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Friday, July 21, 2017

Spiritual Unity { I Corinthians 12}



This chapter is rich in the Spirit and it would take hours to expound on everything here.
I am going to focus on members of one body.

3-Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
I John 4:1-3
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

As members of one body we need to be aware of the false prophets and do not believe everything you hear.  Get into God's Word and see for yourselves.


Vs. 4-5 Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all.  There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving.  There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us.

11-But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
These gifts are not something we choose but the Spirit gives them to us.  He chooses as He wills for each of us

12-For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13-For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14-For the body is not one member, but many.

 We are not alone.  We are members of one body.  For everyone not just for some.

18- God made our bodies with many parts, and He has put each part just where He wants it.
19-What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part!  20-Yes, there are many parts but only one body.

22-In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.
23-And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,
24-while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.
25-This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.
26-If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27-All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

We are all members on one body in Him.  Not something that we orchestrated but it is all from Him.  Some of us are weaker than others but that does not mean we are any less than others.  God views them as actually the most necessary and should be protected.  We all have our place in Him.  When one of us suffers we all feel the effects of it.

So I encourage you today to be content in where God has you.  Do not look to be more than He made you to be. We are all members of one body in Christ.  We are here to serve Him and not ourselves.

Romans 12 is all about being members of one body and expounds on how we are to live it out in our lives. I have turned it into a prayer and I have and still do pray it often.

Father by Your mercy help me to present myself as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to You God which is my spiritual service of worship.  To not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of my mind, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  That I would not think more highly of myself than I ought to think but to think so as to have sound judgment as you have give to me my measure of faith.
We are many members of one body in Christ, let me exercise the gifts you have given me.  Let me love be without hypocrisy to hate what is evil and to cling to what is good.  To be devoted to one another in brotherly love giving preference to one another in honor, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit serving you Lord.  To rejoice in hope, persevere in tribulation, devoted to prayer.  Contributing to the needs of the saints and practicing hospitality.  Bless those who persecute me to bless and curse not.  Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.  To be of the same mind toward on another and not be haughty in mind, but to associate with the lowly. To not be wise in my own estimation and not to pay back evil for evil to anyone.  To respect what is right is in the sight of all me.  To be at peace with all.  To never take revenge myself but leave room for Your wrath, because it is written Vengeance is Mine, I will repay says the Lord.  If my enemy is hungry let me feed him, if he is thirsty, to give him a drink and in so doing, burning coals will be heaped upon his head.  Help me Lord to not be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good.  Amen!