It's great to be with you, with my reign of terror
officially beginning. Now it's a joy to be here
and it is such a delight to be opening God's
Word with you, especially 1 Corinthians 12 to
14. It's a great little passage and I can't wait
to do it over the next month with you. Let's
pray, let's ask God for help as we look at his
Word now. Heavenly Father, we thank you that
you speak to us in your Word. And we ask, Father,
that your Word would change us and transform
us. And we pray, Father, that your Spirit would
be at work in our church. And we ask this in
Jesus' Name. Amen. Well, I love to paint, but
I'm not very good at it. It's a bit of fun for
me. And for me, there's nothing like a blank
canvas. It's so full of potential. It becomes
super meaningful. I've got one here and here's
my exercise for you. Barb, do you want to come
and hold this up for everyone? Just to give them
the visual. Okay. I want you to paint a spiritual
church on there. Now get out your paint brushes,
paint a spiritual church. What would it look
like if you were to paint a picture of a spiritual
church? Thanks, Barb. That was great. What would
it look like to paint a spiritual church on a
canvas? Now, I don't think that'd be an easy
task, would it? Because, you know, we're talking
about doing something kind of abstract. You know,
how do you put a spiritual thing and like, what
is that? But also, I think it'd be hard because
there's so much confusion today about what spirituality
actually is. To be a spiritual church, what does
that mean? Do you need to have mystical experiences?
healings, tongues, new revelations. You know
if you're at a church like ours it's easy to
feel like maybe we're not very spiritual and
we're very cerebral but are we spiritual? Is
that what a spiritual church looks like? Well
in this section of 1 Corinthians Paul paints
the picture of what a spiritual church actually
is. And it's nothing like what most people expect.
He subverts our expectations in verse one. And
that's really easy to miss. Hang on. Where'd
we go? Let's try it. Okay, I'll leave it to our
trusty technicians up the back. But if you have
a look at verse one, here's what it says. Most
translations say... Now, about the gifts of the
Spirit brothers and sisters, I do not want you
to be uninformed. But here's the thing, that
word gifts is not there in the original. What
it actually says is this. Awesome, thanks mate.
There we go. So now about the gifts of the Spirit
brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be
uninformed. Gifts is not there in the original.
What it says is this, literally. Let's try. Oh,
it's up. Okay. It just doesn't come up here.
There we go. All right. It says, now about the
spirituals, brothers and sisters, I do not want
you to be uninformed. So it's literally talking
about spiritual things or persons. It could be
gifts, but I think it's more likely it's spiritual
things or persons. And Paul is trying to challenge
the Corinthians and us by saying, mystical spirituality,
miracles, gifts, prophecies, tongues, whilst
there's that amazing stuff that exists, that's
far less important than what true spirituality
is. True spirituality is often found in the normal,
ordinary, everyday Christian living stuff. And
that's what we're going to see for the next three
weeks, that things like belonging, love and growth,
that's what's truly spiritual. Here's the big
thing we're going to see today though. Let's
try it again. Got to love technology when it
works. I'll leave it to you, Peter. It just doesn't
like me today. All right. Belonging to the body
of Christ is essential to being spiritual. If
there's one thing you remember from today, I
hope that's it. Belonging to the body of Christ
is essential to being spiritual. And that belonging
involves three things. Here are the three things
that we're going to see. Spiritual people submit
to the Lord Jesus, spiritual people serve in
a variety of ways, and spiritual people see that
they need each other. Three things. Spiritual
people submit to the Lord Jesus, serve in a variety
of ways, and see that they need each other. So
let's start with the first one. Spiritual people
submit to the Lord Jesus. If you've got your
Bible there, please keep it open and have a look
with me at verses one to three. It says, now
about the gifts of the Spirit, or as we said,
now about the spirituals, brothers and sisters,
I do not want you to be uninformed. You know
that when you were Pagans, somehow or other,
you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
Therefore, I want you to know that no one who
is speaking by the Spirit of God says Jesus be
cursed, And no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except
by the Holy Spirit. Now, did you notice something
repeated there? He talks about, I don't want
you to be uninformed. You used to be led astray.
I want you to know. He's saying there that spirituality
is actually about truth, isn't it? Spirituality
is about truth. It's about combating lies and
idolatry. Now the Corinthians, they were a diverse
bunch. They were a port city, and so they had
people coming here, there, and everywhere. It
was a melting pot of different things, different
viewpoints, religions, and many different idols.
But Paul here says that they've got one thing
in common, that when they were pagans, when they
didn't follow the Lord Jesus, they were led astray,
however it might have been. And that would have
been a tricky thing for them to shed their old
worldview. They've become Christians, they've
adopted this new worldview, but they're still
carrying a lot of baggage because their last
worldview was spirituality was all about being
visibly impressive. You know, you go and, oh,
there's a big temple, look at that temple. And
they've got a big statue and lots of priests
and gee, they've got a big following. That should
be the one I worship at. They had a lot of baggage
distorting their perception on what spirituality
was about. But hear Paul saying, spirituality
boils down fundamentally to one thing. What's
the foundation of all spirituality? It's following
Jesus Christ as Lord. Do you see verse three?
I want you to know that no one who is speaking
by the Spirit of God says Jesus be cursed. And
no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy
Spirit. The spirit's work is to glorify and honour
Jesus. So when people say Jesus is Lord, when
they honour Jesus and mean it, that's the spirit
at work, isn't it? And this is saying all Christians
are spiritual. If you're a Christian, you're
spiritual. But if... You're not a Christian.
It doesn't matter whether you can do the most
amazing miracles or speak in tongues or whatever
it might be. It doesn't matter how impressive
you are. If you're not honoring Jesus, the spirit's
not at work in you. A friend of mine back in
Perth organized his overseas honeymoon with his
wife. She did a lot of the wedding. He did the
honeymoon stuff. and he packed the bags, he bought
the tickets, he booked the hotels, and on the
day that they were leaving, they discovered he
forgot to sort out the passports properly. Well,
you could imagine they ran around like headless
chooks. I think they got there in the end a few
days later, but I can't remember. But it was
a disaster. There's no trip without the passports,
is there? Well, in the same way, with spirituality,
there's no spirituality without the lordship
of Jesus. If we're not honouring Jesus as Lord,
if we don't love his word, if we won't submit
to it, if we don't make much of him, it doesn't
matter how impressive or amazing it looks, what
we're doing is likely idolatrous, not spiritual.
And this lesson is so important for us today.
Because modern spirituality is all about experience
and throwing off authority, isn't it? But true
spirituality is about submission to Jesus. It's
about enjoying the ordinary Christian life. Think
of those times where you resist temptation. You
know what it is for you. It doesn't seem that
amazing, does it? It doesn't seem that spectacular.
But that's actually spiritual. You crack open
your Bible in the morning and you pray and you're
wiping the sleep out of your eyes and the coffee
doesn't seem to be working. But you're there
and you're doing it. It feels pretty bland. That's
the spirit at work, isn't it? Throughout the
day as you face decisions and you ask, what pleases
Jesus? What do I do here to please my Lord? Or
you speak of Jesus, of how he's beautiful and
glorious, whether it's at home or in your growth
group or to non -Christians. Those things, they
just seem so ordinary, but they're spiritual,
aren't they? Real freedom. Real joy is submission
to the Lord who loved you and died for your sins.
That is what true spirituality is. I think the
challenge for us is to often reframe that ordinary
stuff and see it as spectacular and spiritual,
isn't it? When we're resisting temptation, when
we're getting into the Bible, when we're telling
of how great Jesus is, do we see that as spiritual
or do we just think of that as ordinary? That
is amazing stuff. That is the spirit at work
when people love and honour Jesus. So submitting
to our loving Lord, the Lord Jesus, even though
it can often feel bland, that's the foundation
of spirituality. But if we submit to him, then
one of the ways we will is we follow his command
to serve. And that's the second thing we see
today. Spiritual people serve in a variety of
ways. Spiritual people serve in a variety of
ways. Come with me now to verse four. There are
different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit
distributes them. There are different kinds of
service, but the same Lord. There are different
kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone,
it is the same God at work. It's the Trinity
at work. At one level, maybe they're not just
spiritual gifts, are they? They're Trinitarian
gifts, because the Trinity is giving gifts and
service and working all at once. The Trinity
is a team at work to help us. Now to each one
the manifestation of the Spirit is given for
the common good and he lists a bunch of these
different gifts and then in verse 11 he says
all these are the work of the one and the same
Spirit and he distributes them to each one just
as he determines. So he's saying whilst fundamentally
spirituality is about belonging to the body of
Christ, to having Jesus as your Lord, the gifts
of the Spirit The gifts that God gives us are
a part of spirituality, provided they're used
for the common good. See, the Spirit distributes
a variety of gifts to benefit the body of Christ.
It's no good if the gifts are used to prop up
my ego. It's no good if they just sit there and
aren't used at all. They're there for service
and work. Did you see in verses four to six,
they're kind of paralleled, aren't they? Gifts,
service, work with each member of the Trinity.
And that way, when we use our gifts like that,
we actually reflect the Trinity. The Trinity
is a unified diversity of selfless love. And
when we're using our gifts to serve one another,
Christ's body is just like the Trinity. See,
being spiritual is using the gifts God gave us
to serve the body of Christ. It's a bit like
that deeply spiritual children's TV show. Do
you know the one? Thomas the Tank Engine. You
think I'm joking, I'm not. Do you know it was
made by an Anglican minister, Reverend Wilbert
Audrey, for his sick son, Christopher? And the
theme song reflects the idea of serving with
varied gifts, just like in the body of Christ.
I won't sing it, I'll just say it for you to
spare your ears, because singing ain't necessarily
my gift. They're two, they're four, they're six,
they're eight, shunting trucks and hauling freight,
red and green and brown and blue. They're the
really useful crew. all with different roles
to play, round Tidmouth sheds or far away, down
the hills and round the bends, Thomas and his
friends. They're the really useful crew all with
different roles to play. It's a team. It's a
team using their gifts to build one another up,
to support each other in the work that they're
doing. The whole is greater than the sum of its
path. hearts. And that's the same as Christ's
body. Now that's so different to contemporary
spirituality that we see in a lot of churches
today, isn't it? Because so much of spirituality
we see today is consumeristic. It's all about
me. It's all about low cost convenience for a
congregation. You know, if we just set up a system
where we pay the pastors and the staff to do
all the work and we can sit back and we just
come and consume. That'd be great, wouldn't it?
But that's not actually spiritual. That's very
worldly. One thing I love about Northern Hope
is how many people serve here. Because they know
that the Lord Jesus served them. and love them.
And so they serve here with just a big heart
and a willingness to do whatever's needed. And
they all come with a variety of gifts. I mean,
think about the different gifts that it took
to just put on today's service. Yes, someone
preaches, but there's musicians, there's people
who set up the chairs, there's people who do
the sound and the slides, there's people who
lead the service, people who pray, read the Bible,
who do the morning tea. set out the sign. There's
a whole bunch of things, isn't there? Print the
bulletins. A whole bunch of things that come
together. And that's just for Sunday. That's
not even throughout the week. There's a variety
of gifts in this church that come together in
sweet harmony. I hope we never lose that. I hope
we keep building on that. And one way we can
is if you're here and you're not using your gifts
to serve here at Northern Hope, can I encourage
you, come have a chat with me or fill in one
of our contact cards up the back and offer your
gifts in service of the body of Christ here.
Yet while service is important, it can even then
get twisted into something worldly. And so that
needs to be balanced by seeing our need of each
other. And that's the last thing we see in this
passage. Spiritual people see that they need
each other. Spiritual people see they need each
other. Look with me at verses 12 to 26. Just
as a body though one has many parts, but all
its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
For we are all baptised or immersed by one spirit,
so as to form one body, whether Jews or Gentiles,
slave or free, and we're all given the one spirit
to drink. So it's a diverse group, isn't it?
It's people from all sorts of different places
and statuses and stages in life. But even so,
the body is not made up of one part, but of many.
Now, if the foot should say, because I'm 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'm not an
eye, I do not belong to the body, it would not
for that reason being part of the body. If the
whole body were an eye, can you visualise that?
See the joke? Can you visualise that? If the
whole body were an eye... A few people just got
up there. Where would the sense of sight be?
And 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're all one part, where would the
body be? As it is, there are many parts, but
one body. 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.
Now what's Paul dealing with here? He's dealing
with the inferiority and superiority complexes
of the Corinthian church. The same ones that
can often plague churches today. People are there
and they think, well, I'm an ear. I've got one
type of gift, whatever it might be, or a few
types of gifts. Do I really belong? I'm an ear.
And someone else there thinking, well, I'm an
I, I definitely belong. I'm way more spiritual
than those years over there. Could you even call
them part of the body? But Paul's here saying
to God's people, you shouldn't feel inferior.
No matter what your gift is, you shouldn't feel
inferior. Nor should any part feel superior.
Because you're part of a body. You need each
other. We all have something to offer, no matter
what our gifts are. And so there must be division.
There must be no division. There must be no despising.
But equal concern, appreciation and harmony.
Think of your favourite band. What makes it work?
It's that they all belong. All the members of
the band have a part to play. They all need each
other. Think of the Beatles. They can't all be
John. They can't all be Ringo. If everyone played
the drums, that would be terrible, wouldn't it?
If everyone played bass, that would be no good.
But when every part is included in its beautiful
diversity and celebrated, it makes something
amazing. And it's the same with the body of Christ.
We all need each other. Even the parts that seem
weaker, as Paul says here, they're indispensable.
Years ago, I used to pass through a uni church
over in Perth. So we had a bunch of uni students.
We were all very young, we were all very immature,
but it was a lot of fun. And we met on a uni
campus. And there was a guy who came along to
our church. He was a lovely Christian guy, but
he had some intellectual disabilities. He needed
lifts to and from church. He could be really
awkward around new people. He didn't really serve
much. You know, he did what he could, but he
didn't serve much. I tell you what, he was an
absolute gift to our church because his presence
taught us to be more Christ -like, taught us
to be more spiritual, to go, this guy needs us,
let's love him, let's serve him, let's get around
him. See, everyone has a part to play. Everyone
contributes to the body, even if what you're
contributing is your need. Actually, we all have
needs, don't we? We all contribute that. It's
not just gifts. We all need each other. Whereas
we live in a world that places value on impressive
contributions, of not needing anything and just
being a great contributor. You know, if you're
in a workplace and you're a great contributor,
you bring in the big bucks and the big customers,
you're considered more valuable than other people,
aren't you? Oh, you're the one who brings in
the big whales. Okay, we're going to pay you
more money, you get the corner office, you get
the company car. Like, they're considered more
valuable. And it's easy to have that same mindset
in churches, isn't it? You know, the people up
front, maybe, or people doing a particular ministry,
oh, they're more valuable, like... But that's
just an ear. That's just the eye. That's just...
The Gospel subverts that kind of thinking, doesn't
it? My value, your value, is in that Christ died
for us. We're included in his body by grace.
My contributions don't give me my worth. They're
a thankful expression of my worship to Him. And
I don't have every gift. You don't have every
gift. We all have weaknesses to remind us that
we're part of a body and we need each other.
Because spirituality It isn't about your contributions.
It isn't about this individualistic lone wolf
enterprise. It's a communal thing where we see
that we depend on one another. That's God's design
for our good. That's why it's so crucial that
we be regular at church. Hey, if you're sick
or you're on holiday, cool, you know, have a
great time. I hope you get better if you're sick
too. But that's why it's important to be regular
at church. Because if you're not here, we lose
you being around, which is such a shame. It can
feel like we've lost an arm. But also, you need
us. You need the encouragement, the gifts, the
love, the care that comes from meeting with the
body of Christ. So please keep turning up. Keep
being regular. Be as regular as all bran. So
let's draw some threads together. We started
by asking what is true spirituality? And what
would it look like to paint a picture of what
it is? And we saw it's about this one key thing.
Belonging to the body of Christ is essential
for being spiritual. Belonging to the body of
Christ is essential for being spiritual. And
there were three aspects to that belonging. Submit
to the Lord Jesus, serve in a variety of ways,
see that you need one another. So what's this
mean for us? Well, if you're here today and you're
someone who hasn't yet submitted to the Lord
Jesus, I'm so glad you're here. Can I encourage
you to give Jesus a fair go? See if he is the
most amazing, wonderful Lord and King that there
is. Read Mark's Gospel. I'm happy to do it with
you if you want to, or we'll find someone who'd
like to do it if you don't like the cut of my
jib. But read Mark's Gospel. And that may sound
ordinary. It's just a book. But reading God's
Word is the most spiritual and supernatural thing
you can do. I'm proof of that. It's when I came
to grips with the Bible for myself, that's when
my life changed radically and completely. Can
I encourage you, read Mark's Gospel. Check out
whether Jesus is as amazing as I'm claiming today.
But if you're here and Jesus is your Lord, I
hope today you've gotten a richer grasp of what
spirituality is. It's all about being connected
to the most spiritual man who ever lived, the
God man, the Lord Jesus, the one who died for
our sins and rose again, the one who John 3 .34
says gives the spirit without measure. A spiritual
church is all about being connected to him and
to each other, because we're the body of Christ.
So what's that look like in practice? Well, I
think a big part of it is all of us doing a fair
bit of hard work, isn't it? You might be someone
who serves behind the scenes. and you feel inferior.
You feel like your gift doesn't really do much.
Why bother? What's the point? For you, it's doing
that hard work of seeing that Christ died for
you and gifted you with amazing gifts that help
the body. That you are precious because of Jesus
and that your contribution is helpful. Maybe
you're someone who gets really angry when you're
told that you can't do a ministry. I've seen
people in churches who are completely tone deaf
lead the singing, and we all wish someone would
tell them, maybe that's not your gift. But it
can lead to a lot of conflict, can't it? And
that's where we need to do that hard work. If
someone says, no, we don't want you doing that,
do you need to freak out or can you go inward
and work out why that means so much? Am I getting
too much of my validation and identity from my
serving or am I getting it from the way that
Jesus has served me? Or perhaps you're someone
who needs to do the hard work on doing less,
nurturing the gifts of others, giving them the
opportunity to stand up and serve. Maybe you're
burning yourself out. What's going on in your
heart if you serve like that? See, are we acting
spiritual or are we quite worldly? Is the spirit
at work here? Well, it is if we keep honouring
Jesus and connecting well with each other. See,
every week we are adding brush strokes. onto
what Northern Hope looks like. What will it look
like one year, five years, 10 years from now?
Will it look like a spiritual church? What impact
can you have on that? Let's pray. Heavenly Father,
we wanna thank you and praise you for the Lord
Jesus, for his love and his grace. Thank you
that it transforms our hearts. Thank you for
the way that he's graciously given each of us
gifts and needs that benefit the body of Christ.
Please help us to use those things. Help us to
allow ourselves to be served as well as to serve.
And we pray, Father, that you would be honoured
and your church would be built up. Help us to
be a spiritual church. And we ask this in Jesus'
name. Amen.