.That's the life of the church. United to Christ. One with Christ. Filled with His presence. Sharing life. This is what we do. Not just a group of people who get together and sing songs and listen to sermons. It's a body.People who belong to the same Lord. Who are filled with the same Spirit. Who are given the same gifts by the same Spirit.People who are working together to change the world by the power supplied by God. And when people encounter the church, they're meant to encounter Jesus Himself. [00:14:01] (44 seconds) #PresentFullyMature

People think that the real work of the church is getting together, having a service, worshiping together, singing songs, and that's why so many people end up being sedentary, not moving. This is why the body gets to a place of unhealth. The thought is that those who lead these gatherings, Brad and Craig and Donna, have certain gifts, and it's their job to make sure everything is organized and gets done in the church. That's not the case at all. That's not the work of the church.Here is how we define the work of the church here at Christ Church at Grove Farm. This is our mission.To present everyone fully mature in Christ.I want you to learn that. To present everyone fully mature in Christ. [00:15:58] (42 seconds) #ShareAndLiberate

Even the so -called, you know, hidden parts, he gets into talking about the parts that are more modest and maybe covered up. Those parts are indispensable.In fact, when the hidden gifts go to work, that's when the church really becomes unstoppable.When we get to participate, someone said amen, thank you for that. When we become together working, everyone takes their part.Man, get to work, that's when the church is unstoppable. Every part matters, play your part.And when you do, here's what happens, the whole church comes alive.We can't just be a bunch of mouths and ears and eyes. We need all the body. And if you sit out, if you're sitting out, the whole body feels it. And we're not healthy. [00:20:49] (46 seconds) #HonorEveryPart

Your big toe has honor. Your spleen has honor, according to the scriptures. And it's true in the body of Christ, the parts you can't see, the parts that maybe we think aren't so great, no, they have honor.And so that there should be no division in the body, no division, there it is again. But that its parts should have equal concern for each other.There's nothing more beautiful than the human body, it's exquisite.It is the most beautifully balanced and delicately articulated instrument in all the world, even with all our technology. We cannot do what a single human body can do.And it does it with grace, exquisite grace, when it's functioning just right. [00:21:54] (44 seconds) #DiscernAndDeploy

here's what I want you to do calling you to discern the gifts God's given you you have a gift if you've been baptized as a part of the body of Christ you have a gift you have a part to play which part is it I'll give you a hint what part when I talked about those gifts which part really stirs you which one you're like yeah that's me I'm drawn to that that gets me I could see that that's that's where I fit that's one sign I'll tell you nothing ask someone else ask someone who knows you say hey what do you see in me what do you see ask someone if you have the gift of teaching the proof will be that the people will learn when you speakIf God's given you the gift of counseling, the proof will be that people get better.Not everyone has a gift. What gift do you have? Because when every member of the body is engaged, the church becomes living. This is what's at stake. The church moves. The church becomes an unstoppable force in the world. [00:27:01] (58 seconds) #FruitNotBusyness

We have a tendency to presume that activity in the church, busyness even in the church is one and the same with spiritual fruit. Okay? I want you to be a part of the church. I want you to be active. I want you to take your part. But I want to caution us not to be confusing spiritual fruit. Because spiritual fruit, and by the way, I'm talking about love and joy and peace and patience and goodness and kindness and [00:28:34] (31 seconds) #GiftsServeFruit

And what's the church called to be? The church is called to be a beautiful branch that sprouts from the vine, and it bears the fruit of love, and of joy, and peace, and patience, and kindness, and goodness, and faithfulness, and gentleness, and self -control.This is what the church is meant to be in the world, a beautiful branch bearing fruit.And the spiritual gifts are just a way to help us grow into maturity, into the vibrant church that changes the world. [00:30:21] (31 seconds) #OneSpiritOneMission

Imagine this. What would happen if every member of Christ's body, every single one of you, no one on the silence, you're alive with God's Spirit, working together with one purpose, on one mission, with one way to love. What if we were doing that? This is God's plan to change the world.If you've come into here, burdened with the world, and what are we going to do about this? And where is God? God is working through us. He's calling us. It starts with us.And we are his plan to change the world, my friends. [00:32:11] (29 seconds)

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