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First Corinthians chapter 1212.
For as the body is one and half many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body?
And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body.
Is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members, every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him? And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now were they many members, yet but one body and the eye cannot say into the hand I have no need of thee, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more of those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary.
And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable upon Thee, we bestow more abundant honor, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness, for our comely parts have no need. But God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Now you're the body of Christ and members in particular. And God has set some in the church. First apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, After that miracles and gifts of healings, helps governments, diversities of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers or all workers of miracles?
Have all the gifts of healing, Do all speak with tongues, do all interpret, but covet earnestly the best gifts. And yet shall I unto you a more excellent way.
This is really the body of Christ takes in every born again believer who is sealed.
Upon the face of the earth at one time.
So we're talking not about a local assembly, but we're talking about the body of Christ universally. But what this is specifically telling us is that how the Spirit of God uses the members of that body to minister.
So we really we need to realize that these gifts are not.
Let me put it this way. There is a complete number of gifts in the body. There's there's adequate teachers, there's adequate pastors, there's evangelists. And they're scattered though, in the day in which we live.
So.
We're deprived of many of these gifts.
And when we break bread.
That one loaf.
Represents the whole body of Christ. So we're not some denomination. We recognize that. We gather on the ground of the one body. And what we're seeking to do, if I understand it, is to carry out in practice this truth of the one, that there's one body. We can only do it in a remnant form.
Everyone's welcome.
If there's not something.
Deteriorate, preventing them in their walk and their in their doctrine. But all all of the body as has a place there. But it could only be carried out in a remnant form because not everybody wants to do it.
Correct me what I.
I don't know what to correct brother.
But that's why I think it's important to see the difference between what we have here in our verse 12 as the body is one and have many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body. So also is and the new translation is the Christ.
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Christ the Head in heaven, We, the members of his body here on earth, form what is called the Christ.
Or by 1 spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether it be Jews and Gentiles, whether it be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit?
And in verse 14 for the body is not one member but many. So we have that word 1 used a lot.
The thing I think we need to distinguish is the present testimony might go into the center of Walla Walla and ask the people in the streets.
Are Christians in Walla Walla all one? What would they say? No. There's some that meet over here, and there's some over here and there's some over here.
There are multiple groups.
That's the present testimony, which is in ruins sometimes. I've said, brethren, where was the ruin of Israel more evident in the Old Testament? Was it in Babylon or was it in Jerusalem, the divine center? It's evident. It was in Jerusalem. It was evident. It wasn't evident in Babylon.
Why did they have to command that the doors of the gates of the city not be opened until the sun was hot? That wasn't necessary in the times of David.
No, but it's necessary in the times of Nehemiah because.
Of the ruin and the enemies that wanted to encroach. And so we have to distinguish between what is the testimony. But the truth remains in spite of all the ruin, in spite of all our failure, brother. And there is one body, precious truth, and it's precious to God. And the Lord Jesus died that the children of God would be gathered together in one.
He gave his life for that. Should it be important to us? I think it should be.
Interesting verse in Exodus chapter 28.
The connection with the body of Christ, you know we have that verse in Colossians, it says that not holding the head and so the importance of the head and we have in Exodus chapter 28.
In relation to the garments of the high Priest.
And verse 31.
And thou shalt make the robe of the effort all of blue, and there shall be an hole in the top of it in the midst thereof, and it shall have a binding of woven work round about the whole of it, as it were the whole of a hard begun. I don't know that's how it is pronounced that it not that be not rent. I have it in my in my French Bible. It's that they would have an opening for the head.
And then all that hole was knitted all together, so when the head went through.
It wouldn't be torn and.
There's holding the head and there's having an opening for the head. You know, if we claim to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, there has to be an opening for the head. It has to be room for the head to exercise His direction, his authority. And so we can have conformity as to the form that we meet in and we can match that with the instruction of Scripture and say we're meeting according to the instruction.
Found in the word of God, the sisters are in silence or covered and there is liberty and ministry, but there is that dependence of saying we have to leave an opening for the head and I think we do that when we do let the Spirit of God have liberty in leading us. And so I just enjoyed this in connection with the government that they it was knit closely together around that opening for the head that it would not be rent. And so if we have an opening for the head in our minds and our collective gatherings.
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There will be no rending because the head, he died for us to be one. How can you make us to separate and be two? So going back to our brothers comment about the body of Christ, the body of Christ is one, but the Lord doesn't have authority in many Christian circles because there are other authorities. You know, the Pope claims to be the head of the church. He's deserving the place of Christ. He claims to be the representative of Christ on the earth. He's deserving the place of the Spirit of God.
And he's called Holy Father. He's a serpent.
The Father here's a man that's herping the place of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, and millions of people are subject to his headship. Well, we have headship in the Scriptures, and no one who's the head is the Lord Jesus. So we do things in conformity to the Word of God, and we have an attitude that allows for the Lord to do the leading.
And so as the human body, it's a it's a reality, it's a fact, and it's not a concept. The human body is not a concept, and neither is the body of Christ. It's a reality.
And someone has said when we understand the reality of what the body of Christ is, then we can act appropriately. And this is very important to us. And so the as we go into verse 14 and 15 and so on, we're, we're coming up against a bit of a problem that we don't have in the human body.
So if the human body is used here as a bit of a model.
It doesn't discredit some members of the body. There's no inferiority in members of the body. And so we could say the verse 14 through verse 19 is treating and correcting because we said earlier on that this is a corrective epistle. It's correcting what we believe was possibly a tendency at that time to discredit some of the members of the body.
And so you could say that it's a bit of an inferiority complex that is really an error. And then we move further on verse 20. There's another problem that we find in this chapter, and this is where one member wants to take over someone who said that's a superiority complex. These are two things that have plagued the functioning.
Of the body, the inferiority complex and the superiority complex. Why is it that there are some gifts here that can do a lot better than some of the rest of us that are silent? Maybe that's the problem. Why is it that some take more than what they should? Maybe it's the second problem. And so the rest of the chapter could be maybe divided up somewhat like that. And then as we go into the 13th chapter, we find that there's a motive to do this.
And as we.
Brother reminded us in the last meeting that this is not a it's not about we ought not to be selfish about this. We have a purpose and we are to function for the benefit of others. And so here the body in these verses is is to function for its own benefit, for the glory of God.
Like to mention in verse 13 it speaks about being baptized into one body. This shows the purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit was to form that one body. For by 1 spirit are we all baptized into one body. This is the doctrine as to the baptism. Sometimes people think that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is.
To speak in tongues that was sometimes accompanied.
The baptism and was a manifestation of that, but it was not for that purpose. The purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit was to form the body of Christ. If you go to the book of the Acts, I want to show two places where it mentions the wording the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
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1St in chapter one and then this mention in chapter one is in reference to what happened in chapter 2.
On the day of Pentecost.
The Lord Jesus is with his disciples and.
He says verse four being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water. That's John the Baptist, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. And So what we have in chapter 2 is the historical.
Record of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, when the day of Pentecost was fully come. Where? With all, with one accord, in one place beautiful. Those mentions of the Word one. That's what God does, He unites.
And one. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like a fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak.
With other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance, there we have the baptism of the Holy Spirit to form those that were together into one body.
Later on in the 8th chapter of Acts, we find that the gospel goes to Samaria. But it's interesting when they were baptized, when they believed by Philip and Peter and John come from Jerusalem and lay their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
But it does not mention the word, the baptism of the Holy Spirit there.
But if you go over now to the 10th chapter, you have the apostle Peter preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, Cornelius and his household, and it says in verse 40.
Three, the end of his preaching, he says to him, to the Lord Jesus, give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words.
The Holy Ghost fell on them which heard the word. They have the circumcisions, which believe were astonished.
And as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out, the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now in Chapter 11, Peter, when he comes back to Jerusalem, is called on the carpet, and he gives an accounting of what happened. Notice what he says in verse 15 as I began to speak.
The Holy Ghost fell on them as on us as at the beginning.
Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. For as much then as God gave them the like gift, as He did unto us who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I that I could withstand God? So there we have the baptism of the Holy Spirit to form Jews and Gentiles.
Into one body and that's why it says in our verse 13 for by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles. So they were both included. Beautiful, wonderful reality that the Spirit of God is working in this world, saving souls, attracting them to the Lord Jesus and when they believe the gospel.
They are sealed with that spirit, but we can't say today.
That it's the baptism of the Spirit of God because the body of Christ has already been formed. It is. They are added to the church today through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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This chapter, the assembly is looked at really in three ways, isn't it? I should say the body. The 1St is that universal which we mentioned, which includes, as Vern was saying, every believer from the day of Pentecost, every Christian from day of Pentecost through to the rapture is is identified in that verse 13 and the end of verse 12, isn't it? That's the universal aspect of the body of Christ. And then later on.
In our chapter, it speaks about suffering, for instance, and schisms. Well, there's no suffering or schisms in heaven. So that's speaking about the aspect of the of the body of Christ as it's on the earth at any one time, the standing army, if we can put it that way. Sometimes people use the term the church militant and that's not necessarily a bad term because it's those that are on the earth at any one time includes all those on the earth at any one time. And then in verse 27.
The proper translation is Now ye are leave out the word thee. Ye are body of Christ and members in particular.
That's the local representation of the body of Christ in any particular area.
So we see the body of Christ seen in three different aspects here, the universal, the militant, if we can put it that way, and then the local aspect.
Does that.
One the last version, but that's the only word places have a look at like that, right?
Yes.
The only other place besides this?
Because we have the universal aspect here as well, right?
Yeah, verse 13, end of verse 13 and 14.
I'm sorry, end of verse 12 and 13. The baptism took place once.
The church has been formed, as Bob said. Some people speak about the baptism of the Spirit of God taking place today, but that's not true, is it? So that's the universal aspect of the one body.
But then there's the militant aspect. Every sealed believer on the face of the earth at anyone time.
That suffer and their schisms that doesn't happen in heaven, but it does happen on earth and then the local aspect. It's not the body of Christ in verse 27, but ye are body of Christ and members in particular. That's the local representation of the one body. Is that right?
There are parallel with verse 13.
With First Corinthians 3.
In verse 16.
He had the Pentecost, it filled a house, and it filled the believers.
He filled the house and he filled the believer. I should say verse 16, know ye not that ye are the temple of God, the collective, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you, and that the personal. And so we had in our 13th verse, we were baptized into one body, whether it be Georgetown, that's collective and have all been made to drink into one spirit that's individual. So I thought of the baptism with immersion.
So the spirit came, and they were all in the spirit because that it filled the house. They were in that house where the spirits filled it, and every one of them who knew the Lord as their Savior, they were themselves filled. They drank of that same spirit was in their body.
So the baptism of the Holy Spirit happened one time on the day of Pentecost, is that right? Or the what? What did you files were brought into in the 10th chapter? But that's finished one time.
And that's part of that. That's the sum total of the baptism of the Spirit. And since then, every person who believes in Christ and is sealed with the Spirit is added to an already existing body, right?
That body is seen in its universal aspect, as you mentioned. It's also seen, as you say here, as a functioning Organism on the earth that has its local manifestations.
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And that's where you have the function of gift. Now gift if if a person is a gift from Christ.
To the church.
A gift functions within the church at large. That's not a local office, so that's a different thing in.
In First Timothy and Titus, you have local offices enumerated, such as elders and deacons. Those are those. Those are our local, you might say administrative functions in the assembly. That's a different thing from gift. Sometimes we might hear someone say, well, a pastor and an elder and so forth. That's all different functions of the same office. No, it's not.
A pastor, teacher, evangelist, apostle.
Where where you have gifts spoken of, he tells you that they're gifts. He speaks of them as gifts and and office a local office in an assembly. You may be an elder or a Deacon in a particular assembly, but when you go visit in another assembly, they have their own there. I mean, in the days of the apostles, we don't ordain or we don't appoint elders officially today, but those are local functionaries.
You might say where a gift is a gift to the church.
There is no such thing as the pastor of a local church. There is something of a pastor of the church.
So again, there is no such thing as the pastor of a local church, but there is something of.
A pastor of the church? A pastor or a shepherd? Yes, Ephesians chapter 4 and so forth is a gift that the risen Christ has given, one of the gifts that the risen Christ has given to the church.
At large.
We need to.
Brother, and when we contemplate these wonderful truths, remember that many have not gotten this teaching clearly and you need to be patient and not critical. I trust what we're saying is not in a critical spirit, but it is important that it be clear these the doctrine of these things for our young people especially.
But.
I've had that teaching and there's areas perhaps we haven't had teaching. So we need to be patient and and and seek to be in any measure that we can a blessing to each believer that we need. That is a member of the body of Christ. If he is given you a gift or if you are a gift to the assembly, it is to the whole body of Christ the exercise about that.
Is that right, Dave? And there's a third thing too, isn't there? And that's priesthood.
So we have gift, we have office, and we have priesthood, and priesthood is local as exercise in the local assembly, isn't it just as oversight is? And gift is something, as you said, that may go beyond the local assembly, although oftentimes it's limited to the local assembly. But we have to distinguish 2 Not to get too far away from our chapter, but I'm afraid we might have been confusing a little between the House of God and the body of Christ. The temple that we were speaking about is the is the is the house.
And the house is a broader circle than the body. The body is made-up only of those that are baptized by the Spirit of God. That is, that happens when a person, a person comes into the good of that, when he's sealed. He has to be real to be a member of the body of Christ. But the house is what we call Christendom, isn't it? That includes all who profess Christ as the head. And Christ is king, even it's Christian profession. So when it speaks about the temple of God.
Collectively, I know sometimes it's individually as well, but when the scripture speaks of the temple, that ye are the temple of God collectively.
It's Speaking of the house aspect, and the house aspect has to do with our conduct in the assembly. Particularly, how do we conduct ourselves in the assembly? The priesthood and oversight have to do with the house aspect. The gift has to do with the body aspect. So it's good to keep those things in mind. I know sometimes people use the expression body as if it were.
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Equivalent to the term the House of God. That's not correct.
The houses of broader term it's all profession, Christian profession, whereas the body is strictly those who have been sealed by the Spirit of God.
When it comes to thinking.
Exercising our gift, two things that come to mind. One of them is that we might be afraid that we might make a mistake, we might screw up, we might ruin somehow God's work. I remember when I was younger, the thought was brought to me, Well, if you don't mention the gospel to this person, they might go to hell. And honestly, we're not that powerful. God has a plan and it's going to happen. And in Esther chapter 4, verse 14.
It says, For if thou altogether hold thy peace at this time, then shall their enlargement and deliverance rise to the Jews from another place.
But thou in thy father's house shall be destroyed, and who knoweth whether thou art come to the Kingdom for such a time as this? Mordecai was saying to ask her that she needed to stand in the gap. And dear beloved brothers and sisters, we have the opportunity to serve and use our gift. It's given of the Lord, and he wants to reward us. And if we say I'm not going to do that, he will use someone else to get his work done.
He will use us, but he does not need us.
And when we resist that, when we quench the moving of the Spirit of God in our hearts, we lose the blessing of being used by God in His work.
This is beautiful and verse 13.
Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, no national distinctions. I must say, brethren, it is a privilege I enjoy so much, is to go into other countries and meet with believers that are evidently of that same body. They're not the same nationality. They might have other customs.
But they are that same body, whether they be bond or free. Some of them are of the poorer of this world. And I have to say, even though there's a lot of poverty in Bolivia, those dear brethren have taught me lessons that I feel invaluable to. I feel indebted to them for the simplicity.
Of their faith, they don't know how to defend themselves as somebody would attack them.
Doctrinally, but they know where they stand and it has been a real lesson to watch them interact.
And God uses them. They are members of that same body. Brethren, let's pray for our dear brethren at large. Let's have a heart for all God's people. And I love the end of this verse have been all made to drink into one spirit. You can tell sometimes when you meet with people, there's something special. There's something different about them.
They are the Lords they are. There is a different spirit there. Remember being in a big.
Store in a shopping mall and I saw this family over in one corner and there was something markedly different about them. I It was so marked rather than that I went up and asked them if they were believers and yes, they were believers in the Lord Jesus. It was evident not only their dress but.
Their spirit, and I think that's what it means, they have been made to drink into one spirit. It's the same spirit that is leading our brethren in South America, that is leading here today. I trust we're trying, we are seeking, we are exercised to give Him liberty in our midst.
Just make another comment on gift is our brothers have been mentioning here about it being universal and so on. That doesn't mean that every every person necessarily has a ministry that's universal. We had early.
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Over it, but versus.
4-5 and six verse four. There are diversities of gifts, so perhaps one's a pastor, one's a teacher, so on.
There are differences or diversities of administrations. That's the the ministry where someone works. Someone may be an evangelist in this area and someone may be an evangelist in that area.
And there are different operations, there are diversities of operations.
And I'll use the example here of an evangelist.
We know.
Jim Highland, he's an evangelist, and he can stand up in a big in front of a big crowd of people and preach the gospel so clearly and with such force that it rattles in your seat.
And there's John Kemp.
And we'll go around with his gospel tracks and have fun trying to sneak past him on the street without getting the gospel to act.
I can't tell you how many conferences I've been where he's been there and, and you're either sitting with him or you notice that he's exercised about something and he takes calendars and he gives them to every single one of the staff members that are there. That's a different operation yet, but the same gift of an evangelist. And then I have a friend in Palmyron, Maine named James Amston.
And he has in the past worked at a grocery store for many years, and he's drawn alongside these ones that he's worked with and he's lived Christ before them. And he sat down and had heart and heart conversations and brought Christ to them in that way.
It's the same gift as a different operation. It's a different administration. But the work of Jim Hyland and John Kemp and James Amston, however different they are, they all have an effect on the entire body.
The spirit that guides the three. So they're not going to be contradictory to each other here, are they? I think that's what it means.
Says in Ephesians 4, He unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. The measure is not the same in each one, but they are real gifts.
Versus 14 through 19.
It's been said that we have diversity and unity, whereas verses 20 through 25 we have unity and diversity. So there's a distinction, isn't it? But again, as we mentioned in the Godhead, there's both unity and diversity, and that's the basis of the functioning of the assembly. So we have, first of all, we have that diversity and unity in verses 14 through 19, the different members of the body, and then each is essential in its own place.
And then 20 through 25, that unity and diversity, which excludes independency, SO1 excludes the principle of clarity as it's been mentioned the first one, we're not all to just sit and listen to one person or a few people all the time. Gift is one thing, but what about priesthood and office? And then again versus 20 through 25, we have unity and diversity.
Which excludes independency.
But Brother Wayne brought out earlier too that this first part.
Is the inferiority complex and you might see a brother who is very gifted and you just feel cowed in his presence. You just you're like not doing anything that is inferiority complex. Whereas the other from verse 20 on is the verse 21 The I cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee. That's superiority complex.
I say, brethren, those complexes take a hold when we're not occupied with the head, the Lord Jesus, and any measure that we're occupied with the head, Those complexes just don't have any place there. The Lord help us to not get hung up in these two ways. The foot shall say, because I'm not the hand.
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I am not of the body. Is it therefore not of the body?
The hand is out here in the open, always active, doing something. My foot's down there in that shoe. I don't see it most of the time.
Is it important when it comes to walking down the street? I don't do that with my hands, I do that with my feet and it's very important. So everyone has an important place in the body and just because ones outward and evident and visible doesn't mean that it is.
A more important than another part. So the Lord help us to keep our focus. That's why, brother, we cannot compare ourselves among ourselves.
The Corinthians did that and Paul had to tell them. Those that do that are not wise. Don't do that. Don't be caught up with that. You may feel that way, but don't let that get you down. Be exercised in the presence of the Lord Jesus. I've been amazed at how the Lord has some really useful servants that maybe never take part in public meetings.
I say they should be exercised there, but maybe their place is to do it in an individual way. Lord used Andrew.
And Andrew was the one that brought Simon Peter to the Lord. And you find in other places of the Gospels where Andrew was occupied in bringing individuals to the Lord, you never find that Andrew preached a big sermon in front of a bunch of people to get saved.
Peter did. But who brought Peter to the Lord? It was Andrew. There was a real important place for Andrew.
And there was an important place for Peter, but I don't think there was any competition between the two.
Hey there.
There is a danger.
To maybe even we're guilty of it. Maybe a man is an evangelist and we want to make him a teacher. A good thing to remember. Encourage a man and his gift. Never encourage him beyond his gift.
He'll he'll be a family.
Happens sometimes in times of ruin. Don't that we feel our need and we tend to push people forward and the Lord help us brethren to not do that.
Another thought here that I gleaned from my brethren in South America that I want to pass on to you in verse 16, says, If the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the hole were hearing, where were the smelling? You have three members mentioned there. The.
I the ear and the smelling and the brother down there said, well, there's things that are very evident and visible.
There are other things he said, that are not visible, but you can hear them. And then there's things that you don't see and you don't hear, but there's another member here.
On your face, your nose, that says, uh, something's not right here. And so we need all those members, every one of them. Sometimes we tend to despise members.
And the Lord help us, brother, and to not do that.
In connection with what you're saying, Brother Vern?
As you mentioned that these gifts were for the body at large, and we do recognize that we suffer.
We are penalized because a lot of gifted Saints are not with us and we're not hearing from them or benefiting from their gift. And so we might be in a small assembly and perhaps there's no teacher among us and there's no gifted evangelist. But somebody has to say something. Somebody has to act. And the brethren are the ones to do that. You know, if you were in a plane, I mentioned this to young people a while back, you were in a plane and the pilot dies.
00:45:21
And nobody can fly that plane and say we do, we have a volunteer in here somewhere.
We'd like to try. We'll put them in contact with the tower and you'll tell you what button to push. And OK, somebody has the courage to go forward and receive instructions. I'm going to do my best, you know. And so the Lord says of one sister, she did what she could. And that's all that the Lord expects from us, to do what we can. And so we can read our scriptures, we can read ministry, we can fill our souls, and then we can be useful to the brethren. And if you're timid, well, the Lord can help you overcome your community. So when we come together.
We might not be of those wonderful gifts that are spoken about in Ephesians 4, which is normal, ordinary brothers and sisters. And so, but the Lord is able to supply us through his spirit with grace that there would be profit from us being together. And so we need to be exercised about that and say, well, I'm not a I'm not an evangelist. I'm not I'm not a teacher. I'm not a media pastor, but you might not be a pastor. Maybe I'm not a pastor either. But we should sure look look out for one another and take care of one another. What the pastor's do is that they take care of the sheep. Just mention is that we would be exercised no matter what gift we have or do not have.
That there are needs out there and the needs are a call to do what we can help the states. That's a good balance. That's good balance. I don't know what I want to get on that plane though, brother. I say though, that I think what you say is is good that there be exercise with our young brother and because gift is something that is developed with the use. And I remember our our late brother Chuck Hendricks.
Encouraging some of the younger ones and he used that verse in John chapter 2 where Mary said to the servants at that wedding feast do all that he says to you that do and I I thought that was a good thing to be exercised the Lord lays on your heart something do it and in the course of time gift is something that's developed. I want to.
Go to First Timothy chapter 4 because Timothy was a timid brother.
Evidently, and Paul writes to him to encourage him, and this is what he says in chapter four. First Timothy, neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Now there's quite a bit there to think about. He says don't neglect it.
There was a tendency of him to not put importance, and he probably thought, man, I just don't rate against the apostle Paul. And Paul had to exhort him, don't neglect your gift which was given thee by prophecy. I take it that Paul discerned in that young man a gift that was useful, and so he gave prophecy as to it and.
It was with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery or the elderhood.
In that time, as we've been hearing, there was appointed elders that now we don't have appointed elders, but it was with the fellowship of his older brethren that he did what he did. I think that is important too. I remember Brother Eric Smith when I first started to travel with him a bit, he said when you're going to serve the Lord.
Obey the Lord, He is the one. We follow directions from him. But listen to your brethren. I tell you brethren, that has been a big help to me. Our brethren are there to help us, to keep us in balance and we need that. Now look at Second Timothy, chapter one. And as has been said, Second Timothy is.
Time of the ruin of the public testimony.
And this is what he says to Timothy in verse six. Second Timothy 16 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands here doesn't talk about the hands of the presbytery. No, the ruin was so such that it was Paul said, I'm giving you my fellowship, Timothy.
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Stir up that gift that's in the and I honestly believe that there's a lot of unused gift amongst us brethren that is just sitting there dormant in the Spanish. It's wake up the gift of God that's in you and I think because it's dormant sleeping use it someday we're going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and the Lord's going to say I gave you a gift.
Did you use it for me? What are you going to say? Are you going to say the Lord? I didn't even know what kind of gift I had. Are you going to say that? The point is, you might not know what gift you have, but be exercised all that He says to you, do it.
Judges, Chapter 9.
This is when Gideon's one son killed.
Killed.
All 68 of his brothers on one stone and the little one escaped and said this.
Verse 7.
He went and stood at the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto him, Hard company, ye men are checking unto you.
The trees went forth at the time.
The point I think over them and they said I'm the olive tree bringing down over us.
What the answer was?
But for all of you, he said unto them, should I leave my Baptist, or with my name, they honor God and man, and go to seek the Lord over the street.
There were three different types of trees that you mentioned here.
And each one.
Have their own special.
You might say death or the tree would need to do a certain kind of fruit and if they left that to go be king over the other or hate trying to take a different position.
They would lose what it says here.
The fact is, we're with why me? They honor God and man. The proof was to God and the proof was to other men.
They tried to take a different position. They never do it. The second thing was the.
The answer was, should I perceive my sweetness and my good fruits to go to be promoted over the tree?
The third one was to buy on verse 13. Should I leave my wine with pure God and hand?
So in one sense the.
Guided by the spirit of Shaw and.
Proved in that.
The other one came with us.
The big tree being fruitful where it says sweetness and good fruit and the gospel work like an evangelist.
And the last one was a.
The wine that you have gone in them to be a very dinner comforts.
And so this, the last one was the Bramble that said, sure, I'll take your job. I'll be in charge of everybody I'll rule over. And verse 15.
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The gravel set under the trees if in truth need a point, anything over you.
Then you come and put your truck.
She thought, no. Do you trust in my shadow a landfill, and if not, let the fire come out of the lake. Devours appears your father.
In other words.
I don't want competition. I don't want to look bad, burn anybody that.
Maybe better than I am if we leave what?
Give you the God and given God that kind of blew over somebody else, which is a position that we can we never made to do.
We have in this, in this portion here that we're looking at, we see the Apostle Wayne, as you mentioned, he's using the human body and its functioning parts. We all know that the human body has a diversity of functioning parts and he's using this by way of analogy to the body of Christ.
As this illustration, the human body has a diversity.
Of functioning parts, and each one of those parts has its own.
Particular function that the body would miss out on if it wasn't there. So the body of Christ is, is one, but it has a diversity of functioning units. And that's where he's talking about the gifts. We don't we don't do two things as it's been talked about, unity and diversity here. There's two things we don't do. We don't say because of whatever reason, I'm not part of the body.
And we don't say for whatever reason, you're not part of the body. Each one, I and every other one has their own particular function in the body. And that goes back to the end of verse 11 where the Spirit divides to each in particular according as he pleases. So the functioning of the members in the body is directed and dictated by the Spirit of God.
As he pleases.
Public Ministry.
A lot of people here to the first parents or the young people that they wouldn't maybe feel free to.
Speak up and and try and be a help in that way.
I wondered if there might be a few suggestions given that how God might use somebody in those in that situation because it really comprises the majority of this audience.
Have you ever seen your heart, brother Steve?
Have you ever seen your heart?
Is it important?
There's a lot that are of members that are inside, and there are those, as it says here in these verses, that are feeble, that are less honorable. What do we do?
We bestow upon them more abundant honor. Lord, help us, brethren, to be guided by these precious truths.
As to the body of Christ.
No.
And I might say for Steve, if we look at verse 28, I think we get not only if we look at those other places and Romans and also in Ephesians, but in verse 28, we get some broader types of gifts and look at the end of the verse. Then gifts of healing helps governments, diversities of tongues. I know there was a old brother in the Columbus meeting where I grew up.
And he?
Said that his gift probably was that of helps.
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And that's, that would certainly catch anybody, wouldn't it? We could all be a help. We often pray in connection with the assembly that we would be a help, not a hindrance. That's a good prayer, isn't it? Some people have a special gift that way, and they're appreciated.
And it'd be right to say, dear ones, that most of the functions of the body are invisible.
And so there's much going on behind the scenes that allows the visible to be perceived. And so chapter 813 of First Corinthians, it might not be something that's manifest publicly, but the act of love, act of love among the Saints is manifested in how we function together outwardly, isn't it? And so most of my body's functions are invisible, but I'm thankful they're active and functioning properly in their measure.
Whether one member suffered, all Members suffer with it.
Brethren, our brethren in other countries of the world are suffering persecution, imprisonment, and we ought to feel that. Brethren, sometimes they say, well, that's way over in the other part. How can I ever understand what's going on? They are fellow members of the same body. The Lord help us and I, I do believe if there was a willingness before the Lord, perhaps the Lord can put.
Into your life, a ministry toward those brethren. That could be very useful. The point is.
Be exercised.
Help to some of the young that are wondering what their gift is.
The Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9 and verse 10.
It simply says this, Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whether thou goest and Simply put.
Somebody else has said this. If you see a need, maybe, just maybe, the Lord is exercising you to fill that need.
And so your young brother, and if you see a need, be willing to put your shoulder to that that load that knee and satisfy it or help out with it. And as you do that, the Lord is going to lead you and show you.
Step by step what he wants you to do. It is very easy for us and natural for us to look around to our brother and and see someone like our brother John Kim or one of the laboring brother and say wow.
What a what a wonderful servant of the Lord. I wish I could be like that person.
Brother John Kemp didn't get to that.
Position, you might say overnight.
And each one of us, if we do that which our hand findeth to do, the Lord is going to lead us on, and he's going to show us what he wants us to do, and he's going to give us blessing and fruit for our labor.
In chapter eight of the book of the Acts, Philip the Evangelist, not the apostle, but the evangelist. You're not called the evangelist there, but he goes down and preaches in Samaria and the Lord blesses his laborers. He goes to give the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch, but it's not until the 21St chapter of the book of the Acts that he's called Philip the Evangelist. I think that's quite significant. So the exercise, do what the Lord puts on your heart to do.
Is that the thought in the last verse of our chapter? Covet earnestly the best gifts. We should be exercised. Not just sit, but exercise. We're members of the body. The Lord has given us a special place, each one of us. And so we're to covet that and exercise it and find it what it is, and yet show unto you a more excellent way. Well, there's a danger of gift of the flesh getting involved, isn't there? And so we have a balance in the next chapter.
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I mean the term laboring brother, because we're all laboring brother. Remember I brother that had been at a conference and.
Somebody back home asked him who were the laborers there? He said, well, I thought, why did you sisters labouring in the kitchen?
Laboring Sisters.
Oh, doesn't it?
It is the thought of.
See maybe after meeting.
Start with Chapter 13.