WEBVTT 00:00:00.540 --> 00:00:04.540 It's great to be with you, with my reign of terror 00:00:04.540 --> 00:00:08.320 officially beginning. Now it's a joy to be here 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:12.900 and it is such a delight to be opening God's 00:00:12.900 --> 00:00:15.000 Word with you, especially 1 Corinthians 12 to 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:18.899 14. It's a great little passage and I can't wait 00:00:18.899 --> 00:00:21.239 to do it over the next month with you. Let's 00:00:21.239 --> 00:00:23.640 pray, let's ask God for help as we look at his 00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:27.679 Word now. Heavenly Father, we thank you that 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:30.530 you speak to us in your Word. And we ask, Father, 00:00:30.550 --> 00:00:33.469 that your Word would change us and transform 00:00:33.469 --> 00:00:37.070 us. And we pray, Father, that your Spirit would 00:00:37.070 --> 00:00:40.549 be at work in our church. And we ask this in 00:00:40.549 --> 00:00:46.630 Jesus' Name. Amen. Well, I love to paint, but 00:00:46.630 --> 00:00:49.530 I'm not very good at it. It's a bit of fun for 00:00:49.530 --> 00:00:52.710 me. And for me, there's nothing like a blank 00:00:52.710 --> 00:00:57.390 canvas. It's so full of potential. It becomes 00:00:57.390 --> 00:00:59.740 super meaningful. I've got one here and here's 00:00:59.740 --> 00:01:01.579 my exercise for you. Barb, do you want to come 00:01:01.579 --> 00:01:04.000 and hold this up for everyone? Just to give them 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:09.599 the visual. Okay. I want you to paint a spiritual 00:01:09.599 --> 00:01:12.319 church on there. Now get out your paint brushes, 00:01:12.819 --> 00:01:16.719 paint a spiritual church. What would it look 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:19.879 like if you were to paint a picture of a spiritual 00:01:19.879 --> 00:01:26.519 church? Thanks, Barb. That was great. What would 00:01:26.519 --> 00:01:28.680 it look like to paint a spiritual church on a 00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:31.359 canvas? Now, I don't think that'd be an easy 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:34.000 task, would it? Because, you know, we're talking 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:36.180 about doing something kind of abstract. You know, 00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:38.780 how do you put a spiritual thing and like, what 00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:41.819 is that? But also, I think it'd be hard because 00:01:41.819 --> 00:01:45.459 there's so much confusion today about what spirituality 00:01:45.459 --> 00:01:51.620 actually is. To be a spiritual church, what does 00:01:51.620 --> 00:01:55.000 that mean? Do you need to have mystical experiences? 00:01:55.819 --> 00:02:00.299 healings, tongues, new revelations. You know 00:02:00.299 --> 00:02:02.680 if you're at a church like ours it's easy to 00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:06.099 feel like maybe we're not very spiritual and 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:11.860 we're very cerebral but are we spiritual? Is 00:02:11.860 --> 00:02:15.180 that what a spiritual church looks like? Well 00:02:15.180 --> 00:02:17.719 in this section of 1 Corinthians Paul paints 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:21.139 the picture of what a spiritual church actually 00:02:21.139 --> 00:02:25.689 is. And it's nothing like what most people expect. 00:02:26.750 --> 00:02:30.009 He subverts our expectations in verse one. And 00:02:30.009 --> 00:02:33.550 that's really easy to miss. Hang on. Where'd 00:02:33.550 --> 00:02:40.449 we go? Let's try it. Okay, I'll leave it to our 00:02:40.449 --> 00:02:43.750 trusty technicians up the back. But if you have 00:02:43.750 --> 00:02:46.590 a look at verse one, here's what it says. Most 00:02:46.590 --> 00:02:51.080 translations say... Now, about the gifts of the 00:02:51.080 --> 00:02:53.439 Spirit brothers and sisters, I do not want you 00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:57.840 to be uninformed. But here's the thing, that 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:02.479 word gifts is not there in the original. What 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:08.319 it actually says is this. Awesome, thanks mate. 00:03:10.759 --> 00:03:13.500 There we go. So now about the gifts of the Spirit 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:15.060 brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:17.120 uninformed. Gifts is not there in the original. 00:03:17.580 --> 00:03:22.680 What it says is this, literally. Let's try. Oh, 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:24.680 it's up. Okay. It just doesn't come up here. 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:27.479 There we go. All right. It says, now about the 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:30.520 spirituals, brothers and sisters, I do not want 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:33.340 you to be uninformed. So it's literally talking 00:03:33.340 --> 00:03:36.139 about spiritual things or persons. It could be 00:03:36.139 --> 00:03:39.240 gifts, but I think it's more likely it's spiritual 00:03:39.240 --> 00:03:43.900 things or persons. And Paul is trying to challenge 00:03:43.900 --> 00:03:48.780 the Corinthians and us by saying, mystical spirituality, 00:03:49.219 --> 00:03:50.740 miracles, gifts, prophecies, tongues, whilst 00:03:50.740 --> 00:03:54.159 there's that amazing stuff that exists, that's 00:03:54.159 --> 00:03:58.120 far less important than what true spirituality 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:03.520 is. True spirituality is often found in the normal, 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:08.599 ordinary, everyday Christian living stuff. And 00:04:08.599 --> 00:04:09.919 that's what we're going to see for the next three 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:13.500 weeks, that things like belonging, love and growth, 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:17.439 that's what's truly spiritual. Here's the big 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:21.879 thing we're going to see today though. Let's 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:26.600 try it again. Got to love technology when it 00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:32.339 works. I'll leave it to you, Peter. It just doesn't 00:04:32.339 --> 00:04:35.480 like me today. All right. Belonging to the body 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:39.360 of Christ is essential to being spiritual. If 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:41.139 there's one thing you remember from today, I 00:04:41.139 --> 00:04:43.920 hope that's it. Belonging to the body of Christ 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:47.290 is essential to being spiritual. And that belonging 00:04:47.290 --> 00:04:49.629 involves three things. Here are the three things 00:04:49.629 --> 00:04:53.009 that we're going to see. Spiritual people submit 00:04:53.009 --> 00:04:57.069 to the Lord Jesus, spiritual people serve in 00:04:57.069 --> 00:05:00.889 a variety of ways, and spiritual people see that 00:05:00.889 --> 00:05:03.750 they need each other. Three things. Spiritual 00:05:03.750 --> 00:05:06.430 people submit to the Lord Jesus, serve in a variety 00:05:06.430 --> 00:05:09.949 of ways, and see that they need each other. So 00:05:09.949 --> 00:05:12.709 let's start with the first one. Spiritual people 00:05:12.709 --> 00:05:15.889 submit to the Lord Jesus. If you've got your 00:05:15.889 --> 00:05:18.209 Bible there, please keep it open and have a look 00:05:18.209 --> 00:05:21.949 with me at verses one to three. It says, now 00:05:21.949 --> 00:05:24.350 about the gifts of the Spirit, or as we said, 00:05:24.750 --> 00:05:27.810 now about the spirituals, brothers and sisters, 00:05:28.250 --> 00:05:31.310 I do not want you to be uninformed. You know 00:05:31.310 --> 00:05:33.509 that when you were Pagans, somehow or other, 00:05:33.829 --> 00:05:36.350 you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 00:05:36.990 --> 00:05:39.329 Therefore, I want you to know that no one who 00:05:39.329 --> 00:05:41.970 is speaking by the Spirit of God says Jesus be 00:05:41.970 --> 00:05:45.529 cursed, And no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except 00:05:45.529 --> 00:05:49.430 by the Holy Spirit. Now, did you notice something 00:05:49.430 --> 00:05:52.310 repeated there? He talks about, I don't want 00:05:52.310 --> 00:05:56.149 you to be uninformed. You used to be led astray. 00:05:56.470 --> 00:06:01.750 I want you to know. He's saying there that spirituality 00:06:01.750 --> 00:06:06.269 is actually about truth, isn't it? Spirituality 00:06:06.269 --> 00:06:09.310 is about truth. It's about combating lies and 00:06:09.310 --> 00:06:13.769 idolatry. Now the Corinthians, they were a diverse 00:06:13.769 --> 00:06:17.250 bunch. They were a port city, and so they had 00:06:17.250 --> 00:06:19.689 people coming here, there, and everywhere. It 00:06:19.689 --> 00:06:23.250 was a melting pot of different things, different 00:06:23.250 --> 00:06:26.250 viewpoints, religions, and many different idols. 00:06:27.709 --> 00:06:29.490 But Paul here says that they've got one thing 00:06:29.490 --> 00:06:33.810 in common, that when they were pagans, when they 00:06:33.810 --> 00:06:38.089 didn't follow the Lord Jesus, they were led astray, 00:06:38.610 --> 00:06:42.459 however it might have been. And that would have 00:06:42.459 --> 00:06:45.459 been a tricky thing for them to shed their old 00:06:45.459 --> 00:06:48.259 worldview. They've become Christians, they've 00:06:48.259 --> 00:06:50.480 adopted this new worldview, but they're still 00:06:50.480 --> 00:06:53.180 carrying a lot of baggage because their last 00:06:53.180 --> 00:06:56.899 worldview was spirituality was all about being 00:06:56.899 --> 00:06:59.319 visibly impressive. You know, you go and, oh, 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:01.980 there's a big temple, look at that temple. And 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:05.120 they've got a big statue and lots of priests 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:08.660 and gee, they've got a big following. That should 00:07:08.660 --> 00:07:12.680 be the one I worship at. They had a lot of baggage 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:15.000 distorting their perception on what spirituality 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:18.839 was about. But hear Paul saying, spirituality 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:22.360 boils down fundamentally to one thing. What's 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:27.180 the foundation of all spirituality? It's following 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:31.699 Jesus Christ as Lord. Do you see verse three? 00:07:32.120 --> 00:07:33.800 I want you to know that no one who is speaking 00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:36.319 by the Spirit of God says Jesus be cursed. And 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:39.240 no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:44.800 Spirit. The spirit's work is to glorify and honour 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:49.759 Jesus. So when people say Jesus is Lord, when 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:54.339 they honour Jesus and mean it, that's the spirit 00:07:54.339 --> 00:07:59.519 at work, isn't it? And this is saying all Christians 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:04.300 are spiritual. If you're a Christian, you're 00:08:04.300 --> 00:08:08.790 spiritual. But if... You're not a Christian. 00:08:08.990 --> 00:08:10.870 It doesn't matter whether you can do the most 00:08:10.870 --> 00:08:13.810 amazing miracles or speak in tongues or whatever 00:08:13.810 --> 00:08:15.589 it might be. It doesn't matter how impressive 00:08:15.589 --> 00:08:21.250 you are. If you're not honoring Jesus, the spirit's 00:08:21.250 --> 00:08:26.730 not at work in you. A friend of mine back in 00:08:26.730 --> 00:08:30.149 Perth organized his overseas honeymoon with his 00:08:30.149 --> 00:08:32.730 wife. She did a lot of the wedding. He did the 00:08:32.730 --> 00:08:36.600 honeymoon stuff. and he packed the bags, he bought 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:40.220 the tickets, he booked the hotels, and on the 00:08:40.220 --> 00:08:42.600 day that they were leaving, they discovered he 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:46.740 forgot to sort out the passports properly. Well, 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:48.539 you could imagine they ran around like headless 00:08:48.539 --> 00:08:52.000 chooks. I think they got there in the end a few 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:54.960 days later, but I can't remember. But it was 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:57.659 a disaster. There's no trip without the passports, 00:08:57.740 --> 00:09:01.649 is there? Well, in the same way, with spirituality, 00:09:02.110 --> 00:09:04.529 there's no spirituality without the lordship 00:09:04.529 --> 00:09:08.909 of Jesus. If we're not honouring Jesus as Lord, 00:09:08.970 --> 00:09:10.870 if we don't love his word, if we won't submit 00:09:10.870 --> 00:09:14.990 to it, if we don't make much of him, it doesn't 00:09:14.990 --> 00:09:17.669 matter how impressive or amazing it looks, what 00:09:17.669 --> 00:09:21.230 we're doing is likely idolatrous, not spiritual. 00:09:23.509 --> 00:09:26.269 And this lesson is so important for us today. 00:09:26.990 --> 00:09:31.970 Because modern spirituality is all about experience 00:09:31.970 --> 00:09:37.289 and throwing off authority, isn't it? But true 00:09:37.289 --> 00:09:43.009 spirituality is about submission to Jesus. It's 00:09:43.009 --> 00:09:50.350 about enjoying the ordinary Christian life. Think 00:09:50.350 --> 00:09:53.649 of those times where you resist temptation. You 00:09:53.649 --> 00:09:57.720 know what it is for you. It doesn't seem that 00:09:57.720 --> 00:10:00.259 amazing, does it? It doesn't seem that spectacular. 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:06.220 But that's actually spiritual. You crack open 00:10:06.220 --> 00:10:09.100 your Bible in the morning and you pray and you're 00:10:09.100 --> 00:10:12.379 wiping the sleep out of your eyes and the coffee 00:10:12.379 --> 00:10:15.659 doesn't seem to be working. But you're there 00:10:15.659 --> 00:10:21.419 and you're doing it. It feels pretty bland. That's 00:10:21.419 --> 00:10:25.669 the spirit at work, isn't it? Throughout the 00:10:25.669 --> 00:10:29.309 day as you face decisions and you ask, what pleases 00:10:29.309 --> 00:10:34.370 Jesus? What do I do here to please my Lord? Or 00:10:34.370 --> 00:10:38.830 you speak of Jesus, of how he's beautiful and 00:10:38.830 --> 00:10:41.590 glorious, whether it's at home or in your growth 00:10:41.590 --> 00:10:46.070 group or to non -Christians. Those things, they 00:10:46.070 --> 00:10:48.730 just seem so ordinary, but they're spiritual, 00:10:48.769 --> 00:10:57.360 aren't they? Real freedom. Real joy is submission 00:10:57.360 --> 00:11:01.940 to the Lord who loved you and died for your sins. 00:11:03.539 --> 00:11:10.580 That is what true spirituality is. I think the 00:11:10.580 --> 00:11:14.519 challenge for us is to often reframe that ordinary 00:11:14.519 --> 00:11:17.600 stuff and see it as spectacular and spiritual, 00:11:17.740 --> 00:11:21.500 isn't it? When we're resisting temptation, when 00:11:21.500 --> 00:11:23.320 we're getting into the Bible, when we're telling 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:26.600 of how great Jesus is, do we see that as spiritual 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:30.419 or do we just think of that as ordinary? That 00:11:30.419 --> 00:11:33.740 is amazing stuff. That is the spirit at work 00:11:33.740 --> 00:11:40.139 when people love and honour Jesus. So submitting 00:11:40.139 --> 00:11:42.759 to our loving Lord, the Lord Jesus, even though 00:11:42.759 --> 00:11:45.919 it can often feel bland, that's the foundation 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:51.090 of spirituality. But if we submit to him, then 00:11:51.090 --> 00:11:53.769 one of the ways we will is we follow his command 00:11:53.769 --> 00:11:56.169 to serve. And that's the second thing we see 00:11:56.169 --> 00:12:00.710 today. Spiritual people serve in a variety of 00:12:00.710 --> 00:12:03.750 ways. Spiritual people serve in a variety of 00:12:03.750 --> 00:12:09.690 ways. Come with me now to verse four. There are 00:12:09.690 --> 00:12:13.049 different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit 00:12:13.049 --> 00:12:15.990 distributes them. There are different kinds of 00:12:15.990 --> 00:12:18.169 service, but the same Lord. There are different 00:12:18.169 --> 00:12:21.389 kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone, 00:12:21.470 --> 00:12:25.049 it is the same God at work. It's the Trinity 00:12:25.049 --> 00:12:27.649 at work. At one level, maybe they're not just 00:12:27.649 --> 00:12:30.149 spiritual gifts, are they? They're Trinitarian 00:12:30.149 --> 00:12:34.029 gifts, because the Trinity is giving gifts and 00:12:34.029 --> 00:12:36.669 service and working all at once. The Trinity 00:12:36.669 --> 00:12:40.450 is a team at work to help us. Now to each one 00:12:40.450 --> 00:12:43.230 the manifestation of the Spirit is given for 00:12:43.230 --> 00:12:46.269 the common good and he lists a bunch of these 00:12:46.269 --> 00:12:48.610 different gifts and then in verse 11 he says 00:12:48.610 --> 00:12:50.870 all these are the work of the one and the same 00:12:50.870 --> 00:12:54.250 Spirit and he distributes them to each one just 00:12:54.250 --> 00:12:58.950 as he determines. So he's saying whilst fundamentally 00:12:58.950 --> 00:13:01.590 spirituality is about belonging to the body of 00:13:01.590 --> 00:13:05.909 Christ, to having Jesus as your Lord, the gifts 00:13:05.909 --> 00:13:08.879 of the Spirit The gifts that God gives us are 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:14.120 a part of spirituality, provided they're used 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:18.399 for the common good. See, the Spirit distributes 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:22.019 a variety of gifts to benefit the body of Christ. 00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:25.860 It's no good if the gifts are used to prop up 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:29.700 my ego. It's no good if they just sit there and 00:13:29.700 --> 00:13:32.080 aren't used at all. They're there for service 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:33.940 and work. Did you see in verses four to six, 00:13:34.220 --> 00:13:36.580 they're kind of paralleled, aren't they? Gifts, 00:13:36.700 --> 00:13:39.179 service, work with each member of the Trinity. 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:43.980 And that way, when we use our gifts like that, 00:13:44.019 --> 00:13:47.460 we actually reflect the Trinity. The Trinity 00:13:47.460 --> 00:13:53.799 is a unified diversity of selfless love. And 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:56.379 when we're using our gifts to serve one another, 00:13:57.740 --> 00:14:01.820 Christ's body is just like the Trinity. See, 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:05.960 being spiritual is using the gifts God gave us 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:10.519 to serve the body of Christ. It's a bit like 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:14.299 that deeply spiritual children's TV show. Do 00:14:14.299 --> 00:14:19.120 you know the one? Thomas the Tank Engine. You 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:21.179 think I'm joking, I'm not. Do you know it was 00:14:21.179 --> 00:14:24.399 made by an Anglican minister, Reverend Wilbert 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:28.720 Audrey, for his sick son, Christopher? And the 00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:31.820 theme song reflects the idea of serving with 00:14:31.820 --> 00:14:34.080 varied gifts, just like in the body of Christ. 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:37.539 I won't sing it, I'll just say it for you to 00:14:37.539 --> 00:14:40.620 spare your ears, because singing ain't necessarily 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:44.340 my gift. They're two, they're four, they're six, 00:14:44.440 --> 00:14:47.120 they're eight, shunting trucks and hauling freight, 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:50.799 red and green and brown and blue. They're the 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:53.970 really useful crew. all with different roles 00:14:53.970 --> 00:14:57.470 to play, round Tidmouth sheds or far away, down 00:14:57.470 --> 00:15:00.330 the hills and round the bends, Thomas and his 00:15:00.330 --> 00:15:07.070 friends. They're the really useful crew all with 00:15:07.070 --> 00:15:11.950 different roles to play. It's a team. It's a 00:15:11.950 --> 00:15:15.350 team using their gifts to build one another up, 00:15:15.549 --> 00:15:17.570 to support each other in the work that they're 00:15:17.570 --> 00:15:22.149 doing. The whole is greater than the sum of its 00:15:22.149 --> 00:15:26.100 path. hearts. And that's the same as Christ's 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:31.100 body. Now that's so different to contemporary 00:15:31.100 --> 00:15:33.620 spirituality that we see in a lot of churches 00:15:33.620 --> 00:15:37.179 today, isn't it? Because so much of spirituality 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:41.159 we see today is consumeristic. It's all about 00:15:41.159 --> 00:15:45.840 me. It's all about low cost convenience for a 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:50.200 congregation. You know, if we just set up a system 00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:52.980 where we pay the pastors and the staff to do 00:15:52.980 --> 00:15:55.720 all the work and we can sit back and we just 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:59.299 come and consume. That'd be great, wouldn't it? 00:16:00.259 --> 00:16:04.200 But that's not actually spiritual. That's very 00:16:04.200 --> 00:16:09.259 worldly. One thing I love about Northern Hope 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:15.559 is how many people serve here. Because they know 00:16:15.559 --> 00:16:18.909 that the Lord Jesus served them. and love them. 00:16:19.009 --> 00:16:22.470 And so they serve here with just a big heart 00:16:22.470 --> 00:16:26.490 and a willingness to do whatever's needed. And 00:16:26.490 --> 00:16:29.549 they all come with a variety of gifts. I mean, 00:16:29.549 --> 00:16:31.289 think about the different gifts that it took 00:16:31.289 --> 00:16:34.669 to just put on today's service. Yes, someone 00:16:34.669 --> 00:16:37.409 preaches, but there's musicians, there's people 00:16:37.409 --> 00:16:39.230 who set up the chairs, there's people who do 00:16:39.230 --> 00:16:41.730 the sound and the slides, there's people who 00:16:41.730 --> 00:16:43.669 lead the service, people who pray, read the Bible, 00:16:43.750 --> 00:16:46.399 who do the morning tea. set out the sign. There's 00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:48.460 a whole bunch of things, isn't there? Print the 00:16:48.460 --> 00:16:52.600 bulletins. A whole bunch of things that come 00:16:52.600 --> 00:16:55.100 together. And that's just for Sunday. That's 00:16:55.100 --> 00:16:59.500 not even throughout the week. There's a variety 00:16:59.500 --> 00:17:03.320 of gifts in this church that come together in 00:17:03.320 --> 00:17:09.259 sweet harmony. I hope we never lose that. I hope 00:17:09.259 --> 00:17:13.279 we keep building on that. And one way we can 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:15.839 is if you're here and you're not using your gifts 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:18.400 to serve here at Northern Hope, can I encourage 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:20.500 you, come have a chat with me or fill in one 00:17:20.500 --> 00:17:24.099 of our contact cards up the back and offer your 00:17:24.099 --> 00:17:28.140 gifts in service of the body of Christ here. 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:36.339 Yet while service is important, it can even then 00:17:36.339 --> 00:17:40.700 get twisted into something worldly. And so that 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:43.799 needs to be balanced by seeing our need of each 00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:46.420 other. And that's the last thing we see in this 00:17:46.420 --> 00:17:50.000 passage. Spiritual people see that they need 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:52.900 each other. Spiritual people see they need each 00:17:52.900 --> 00:17:58.680 other. Look with me at verses 12 to 26. Just 00:17:58.680 --> 00:18:01.079 as a body though one has many parts, but all 00:18:01.079 --> 00:18:04.440 its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:08.519 For we are all baptised or immersed by one spirit, 00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:11.579 so as to form one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, 00:18:11.900 --> 00:18:14.500 slave or free, and we're all given the one spirit 00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:16.859 to drink. So it's a diverse group, isn't it? 00:18:16.920 --> 00:18:18.859 It's people from all sorts of different places 00:18:18.859 --> 00:18:23.200 and statuses and stages in life. But even so, 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:26.599 the body is not made up of one part, but of many. 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:29.640 Now, if the foot should say, because I'm not 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:32.930 a hand, I do not belong to the body, It would 00:18:32.930 --> 00:18:35.109 not for that reason stop being part of the body. 00:18:35.630 --> 00:18:37.269 And if the ear should say, because I'm not an 00:18:37.269 --> 00:18:39.309 eye, I do not belong to the body, it would not 00:18:39.309 --> 00:18:41.690 for that reason being part of the body. If the 00:18:41.690 --> 00:18:44.089 whole body were an eye, can you visualise that? 00:18:44.730 --> 00:18:47.269 See the joke? Can you visualise that? If the 00:18:47.269 --> 00:18:49.619 whole body were an eye... A few people just got 00:18:49.619 --> 00:18:53.460 up there. Where would the sense of sight be? 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:55.779 And if the whole body were an eye, where would 00:18:55.779 --> 00:18:57.599 the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were 00:18:57.599 --> 00:18:59.039 an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:01.059 in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, 00:19:01.420 --> 00:19:03.400 every one of them, just as he wanted them to 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:07.099 be. If they're all one part, where would the 00:19:07.099 --> 00:19:09.640 body be? As it is, there are many parts, but 00:19:09.640 --> 00:19:11.960 one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, I don't 00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:13.460 need you, and the head cannot say to the feet, 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:15.799 I don't need you. On the contrary, those parts 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:19.150 of the body that seem to be weaker, are indispensable. 00:19:20.950 --> 00:19:24.430 Now what's Paul dealing with here? He's dealing 00:19:24.430 --> 00:19:27.490 with the inferiority and superiority complexes 00:19:27.490 --> 00:19:31.150 of the Corinthian church. The same ones that 00:19:31.150 --> 00:19:35.029 can often plague churches today. People are there 00:19:35.029 --> 00:19:39.309 and they think, well, I'm an ear. I've got one 00:19:39.309 --> 00:19:41.710 type of gift, whatever it might be, or a few 00:19:41.710 --> 00:19:47.130 types of gifts. Do I really belong? I'm an ear. 00:19:48.140 --> 00:19:50.500 And someone else there thinking, well, I'm an 00:19:50.500 --> 00:19:53.779 I, I definitely belong. I'm way more spiritual 00:19:53.779 --> 00:19:55.619 than those years over there. Could you even call 00:19:55.619 --> 00:20:02.000 them part of the body? But Paul's here saying 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:06.140 to God's people, you shouldn't feel inferior. 00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:10.200 No matter what your gift is, you shouldn't feel 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:14.400 inferior. Nor should any part feel superior. 00:20:15.960 --> 00:20:19.140 Because you're part of a body. You need each 00:20:19.140 --> 00:20:23.519 other. We all have something to offer, no matter 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:27.500 what our gifts are. And so there must be division. 00:20:28.759 --> 00:20:31.779 There must be no division. There must be no despising. 00:20:32.839 --> 00:20:37.180 But equal concern, appreciation and harmony. 00:20:39.460 --> 00:20:44.099 Think of your favourite band. What makes it work? 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:48.380 It's that they all belong. All the members of 00:20:48.380 --> 00:20:51.319 the band have a part to play. They all need each 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:56.960 other. Think of the Beatles. They can't all be 00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:02.240 John. They can't all be Ringo. If everyone played 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:04.539 the drums, that would be terrible, wouldn't it? 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:07.819 If everyone played bass, that would be no good. 00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:12.619 But when every part is included in its beautiful 00:21:12.619 --> 00:21:15.980 diversity and celebrated, it makes something 00:21:15.980 --> 00:21:21.099 amazing. And it's the same with the body of Christ. 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:26.960 We all need each other. Even the parts that seem 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:30.000 weaker, as Paul says here, they're indispensable. 00:21:32.519 --> 00:21:34.779 Years ago, I used to pass through a uni church 00:21:34.779 --> 00:21:37.880 over in Perth. So we had a bunch of uni students. 00:21:38.140 --> 00:21:40.500 We were all very young, we were all very immature, 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:44.240 but it was a lot of fun. And we met on a uni 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:46.400 campus. And there was a guy who came along to 00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:49.819 our church. He was a lovely Christian guy, but 00:21:49.819 --> 00:21:53.640 he had some intellectual disabilities. He needed 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:57.220 lifts to and from church. He could be really 00:21:57.220 --> 00:22:01.259 awkward around new people. He didn't really serve 00:22:01.259 --> 00:22:03.299 much. You know, he did what he could, but he 00:22:03.299 --> 00:22:09.259 didn't serve much. I tell you what, he was an 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:15.200 absolute gift to our church because his presence 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:19.440 taught us to be more Christ -like, taught us 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:23.980 to be more spiritual, to go, this guy needs us, 00:22:24.599 --> 00:22:27.700 let's love him, let's serve him, let's get around 00:22:27.700 --> 00:22:34.250 him. See, everyone has a part to play. Everyone 00:22:34.250 --> 00:22:36.309 contributes to the body, even if what you're 00:22:36.309 --> 00:22:40.230 contributing is your need. Actually, we all have 00:22:40.230 --> 00:22:42.789 needs, don't we? We all contribute that. It's 00:22:42.789 --> 00:22:47.890 not just gifts. We all need each other. Whereas 00:22:47.890 --> 00:22:51.549 we live in a world that places value on impressive 00:22:51.549 --> 00:22:55.750 contributions, of not needing anything and just 00:22:55.750 --> 00:22:58.609 being a great contributor. You know, if you're 00:22:58.609 --> 00:23:00.809 in a workplace and you're a great contributor, 00:23:01.210 --> 00:23:03.730 you bring in the big bucks and the big customers, 00:23:04.089 --> 00:23:06.150 you're considered more valuable than other people, 00:23:06.250 --> 00:23:10.309 aren't you? Oh, you're the one who brings in 00:23:10.309 --> 00:23:12.630 the big whales. Okay, we're going to pay you 00:23:12.630 --> 00:23:14.789 more money, you get the corner office, you get 00:23:14.789 --> 00:23:18.450 the company car. Like, they're considered more 00:23:18.450 --> 00:23:22.329 valuable. And it's easy to have that same mindset 00:23:22.329 --> 00:23:24.470 in churches, isn't it? You know, the people up 00:23:24.470 --> 00:23:27.029 front, maybe, or people doing a particular ministry, 00:23:27.089 --> 00:23:31.750 oh, they're more valuable, like... But that's 00:23:31.750 --> 00:23:35.269 just an ear. That's just the eye. That's just... 00:23:35.269 --> 00:23:38.289 The Gospel subverts that kind of thinking, doesn't 00:23:38.289 --> 00:23:43.609 it? My value, your value, is in that Christ died 00:23:43.609 --> 00:23:48.730 for us. We're included in his body by grace. 00:23:50.620 --> 00:23:55.339 My contributions don't give me my worth. They're 00:23:55.339 --> 00:24:00.279 a thankful expression of my worship to Him. And 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:04.119 I don't have every gift. You don't have every 00:24:04.119 --> 00:24:07.380 gift. We all have weaknesses to remind us that 00:24:07.380 --> 00:24:09.980 we're part of a body and we need each other. 00:24:11.940 --> 00:24:16.859 Because spirituality It isn't about your contributions. 00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:20.140 It isn't about this individualistic lone wolf 00:24:20.140 --> 00:24:25.960 enterprise. It's a communal thing where we see 00:24:25.960 --> 00:24:30.099 that we depend on one another. That's God's design 00:24:30.099 --> 00:24:35.640 for our good. That's why it's so crucial that 00:24:35.640 --> 00:24:37.680 we be regular at church. Hey, if you're sick 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:40.200 or you're on holiday, cool, you know, have a 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:42.799 great time. I hope you get better if you're sick 00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:46.109 too. But that's why it's important to be regular 00:24:46.109 --> 00:24:50.609 at church. Because if you're not here, we lose 00:24:50.609 --> 00:24:54.710 you being around, which is such a shame. It can 00:24:54.710 --> 00:24:59.950 feel like we've lost an arm. But also, you need 00:24:59.950 --> 00:25:04.250 us. You need the encouragement, the gifts, the 00:25:04.250 --> 00:25:07.329 love, the care that comes from meeting with the 00:25:07.329 --> 00:25:13.430 body of Christ. So please keep turning up. Keep 00:25:13.430 --> 00:25:19.690 being regular. Be as regular as all bran. So 00:25:19.690 --> 00:25:23.950 let's draw some threads together. We started 00:25:23.950 --> 00:25:29.150 by asking what is true spirituality? And what 00:25:29.150 --> 00:25:31.210 would it look like to paint a picture of what 00:25:31.210 --> 00:25:35.789 it is? And we saw it's about this one key thing. 00:25:36.750 --> 00:25:40.109 Belonging to the body of Christ is essential 00:25:40.109 --> 00:25:43.380 for being spiritual. Belonging to the body of 00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:47.059 Christ is essential for being spiritual. And 00:25:47.059 --> 00:25:50.619 there were three aspects to that belonging. Submit 00:25:50.619 --> 00:25:54.119 to the Lord Jesus, serve in a variety of ways, 00:25:55.079 --> 00:25:59.579 see that you need one another. So what's this 00:25:59.579 --> 00:26:02.839 mean for us? Well, if you're here today and you're 00:26:02.839 --> 00:26:05.140 someone who hasn't yet submitted to the Lord 00:26:05.140 --> 00:26:09.490 Jesus, I'm so glad you're here. Can I encourage 00:26:09.490 --> 00:26:14.650 you to give Jesus a fair go? See if he is the 00:26:14.650 --> 00:26:18.470 most amazing, wonderful Lord and King that there 00:26:18.470 --> 00:26:23.950 is. Read Mark's Gospel. I'm happy to do it with 00:26:23.950 --> 00:26:26.190 you if you want to, or we'll find someone who'd 00:26:26.190 --> 00:26:28.309 like to do it if you don't like the cut of my 00:26:28.309 --> 00:26:33.529 jib. But read Mark's Gospel. And that may sound 00:26:33.529 --> 00:26:38.930 ordinary. It's just a book. But reading God's 00:26:38.930 --> 00:26:42.430 Word is the most spiritual and supernatural thing 00:26:42.430 --> 00:26:47.730 you can do. I'm proof of that. It's when I came 00:26:47.730 --> 00:26:50.369 to grips with the Bible for myself, that's when 00:26:50.369 --> 00:26:54.910 my life changed radically and completely. Can 00:26:54.910 --> 00:26:58.289 I encourage you, read Mark's Gospel. Check out 00:26:58.289 --> 00:27:02.329 whether Jesus is as amazing as I'm claiming today. 00:27:04.269 --> 00:27:08.269 But if you're here and Jesus is your Lord, I 00:27:08.269 --> 00:27:11.470 hope today you've gotten a richer grasp of what 00:27:11.470 --> 00:27:16.509 spirituality is. It's all about being connected 00:27:16.509 --> 00:27:20.529 to the most spiritual man who ever lived, the 00:27:20.529 --> 00:27:24.930 God man, the Lord Jesus, the one who died for 00:27:24.930 --> 00:27:29.710 our sins and rose again, the one who John 3 .34 00:27:29.710 --> 00:27:35.619 says gives the spirit without measure. A spiritual 00:27:35.619 --> 00:27:40.960 church is all about being connected to him and 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:44.119 to each other, because we're the body of Christ. 00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:52.759 So what's that look like in practice? Well, I 00:27:52.759 --> 00:27:57.000 think a big part of it is all of us doing a fair 00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:01.400 bit of hard work, isn't it? You might be someone 00:28:01.400 --> 00:28:05.960 who serves behind the scenes. and you feel inferior. 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:08.880 You feel like your gift doesn't really do much. 00:28:08.940 --> 00:28:13.500 Why bother? What's the point? For you, it's doing 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:15.720 that hard work of seeing that Christ died for 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:20.059 you and gifted you with amazing gifts that help 00:28:20.059 --> 00:28:23.960 the body. That you are precious because of Jesus 00:28:23.960 --> 00:28:30.569 and that your contribution is helpful. Maybe 00:28:30.569 --> 00:28:32.769 you're someone who gets really angry when you're 00:28:32.769 --> 00:28:37.490 told that you can't do a ministry. I've seen 00:28:37.490 --> 00:28:39.869 people in churches who are completely tone deaf 00:28:39.869 --> 00:28:42.869 lead the singing, and we all wish someone would 00:28:42.869 --> 00:28:48.369 tell them, maybe that's not your gift. But it 00:28:48.369 --> 00:28:52.000 can lead to a lot of conflict, can't it? And 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:53.839 that's where we need to do that hard work. If 00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:55.700 someone says, no, we don't want you doing that, 00:28:56.259 --> 00:28:58.259 do you need to freak out or can you go inward 00:28:58.259 --> 00:29:00.799 and work out why that means so much? Am I getting 00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:04.259 too much of my validation and identity from my 00:29:04.259 --> 00:29:06.599 serving or am I getting it from the way that 00:29:06.599 --> 00:29:11.140 Jesus has served me? Or perhaps you're someone 00:29:11.140 --> 00:29:14.019 who needs to do the hard work on doing less, 00:29:15.640 --> 00:29:17.559 nurturing the gifts of others, giving them the 00:29:17.559 --> 00:29:22.720 opportunity to stand up and serve. Maybe you're 00:29:22.720 --> 00:29:24.859 burning yourself out. What's going on in your 00:29:24.859 --> 00:29:32.940 heart if you serve like that? See, are we acting 00:29:32.940 --> 00:29:38.140 spiritual or are we quite worldly? Is the spirit 00:29:38.140 --> 00:29:41.180 at work here? Well, it is if we keep honouring 00:29:41.180 --> 00:29:47.019 Jesus and connecting well with each other. See, 00:29:47.019 --> 00:29:50.549 every week we are adding brush strokes. onto 00:29:50.549 --> 00:29:55.190 what Northern Hope looks like. What will it look 00:29:55.190 --> 00:29:58.509 like one year, five years, 10 years from now? 00:29:59.789 --> 00:30:04.750 Will it look like a spiritual church? What impact 00:30:04.750 --> 00:30:11.329 can you have on that? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, 00:30:11.329 --> 00:30:13.210 we wanna thank you and praise you for the Lord 00:30:13.210 --> 00:30:17.150 Jesus, for his love and his grace. Thank you 00:30:17.150 --> 00:30:20.259 that it transforms our hearts. Thank you for 00:30:20.259 --> 00:30:22.480 the way that he's graciously given each of us 00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:27.319 gifts and needs that benefit the body of Christ. 00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:31.700 Please help us to use those things. Help us to 00:30:31.700 --> 00:30:34.779 allow ourselves to be served as well as to serve. 00:30:35.720 --> 00:30:38.740 And we pray, Father, that you would be honoured 00:30:38.740 --> 00:30:42.240 and your church would be built up. Help us to 00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:46.259 be a spiritual church. And we ask this in Jesus' 00:30:46.500 --> 00:30:47.740 name. Amen.