Christian Community - Sum of the parts

Bunt Strategy With A Man On First
The Catcher fields it if he can get it other; otherwise, he calls out to get the lead runner at second or the hitter at first.
The Third Baseman breaks toward home. If the bunt goes to anyone else, he hustles back to third.

The Pitcher covers third base if the third baseman plays the bunt.

The First Baseman holds the runner at first and breaks toward home.

The Second Baseman covers first base.

The Shortstop covers second base.

The Left Fielder, on a ball down the first base line, backs up second. If the play will be made at first, he starts toward third in case he's needed to cover the base.

The Center Fielder backs up second base.

The Right Fielder backs up first base.

All nine players are moving; all nine players have a specific job to do. No one can be a spectator. A player who chooses to be a spectator isn't really a part of the team, and his inclusion on the roster is a lie.

The church at Corinth had problems. Members of the church had started playing politics with one another, condemning some for not being “Christian enough” and using their spiritual gifts to manipulate others into doing this or that. The Apostle Paul uses his first letter to the Corinthians as a condemnation for all of this pettiness. And, within this letter, he writes chapter 12 to talk about spiritual gifts and the valuable role of each member within the Christian Community. (Read and Study 1 Corinthians Chapter 12)

The Christian Community, as we have discussed, is the gathering of believers – you must be a confessing follower of Jesus – who advance the cause of Jesus. It is not a group of church-going friends who gather to tailgate together, oh, and someone remembers to say the blessing. It can be that provided these church-going friends are also confessing followers of Jesus and the tailgate is seen as a means to an end: How can we use this to spread the gospel and make disciples?

The Christian Community is not limited to the formal church meting under a Main Street steeple or in a renovated grocery store. The Christian Community can be a Sunday School class, a men's group, a women's group, families that come together for worship and discipleship across church affiliations. As a Sunday School class, we are a Christian Community, purposefully advancing the need for people to know Jesus.

When you came to know Jesus – if you have – as your Savior, the Holy Spirit invaded your mind, body and soul as a literal (and very real) presence. God came to live within you. For me, that's just so unbelievably humbling, especially when I consider the places I have taken Him and the things I've done to the temple in which He resides. A human conscience was replaced by the authentic Whisper of God. Do you hear Him? If you don’t, that should be telling about your journey with Jesus. A believer will hear from the Holy Spirit through encouragement, blessing and conviction of right and wrong. Do you listen? That should tell you about how closely you are following Jesus. The more we reject the Holy Spirit's compelling, the more miserable we will be.

The Holy Spirit, in some supernatural way, that my feeble mind can't easily wrap around, uses an individual’s passions, hobbies, skills, personality and even temperament. The Holy Spirits brings gifts to each person, and these gifts allow the believer to love and serve within the Christian Community. These spiritual gifts are motivational gifts. For example, someone with the gift of Giving would help the Christian Community make wise decisions to prevent waste; would find joy by figuring out effective ways to manage valuable resources so that the community could impact more people for Jesus; they have a heart for giving and want to give to as many as possible; and they tend to shy away from public recognition. They are Servant Ninjas.

Provided by the Holy Spirit in concert with our uniquely made personalities, spiritual gifts are never chores. They are the Holy Spirit’s way of using the wonderfulness of an individual’s creation to serve the Christian Community and impact the world for Jesus; not just to do good stuff – but to see people come to salvation that only faith in Jesus can provide.

Do you know your spiritual gifts? Are you exercising them to discover the joy that God has for your life through serving others? Just like the baseball players moving on a bunt play, everyone in the Christian Community has a job - has a role to play - exercising spiritual giftedness.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul writes, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all of its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” I love the verses in chapter 12:14-21, where Paul uses parts of the human body as an analogy of each part's value to the whole body, and why it is ridiculous to compare body parts and claim one as more important to the whole than the other. He also celebrates individuality, writing, "v. 17, If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if the whole body were an ear how would you smell anything?" We are each wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)."

In 1 Corinthians 12:20, Paul writes, "Yes, there are many parts, but only one body" and in 1 Corinthians 12:27, "Now all of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it." He goes on in chapter 13 to write that all of the Christian Community's work is 'governed' by love for one another and especially those who don't know Jesus.

I am the oldest of four children. A total of five years separates me and my two brothers. Then, a decade after my youngest brother, Russ, was born, my sister was born. She grew up largely as an only child, not really remembering when Tim and I were at home, and not sharing a lot of childhood life experiences with Russ. But, for me, Tim and Russ, we were all in it together, and we each had and have very, very unique personalities, skills, hobbies and temperaments.

Both of my parents worked from high school to retirement. And, so my brothers and I had to share in all of the household chores. We cleaned bathrooms, we cleaned the kitchen, we dusted the house, we vacuumed the floors, we did laundry, we cut the grass, we washed windows, and we did all of these chores on a weekly basis as our respective roles in the larger family system. We weren't paid to do them; we did them as members of the family community. 

We became good at different things. I became good at keeping us on a schedule, and I loved cleaning the bathrooms. I enjoyed seeing things go from nasty and chaotic into shining and orderly. Tim was the multi-tasker, he had the vision to see how several jobs could be performed with minimal energy. Russ was the detailer – when he dusted, he got down and into the baseboards. It's funny - I still see some of these personality traits in myself and each of my brothers today.

We learned that our contributions to the household caused the household to work more efficiently. There was more harmony at home because our parents were less stressed. There was a pride in that we are all in this family – together. My parent never fussed about taking us places, or buying us a milk shake. I can tell you that my greatest champions and my greatest encouragers were my parents.

We did not have a Leave It To Beaver family, by any means. We had some very hard, hard economic times in the 1970s. But, we had joy because we each poured into life together. I still chuckle out loud, remembering dinnertime conversations that left us all - even my parents - howling with laughter. I confess that conversations and language veered into the PG-13 / R rated categories at times, and that's the household Vicki and I have, too. After dinner, we boys shared in the cleaning of the dishes and the kitchen.

My dad would joke, “You boys are going to make a someone a good wife one day.”

My mama would say, “We are not going to raise pitiful men who can’t clean their own home or wash their own clothes. I want them to lead their families by example.”

Within the Christian Community, what is your role? What position are you playing? What contribution are you making to the whole body? How has the Holy Spirit gifted you for service within the Christian Community? These are valuable questions that must be answered by every member of the Christian Community.

In 2014, every member of this class will be a contributing member. Some will have assignments that occur every Sunday. Some will have big one-time assignments during the year. Some will lead mission trips, some will bring refreshments, some will visit hospitals and funeral homes, some will be callrf to bear the deep pain of others – taking off work to stand in the gap, some will teach, some will go out and serve in the church as our missionaries to the church, some will make chicken casseroles for the sick and hurting, some will lead parties, some will open their homes for small group Bible studies, and some will lead us in prayer. But, everyone – every single member – will have a job, and all those jobs will be known. 

I believe to my soul it’s going to be a game-changer for each of us, taking our spiritual journey to the next level. I believe that “better together” you and I can spark revival in our church and within this community. I believe God is going to lead us to shine brightly in Lexington so that men, women, boys and girls move into knowing Jesus and following Him deeply. Watch and see what God will do through us. I hope and pray - if it's God's will for you - that you will be a part of our Christian Community in 2014 and beyond.