1 Corinthians 12 | Elder Chris

Father God, we come this morning.

We thank you.

We praise you for life.

We thank you for waking us.

We thank you for blessing us with health and strength.

Father, I ask now that you would sit me down and stand for me.

Forgive me of my sins, those that I know of, those that I don't know of.

Ask Father that you would think, speak through me.

Bless these your children, Father, that as they hear and receive your word, that they may receive it with joy.

And once we have received that word, Father, we ask that you will bless us so that we can adapt it into our lifestyle so that when we go out into this world, we can tell others about the love and the joy of being a follower of Jesus Christ.

These and all blessings we ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

I am reverbing up here today.

We are continuing our first Corinthians series.

About having a foundation that will last through the fire.

Being grounded in a way that no matter what happens in life, we are prepared and we are equipped to make our way through without being bothered so much.

If you stand with me as we start this 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians and read a portion of God's word.

So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus.

And no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

You may be seated.

This church at Corinth.

I want us to, we're 12 chapters in.

I want to slide backwards a little bit and tell you this this this this was a church that was gifted spiritually, but they had no spiritual maturity.

This is a church where where where gifts were were just popping off in the in everyone, but but people that had different gifts, they found themselves clicking up.

If we got the gift to sing, we're in one click.

If we have the gift of prayer, we got our own group.

If we have the group of discernment, we have our own group.

So so this was a church that was rich in spiritual gifts, but it was also a church that did not have any unity.

Folks mad?

Oh, she can sing.

I wish I could sing.

He could pray, I wish I could pray.

He could preach, I wish I can preach.

But but these things, instead of bringing them together, it kept them apart because they spent so much time worried about the gifts that brother or sister so-and-so had that they did not take the time to mature the gifts that God had given them.

And it's a danger, it's a danger when when we come to church and we compare ourselves to others, that makes church hard.

That makes church rough.

Because once we see those and we're comparing ourselves to someone and we're trying to be like someone, even though God made us different, it stops us from worshiping and praising God in the way that we should when we come into his house on Sunday mornings to give worship and praise because we're so caught up in Austin can give us 16 bars and I can't.

But God has created each of us individually, and he brings us together as a body.

So that's what we're gonna talk about is gifts and the body.

These were gifted people, they were comparing spiritual gifts, they they were competing for recognition and they were valuing some members more than others.

But Paul writes to this church, especially in this 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians, to teach them the true purpose of spiritual gifts and what these gifts mean to the body.

Next slide.

Y'all read and I'll and I'll talk.

Now, when we look at verses four through six, what I want to remind you is that everything as believers begins with the Holy Spirit.

Everything that we believe in, it begins with the Holy Spirit.

Every spiritual gift that we have, we've we receive that through the Holy Spirit.

When we when we want to just say words to folks that we know we shouldn't say, it's the Holy Spirit to be like, bruh, don't say that.

When we want to do things that we that takes us out of our character, it is the Holy Spirit that reminds us, like, bruh, bruh, sis, you're a child of God, and folks are watching you.

Be careful how you act, be careful how you talk.

Don't do that.

All of this comes from the Holy Spirit.

I don't want to trip y'all because y'all will get a good laugh out of that one there.

But when we look at verse four, we know the Trinity is is God, is Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

And I want you to see how God has played those.

When you look at verse 4, verse 4 speaks of the spiritual gifts, but the same spirit.

Verse 5 says there are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord who is Jesus, and God works this all in different ways.

It is the same God who does this work in all of us.

We know that Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to teach, to comfort, and to guide believers.

That same spirit that gives us spiritual gifts, that it helps us to produce good fruit.

Adam Man asked me one time, he asked me how how I was sitting with a, we were in a revival many years ago, and he asked me the question, how's your ministry?

And I didn't even know how to answer that.

Because truthfully, my mirror, I wasn't thinking about ministry.

I was thinking like this church that at Corinth, I'm Chris Robinson, the preacher, that, and I'm Chris Robinson this, and I'm Chris Robinson that.

But I could not answer the question of, how's your ministry?

What type of fruit are we producing?

This is my question for you this morning.

What type of fruit are we producing with our other brothers and sisters in Christ?

What type of fruit are we producing to those that we interact with every day?

Some of us go to work and we hate to go because the people that are around us like, Lord, I need the Holy Spirit this morning because what's in my what's in my natural fleshly mind wants to say some things to them, but it's the Holy Spirit that says, nope, continue to stay silent, continue to stay strong, continue to stay prayed up.

So as they as they bring you down or talk about you or misuse you or mistreat you, they see the Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit showing them something else because many a times when folk talk about us and mess with us, all they are looking for is a reaction.

Let me see how I can get them to react today.

Because I used to do it myself.

I'm gonna say something to see how they react.

So once that they see that we do not react in a negative manner, they begin to see that the Holy Spirit is working through us so that when folks see us, they don't actually see Chris Robinson.

They see the Christ that is in Chris Robinson doing his best to show this world that Jesus is alive, that Jesus is well, and Jesus is producing good fruit in a world that don't even care about Jesus.

This same spirit, it gives us spiritual gifts to produce good fruit.

This spirit brings life.

This spirit represents God's power moving in a world of sin.

And the moment that we receive Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts.

You can't be a Christian without the Holy Spirit.

You can't be a good, good, good Christian without the Holy Spirit.

We can't deepen our relationship or follow Christ as we could, as we should without the Holy Spirit.

Now, here's the good thing about it.

Whether you're black, you're gonna receive the Holy Spirit.

Whether you're white, you're gonna receive the Holy Spirit.

Whether you're Latino, you're gonna receive the Holy Spirit.

Whether you messed up yesterday, you still receive the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is not presence, the Holy Spirit is not braces, the Holy Spirit indwells in each of us so that we can live a life that produces good fruit.

We saw this full workmanship in verses four through six.

Our gifts.

Some of us serve publicly, we're not afraid to stand in front of people and talk.

Some of us serve silently behind the doors.

Greg and Tracy, all that coffee that we sip on every Sunday.

That's the Holy Spirit.

But I understand that that is their gift to this body of Christ because we all partake in the coffee.

Thank y'all.

Some serve behind doors, some serve in large groups, some serve in ways they just do individual, one-on-one with people.

And I'm saying all this to say that you are in service of God through the Holy Spirit because no matter how you serve, you should serve.

Me and my wife we transitioned to Bethel many, many, many years ago.

And all that was on my mind is I'm going here and I ain't doing nothing.

And I did that.

And it didn't work out well for us.

It didn't work out well for us because those gifts that I had that God has given me, I was not using them.

So I can tell you that when you are not using your gifts, you need to look in that mirror and check yourself because God gave your gift to you for the purpose of the kingdom.

Next slide, please.

Every believer receives gifts.

To one person, the spirit gives the ability to give wise advice.

That tells us we can't listen to everybody.

Another, the same spirit gives the message of special knowledge, gives great faith to another.

Someone else's spirit gives the gift for healing, the power to perform miracles, the ability to prophecy.

The spirit gives your gift to you because just imagine if we here at Real Community Covenant Church, if we all had the same gift, what type of church will we be?

How can we it's boring?

How can we affect the world if if each of us have the same gift?

If we all had the gift.

Now, now I can tell you that it takes a special person to stand outside them doors with a smile on their face as we walk through.

Because that's their gift.

If you were to walk through there, maybe one out of three of y'all would get a smile from me because that's not my gift to just stand around cheesing.

I don't smile for pictures.

When I smile, it's mostly because I'm laughing.

But other than that, I know that it is not my gift to be a greeter at the door.

Because when we walk into Amen from the One Who Knows.

So that we know when when we ask every week, are there first-time visitors?

And we don't want a first-time visitor walking through the doors of God's house of prayer to see a grumpy, sour old face.

It's a gift.

That's a gift.

So to all of you greeters, thank God for you.

Yeah, give them a hand of praise.

Paul says the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each of us.

No Christian is left out.

Every believer has a role, every believer has value.

That's why it's dangerous to compare yourself to others because you begin to devalue yourself because well, I can't sing like Sister Lisa sang.

So I'm not gonna sing at all.

I can't preach like Pastor Drew preaches, so I'm not gonna preach at all.

I can't smile all the time when I'm at the door, so I'm not gonna greet at all.

And I'm saying all that to say, no matter what your gift is, excel in your gift.

Now God is gracious.

Some of us got more than one, but that one that you got, and you know that it is yours.

Excel in that because you're not doing it for you, you're doing it for the kingdom of God.

And your gift is not given to you as a trophy to put on your mantle.

It's not, it's not, it's not.

My wife laughed.

I still got trophies when I was in Little League back in 1970 something.

Don't throw them away.

Those are my trophies.

The bat is broken a few of them, but these are my trophies.

God did not give you a gift to put on a mantle so that you can look at it and be like, Yeah, that's my gift.

Your gift is not given to you so that you can think you're better than others.

Part of the dangers of this church, part of, and it's spoken about in the Bible, is that, and I know we don't do it here, that we we we find out.

I heard somebody ask, I was in the back, who preaching today?

Sometimes when we know in advance who's preaching, and we don't like that preaching style, we dead at the crib.

Or we call ourselves visiting somewhere else.

And this church at Corinth, they was bad about that.

They not only clicked up according to their gift, they clicked up according to who they favorite preacher was.

So imagine if we came.

Now, Pastor Drew did send it out in his email that we sometimes not read.

The preaching schedule and it's seeing the names.

So if we're thinking like that, some would say, Oh, well, there's other Chris on Sunday, I'm not coming.

Pastor Drew is doing four in a row, and then it's Reverend Sprout, I'm not gonna come on Reverend Sprout day.

We are wrong with that because what we're doing up here is using the gift that God has given us to edify y'all.

Your gift is not given to you so that you can keep it to yourself.

I'm gonna say that again because I got three amens and that's right.

Your gift is not given to you so that you can keep it to yourself.

Hey, y'all woke this morning.

God did not give you your gift so that you can be like, yep, this is my gift.

I'm just gonna use it on me and my family.

God gave you your gift, Debbie, so that you can be a blessing to Chris.

God gave you your gift, Chris, so that you can be a blessing to Trey.

God gave you your gift, wise, so you can be a blessing to others.

God has given our gifts, not just for us, it's to be a blessing to others because once we get blessed, we are to bless others.

And it comes through our gifts.

Now, some of us do not, some of us do have the have the gift of giving.

We don't mind digging off in our pocket when someone needs some financial help.

We don't mind here in a real community setting up a meal train.

Because there's things going on in the life of someone else, and that's a gift to be like, yeah, I'm gonna cook for six other folks besides five that I cook for anyway.

That's a gift through the Holy Spirit.

And then even if I, yep, I don't cook and we send gift cards.

These are gifts from God in the hospitality area that tells when when one of us is doing bad, the Holy Spirit is moving through the body of this church so that we can maintain through the day and make it through the next.

See, one of the things that we have to learn as Christian folks is just make it through the day.

Just make it through the day.

I was telling why I started this job Monday.

Working us like Hebrews.

Ain't no other way to put it.

They working us like Hebrews.

Tuesday I wanted to quit.

Wednesday I was so sore and tired that I slept from the time that I got home till it was time to get up the next morning.

Thursday, I wanted to quit.

Friday I was gonna leave, but Spark said, think about that joyful thing that happens to you.

I got an email that because I was gonna leave at 12 o'clock Friday.

My mind was made up when I clocked in at 7.

You only get me till 12, but I got an email that brought joy to my life, and it maintained me till the end of that day.

And I know that was only through God.

It's like I'm gonna send you some joy through an email that I read while on lunch, because we can't hold our phones.

So as I'm walking out thinking, yep, I'm gonna go up here and I'm gonna do this time, and then I'm gonna go clock out.

I opened up this email and I was like, oh, it brought joy, so let me go take my bag back and set it back at my workstation.

And it was through the gift of the Spirit where God had seen this brother needs an uplift, so Spirit sent him an uplift.

The church needs your gifts, it really does.

Then the church needs your gift because some of us have the gift to plant, and that's good.

But then someone has someone comes along and has the gift to water what you've planted.

Some of us have the gift to encourage.

And once we're encouraged, someone else comes along with the gift of teaching and teach you how to stay encouraged.

Some of us have the gift to lead, some of us have the gift to pray, but I a if I don't say it enough in here today, don't compare yourself to others.

God never intended you to be someone else.

God did not make Chris to be Austin.

God did not make Austin to be CJ.

God did not make Junior C to be Wyatt.

And God did not make you to be someone else.

God made you to be you because the scripture tells us that he knew us while we were still in the womb of our mama.

So now that God knows you individually and he understands you individually, he says, I'm gonna gift you individually so that we can come together within this church, which leads us to next slide, please.

The human body.

We all got toes, feet.

We all have that.

We all have that.

So Paul's Paul is saying, I'm gonna use this body as an example so that you can so that you can see this in a way that you have never said it before, just as the body has many parts, hands, feet, eyes, and ears, it's one body.

Now it would be nice now for some of us that has a wife that bakes to make cupcakes and stuff all the time and says, babe, try this to see how it tastes.

It would be nice to get rid of some of this off my body.

But I'm also hoping that when she makes a dozen, there are six or seven of them left.

While me and Junior are fighting over them.

But it's my body.

God has given you your body, be proud of the body that you have.

God has given you your body, take care of the body that you have.

God has given you your body so that you can be an instrument for him as we tell this world about Jesus Christ.

Now, as Christians, we have different gifts, we have different roles, we have different abilities, but together we are the body of Christ.

Together, we are one.

Regardless of race, regardless of your past, regardless of your money, regardless of your status, your issues, your struggles.

I said status, but I meant to say struggles, issues.

None of this matters because you are a part of the body of Christ.

I used to tell the people you you filled out your application when you accepted Christ.

He hired you when you said yes, molded you when you got baptized.

Now it's time to go do your job.

Now it's time to go do your job as a body.

Now I can't talk about no other church for real, but there are some parts of the body that won't talk to other parts of the body on Sunday morning.

And all we're asking for is a simple hello during a five minute time period.

There are some parts of the body that don't really like other parts of the body, but we must understand that we're one body.

When the last time you said that pinky toe.

If you haven't, I pray that you don't because you stub that pinky toe, because you know we all stay in our individual homes, so most of us can walk through our house in the dark.

We know where everything should be.

Should be.

But there comes a time and you be like, oh.

And you stub that pinky toe, it affects the rest of your body for at least 30 seconds.

Everything goes black.

Your mind wants to say words that God have delivered you from.

But stubbing that pinky toe affects the rest of the body, as I said, for at least 30 seconds.

So can you imagine if someone that is a part of this body is hurting and the rest of the body does not step in, you're hurting too.

That's just the way it is.

That's just the way it is.

If one of us is suffering and the rest of us don't step up, shame on us.

Shame on us.

The Bible tells us that when one suffers, we all suffer.

But when all of us is doing good, we should be in celebration mode, celebrating together because we are all doing good.

And just living this life, there are not many good days.

But when we do have them, we should be celebrating in a way that God says, oh yeah, I can send someone to them so they can win this too because they're in celebration mode.

But when we get into struggle mode, we struggle together.

I cannot say, yeah, brother over there doing bad and go about my way.

We cannot say sister so-and-so is struggling, and you go about your way.

As being one body, united in Christ, we in this thing together.

We're in this thing together.

Diversity among us is God's blessing.

It is not a problem that we should have to deal with.

Diversity amongst us is God's blessing.

It is not a problem that we should have to deal with.

Next slide, please.

If the foot says I'm not part of the body because I am not a hand, that does not make it any less part of a body.

If the ear says I am not part of the body because I am not the eye, would that make it any less part of the body?

If the whole body were the eye, how would you hear?

If your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.

How strange a body would it be if it only had one part?

And yes, there are many parts, but only one body.

That takes me back to what I said earlier.

What if we all had the same gift?

How could we smell?

According to what I just read, how can we reach out?

How could we edify and uplift of each other if we all had the same gift?

And once again, don't compare yourselves because I know some of us have been through it to be like, yep, I've done so much.

I'm not worthy to be part of the body.

I sinned this morning.

I'm not worthy to be part of the body.

I got so much stuff popping off in my life that I don't feel like I am a part of the body, but I have grown and I have learned that when you are struggling, tell someone.

Suffering by yourself takes you to that.

If I'm not part of the body, if I'm not the head, if I'm not the ear, if I'm not the eye.

You are important to God.

And as we look in verse 18, God has put each part just where he wants it.

Some of us have gifts and we wish we had others.

Some of us had gifts to be like, oh Lord, why'd you give me this one?

There are times and my wife laughs at me when I tell her just something about me that when I get around some folks one-on-one, I get the life story in six of a minute.

And sometimes I was like, oh man.

Be careful or be truthful.

When you ask someone how they're doing, be ready for the answer.

That's right.

Because sometimes we ask how you're doing, and they get to talking, and we be like, oh Lord, I just wanted a good.

Or I wanted it alright.

But now I'm getting a life story which I wasn't prepared before.

But I'm telling you, when you leave this building today and you walk up on someone tomorrow, and then your mind says, How are you doing?

Be prepared to stay and listen.

Because it's through listening that we learn about each other, it's through listening that we get to know each other, it's through listening that connects us in ways.

Because if if if we was all just the mouthpiece, Lord have mercy.

We'd talk too much.

And we would never listen.

We was just the ears, we'd listen, but we'd never give advice.

If we were just a foot, all we would be doing is just running.

Most times away from God instead of to God.

But God has given us gifts.

He has given you your gift as a part of being a what we call it, a member.

That ain't the word that we use.

Mission friend.

Thank you.

A real community covenant church.

When you came to the door, some of us may have thought, I don't know what's going on up in here.

It's kind of strange.

They do things different.

But all that we are doing is what God has called us to do.

And when you decided to become a mission friend, you said, Yes, I agree to being a part of this body.

And when you said yes to being a part of this body, you also agreed to bring your gifts along with you.

Not only to bring your gifts along with you, you agree to use your gifts in a way that helps out someone else.

None of us should feel less than because our gifts or our roles are different than others.

Not all of us can greet with smiles, not all of us can not all of us can teach.

Not all of us is on the prayer team, but it doesn't mean that you are less important.

Doesn't mean that.

It doesn't mean that.

Next slide, please.

As you read that and I talk, don't roll solo has been our motto.

Seemed like since day one.

Don't roll solo.

No believer can say no to needing each other.

If you do, please call me and tell me how you're doing it.

And my advice or my question would be is how is this working for you?

And I can say that because I've tried it.

We're 10 years old, I've tried it for eight.

I'm solo.

I'm solo.

I'm gonna do this on my own.

But it wasn't until sometime last year that man, you're gonna have to break down and you're just gonna have to tell folks your struggles or what you're going through.

And when I sat down and I actually did that, it was a crazy time in my life.

I've been doing so much better.

I've been doing so much stronger.

I know that I have a team of folks that I can call you at 11:30 and say I need to talk to you at midnight, and they will be, yep, I'm waiting at midnight.

Because that's part of the body, helping the body, because when we struggle, it's it's it's just something that's in us to say, nope, I ain't gonna tell nobody, I'm gonna do this by myself.

And most times we don't even struggling, we could be doing great, and I'm doing so good that I do not need no help.

But if you actually believe that you do not need the body of Christ, stop lying to yourself.

Stop lying to yourself, stop lying to yourself.

Next slide, please.

Are we all apostles?

Are we all prophets?

Keep it there.

All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of.

All of us together are Christ's body.

And each of us is a part of.

Let's not get caught up anymore.

We hear this phrase.

I'd rather be the head than the tail.

I'd just rather be a part of.

I don't have to be the head.

I don't have to be the tail.

But I have to be a part of.

I have to be.

No question about it.

I have to be a part of.

The church, this church, any church, functions at its best when we support one another.

Unity does not require us to be the same.

Unity does not require us to be the same.

Some of us like country music.

Some of us like hip hop.

But we should still be in unity.

Some of us like opera.

The Lord bless you if you do.

But we still are required to be in unity.

Not being in unity is not an option.

Not being in unity divides a church.

Devise a church.

What is required of us is to work together under Jesus Christ.

Praise Him, you can come.

And I will say that again.

What is required of us is to work together in the name of Jesus Christ.