Questions

1. Fill in the blanks from 1 Cor 12:12-13:  For just as the body is one and has many _________, and all the members of the _____, though many, are one body, so it is with _______. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and all were made to drink of one _______.
2. TRUE or FALSE: Some members of the body are unnecessary for its function.
3. What happens when members do not use their gifts?
4. Nothing
5. Only they suffer
6. The whole body suffers
7. Leadership suffers
8. God arranged the members in the body, each one, as He __________.
9. TRUE or FALSE: When one member does not participate, the whole body is affected.
10. TRUE or FALSE: Feelings of inferiority can lead people to disengage from the body.
11. What is the main danger of visible gifts?
12. Weakness
13. Pride and superiority
14. Confusion
15. Irrelevance
16. What is the purpose of unity in the body?
17. Comfort
18. Organization
19. To display Christ to the world
20. Efficiency
21. The gifts are given to build up the body in __________.

Discussion

1. To prepare to answer this series of questions you can review this section of the message in this link to the video: Dr. Bartlett Hess served as pastor (Timestamp: Start to 8:47)
2. What is the main lesson of the story about the chicken salad and the cat?
3. Read Matt 20:26 and Luke 22:27: How does Jesus redefine greatness in these verses?
4. What are some reasons that serving is often unattractive to us?
5. Discuss the following questions in this link to the video: The church is one of the vital ways (Timestamp 8:48 to 16:28)
6. What does it mean that the church is the “body of Christ”?
7. How are we to discern where we belong in the body, where and how we serve?
8. Why is it wrong to view church involvement as optional?
9. How does Ephesians 4:16 expand this idea?
10. Do you view your role in the church as essential or optional? Why?
11. To prepare to answer this series of questions you can review this section of the message in this link: The first truth is this: (Timestamp 16:28 to 23:09)
12. Have you ever worked on a jigsaw puzzle only to have a piece(s) missing? Do you feel like the puzzle is truly complete?
13. What does Paul teach about the necessity of each member?
14. Why can no individual fully represent Christ alone?
15. Where might you be neglecting your role in the body?
16. What does it truly mean to say, “Jesus is Lord”? The second truth we often forget (Timestamp 23:10 to 27:40)
17. What mistake do people with visible gifts often make?
18. Do we as a church often pay more attention and give more praise to those members with more prominent gifts? How does the 1 Cor 12 passage treat such favoritism?
19. Do you at times feel yourself wanting your gifts to be displayed for honor? How should we respond to those feelings?
20. Discuss in what ways we can grow in humility for our roles and others’ roles in the Church.
21. To prepare to answer this series of questions you can review this section of the message in this link: During World War II (Timestamp 27:41 to end)
22. What mistake do less visible members often make and how does Paul approach this thinking?
23. Discuss why God designs the body with both visible and hidden parts?
24. What gift has God entrusted to you? Are you using it or holding back? Why? 

Sermon Outline

Dr. Bartlett Hess served as pastor of Ward Church for many years, and it was through the Lord’s leading that he helped decide to place Cornerstone at the crossroads of US-23 and I-96 long ago. He once told a story that has stayed with me ever since.

Each spring, he and his wife, Margaret, would travel to Tennessee to visit an old friend. On one visit, she shared what had happened the week before. Her church was hosting a potluck luncheon, and she planned to bring her famous chicken salad, a reliable favorite. She had set the chicken out to thaw in the sink, but when it was time to prepare it, it still wasn’t completely thawed. Since she had an errand to run, she decided to leave and finish making it when she returned.

Unfortunately, her cat had other plans.

When she got home, she found the cat happily helping itself to the chicken. Now she had a dilemma. There wasn’t enough time to thaw more chicken—this was before the days of microwaves—so she decided to wash it off, make the best of it, and continue. She chopped it up, made the salad, and brought it to the potluck. Later that day, she came home to a shocking sight: her cat lying dead on the front porch.

Now the dilemma has become far more serious. Should she call the church? Should she say nothing? Wrestling with her conscience, she finally decided to do the responsible thing. She called the church and suggested they alert the women who had attended the luncheon and perhaps even advise them to go to the emergency room to have their stomachs pumped.

That evening, the doorbell rang. It was her next-door neighbor, who said, “I’m so sorry for your loss. When I left for work this afternoon, I saw that someone had hit your cat with their car out on the street. I couldn’t just leave it there, so I moved it to your porch. I hope that was okay.”

Dr. Hess would pause at that point and say, “The moral of the story is this: Things are not always as they appear.”

The path to greatness in the kingdom of God is far different from the world’s definition of what it means to be great.

Matthew 20:26 – ²⁶It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.

If we are honest, most of us would admit that we have little desire—if any—to imitate this aspect of Jesus’ character. Serving others often seems unattractive or even out of place in the world we live in today. Yet God calls us to reflect the whole character of Christ, not just the qualities we find appealing, and that includes His heart of servanthood. As Jesus Himself said,

Luke 22:27 – ²⁷For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

In fact, one of the key verses in Mark’s Gospel records Jesus saying, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” On the night He was betrayed, Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples, but before they ate, He stooped to wash their feet—a task normally reserved for the lowest servant in the household. Yet Jesus willingly took that place. And when He had finished, He said to them,

John 13:15 – ¹⁵For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

The joy of the Christian life is to be to others what Jesus Christ has been to us. – Lloyd Ogilvy

What has Jesus been to us? Scripture tells us plainly: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” That is the heart of servanthood. As we reflect today on Paul’s words in the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians, our focus is on God’s design for how we are to serve. In this passage, Paul uses the analogy of the human body and the body of Christ—that is, the church—to show how many different members, each with unique functions, are united together to display the glory of Christ to the world.

The church is one of the vital ways Christ is revealed to the world, for God Himself established the church to be the visible expression of Christ. Look at verse 18.

1 Corinthians 12:18 – ¹⁸But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.

Subsequently, in verse 27, Paul states,

1 Corinthians 12:27 – ²⁷Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Every one of you is a part of it. And it is at this very point that we often misunderstand God’s purpose. We tend to think of our involvement in the church as a voluntary association—as though choosing to participate simply helps round out our Christianity and keeps it from becoming too individualistic. We may even assume that if we choose not to engage, the loss is only our own. And when life becomes busy or difficult, we may feel justified in stepping back and living independently for a season. But Paul makes it clear that this is not God’s design. God has placed you within the body of Christ, not in isolation, and your active participation is essential if the church is to faithfully and effectively present Jesus Christ to the world. As he says in verse 12,

1 Corinthians 12:12 – ¹²For 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.

Pastor Winans reminded us last week that Paul teaches the Holy Spirit gives every believer gifts to be used for the building up of the body. And then Paul goes on to say,

Ephesians 4:16 – ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

We have not yet gone far in exploring the full list of spiritual gifts—Pastor Winans will be addressing that more specifically next week. But whatever gift the Holy Spirit has given you, your involvement is vital to the complete picture of who Christ is. By God’s design and appointment, each of us has been placed within the church to function together as one unified body, orchestrated and equipped by Him to represent Christ to the world. So when someone chooses not to participate in the body of Christ, the impact is not limited to that individual alone. The entire body suffers loss. When you do not fulfill your part, the church’s witness—the representation of Christ to the world—is diminished and falls short of what God intended it to be.

What happens when a puzzle is missing several pieces? It becomes difficult to tell what the picture is because you are not seeing the whole image. Every piece matters. In the same way, when you do not use the gifts God has given you, the picture people receive of Christ’s glory is incomplete—less than what God intends them to see.

Imagine how your car would run if the spark plugs treated their role as optional. Or think about how your body would function if your lungs or kidneys only worked when they felt like it. Jesus’ desire for His followers was that we would live as one unified body so that the world would recognize Him as the One sent by God and loved by God.

On the night of His Last Supper—the Passover meal—Jesus prayed not only for His disciples, but for all who would believe through their message in the centuries to come. That includes us. And He prayed, “Father, may they be one as We are one… may they be brought to complete unity.” Why? “To let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.”

That is why Paul says the church is Christ’s body— “the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.”

If an outsider came to Cornerstone and spent time observing us—watching how each of us functions—how would they describe our role? If they used the analogy of the human body, how many of us might be compared to the appendix?

Why the appendix? Because for years the medical world has struggled to define its exact purpose. It is often called a vestigial organ—something thought to have no clear or necessary function. There are theories, of course, but for many people it simply is there without a clearly defined purpose.

I would suggest that many Christians view their place in the church the same way: undefined, simply present, but without a clear sense of purpose.

But that is not God’s design. God has placed you in this church—in this body of believers—and has given you spiritual gifts with a specific purpose: to build up the body so that together we may represent Jesus Christ to the world around us. We are meant to be billboards of God’s glory, putting His greatness on display not only within this church family, but throughout the surrounding community.

That is why this sermon series is called Gifted for a Purpose.

Continuing with the analogy of the human body, Paul goes on to show that a healthy body cannot exist without diversity. Some parts are visible; others are hidden. Some seem prominent; others seem less noticeable. But every part is necessary for the body to function as God intended.

And to remind us just how important each one of us is, Paul points out two truths we must never forget.

The first truth is this: the exercise of only the more visible or seemingly more important gifts alone does not present a complete picture of Christ to the world. What happened in Corinth is still happening today. Instead of receiving our spiritual gifts with humility and gratitude, we can begin to view them as rewards or as signs of God’s special favor. That mindset can foster pride, a sense of superiority, and even a false feeling of independence from the rest of the church—the rest of the body. But Paul makes it clear in verse 21,

1 Corinthians 12:21 – ²¹The 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.”

Why does Paul reject feelings of superiority as inappropriate? First, because no matter how important one part of the body may seem, a healthy and functioning body cannot be made up of that part alone. As Paul says in verse 17,

1 Corinthians 12:17 – ¹⁷If 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?

The heart of Paul’s argument—and a truth each of us must learn to embrace—is that none of us alone can adequately display Christ and His glory to the world. You, by yourself, are not and can never be the full embodiment of Jesus Christ.

No one is an entire chain; each person is a link. Remove a link, and the chain is broken.

Even if God has gifted you in areas such as leadership, administration, or teaching, you must recognize that the more visible parts cannot form a healthy body without the less visible ones. The body needs feet as much as hands, ears as much as eyes.

So if you ever find yourself looking at others in the body of Christ with a sense of superiority, picture in your mind a body made up entirely of eyes—or entirely of ears. The image is absurd.

As the Bible says,

1 Corinthians 12:19 – ¹⁹If all were a single member, where would the body be?

The second truth we often forget is that the exercise of the less visible or seemingly less important gifts is just as essential - if the church is to faithfully represent Christ to the world. This is the counterpart to the first point.

This reminder is especially for those in the congregation who struggle with feelings of inferiority—for those who feel as though, when God distributed spiritual gifts, they somehow received the “discount store” version while everyone else got the premium brands.

That kind of thinking can lead to discouragement and the false conclusion: I guess I really don’t belong in the body.

Paul addresses this very mindset by describing a foot that wishes it were a hand, or an ear that wishes it were an eye. In other words, dissatisfaction with one’s own role can create the mistaken belief that one has no place in the body at all.

1 Corinthians 12:15-16 – ¹⁵If 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. ¹⁶And 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.

The issue is not whether some gifts may appear greater or lesser among members of the church, for Paul himself acknowledges this in Romans when he says,

Romans 12:6 – ⁶Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.

The real question is not whether some gifts seem greater or lesser, but whether we can afford to neglect the exercise of the lesser seen gifts. And Scripture clearly answers no.

We must never confuse “less visible” or “anonymous” with “unnecessary” or “unimportant.”

If it were not for the quieter, less visible gifts here at Cornerstone, we would not have Wednesday night meals prepared, lights and livestream running, or a tech team faithfully managing the morning services. We would not have a nursery where children are lovingly cared for in a safe environment. We would not have people counting the offering or opening their homes to host Bible studies.

Without those less visible gifts, there would be no one bringing meals to families in need, driving others to appointments, visiting people in hospitals, or comforting grieving families at funeral homes. How many lives would go untouched without these acts of service?

Yes, Christ is the Head of the body, and He directs it according to His wisdom. It is His prerogative to make some gifts more public and to keep others hidden. But every part is necessary if the body of Christ is to function effectively.

That means we cannot all be elders, worship leaders, Bible study teachers, or trustees. Yet Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” He also said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.”

So if you are tempted to feel inferior, to pity yourself, or to believe you do not belong, hear God’s truth: that is not true. You belong in the body.

The gifts God has given you—even if they seem hidden or insignificant—play a vital role in displaying Christ to the world. As our text says,

1 Corinthians 12:15-16 – ... that would not make it any less a part of the body.

Think of Jesus’ parable of the talents. The master entrusted his servants with different amounts—one, two, and five talents. A talent represented a significant sum of money, and each servant was expected to use it wisely and invest it while the master was away. Then came the day of reckoning when the master returned.

Notice first that each servant was given a different amount. Yet in the end, the same question was asked of each one: What did you do with what I gave you? Did you put it to work, or did you bury it? Did you invest it, or did you sit on it?

In God’s eyes, the issue is not which gifts you received, nor whether someone else seems to have been given more or less. The question is: What have you done with what I entrusted to you? Are you using it faithfully, or are you letting it go unused?

God has given us an assignment here at Cornerstone Church: to present Jesus Christ and His glory to the world around us. And He calls each of you to help fulfill that mission by faithfully using the gifts He has given you according to His leading.

During World War II, a man named Bohn Fawkes flew a number of missions over Germany as a pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress. On one mission, his fuel tank was struck by an enemy missile, yet by God’s grace he was able to land the plane safely. When the aircraft was inspected, he discovered that the missile had not detonated. Had it exploded, the plane would have been destroyed instantly, and Fawkes would have lost his life.

The next day, he asked if he could keep the unexploded missile as a souvenir—a reminder of his remarkable escape. But he soon learned that his fuel tank had not been struck by just one missile, but by eleven. All eleven were sent to intelligence for examination.

The investigators discovered something astonishing: ten of the missiles were completely empty inside. Only one contained anything at all—and inside was a handwritten note in the Czech language.

Eventually, someone was found who could translate it. The note read: “This is all we can do for now.”

Some courageous factory worker in enemy territory had secretly disarmed those bombs and left that simple message behind. He could not end the war. He could not stop every attack. But he could save one plane. And for Bohn Fawkes, that meant everything.

The main point of today’s message is this: God has placed you within a body of believers, and He calls you to join in putting His glory on display by using the gifts He has entrusted to you for His purposes. You may feel timid. You may feel inadequate. You may wonder if your contribution really matters and it does.

And perhaps this morning you need to remember what the Bible says,

Phillippians 2:13 – ¹³for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

The Apostle Paul also said,

Ephesians 3:20-21 – ²⁰Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

God often does His greatest work on the stage of our weakness, when we simply lift our hands and cry out, “Help.” He calls us to step forward with a humble confidence—humble because we know that apart from Christ we can do nothing, yet confident because through Christ we can do all things.

Think again of that courageous factory worker who disarmed those eleven bombs and scribbled the note. He could not end the war, but he could save one plane. He could not do everything, but he could do something—and so he did.

And God delights to accomplish great things through even the smallest acts of faithfulness.

So what gifts has God entrusted to you? And how may He be calling you to use them in service to His purposes?

As we function together as a healthy church—as a healthy body here at Cornerstone—we will experience the wonder and beauty of God answering Christ’s prayer: that we would be one in the midst of our diversity, united in purpose, working together to put God’s glory on display.

And through that unity, the world will see Christ as the One sent by God, loved by God, and the very One who loves them.

1 Corinthians 12:27 – ²⁷Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.