“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.”
1 Corinthians 12:27-28 NLT
At the end of a long chapter about spiritual gifts, written in reply to a previous question from the Corinthians believers, Paul lists “some of the parts God has appointed for the church”. God gives each believer at least one gift through the Holy Spirit, who, as we know, dwells within each believer as a result of their salvation. In much of 1 Corinthians 12, Paul used the analogy of a human body to make a comparison with the Body of Christ, the church. And we now get to the point where Paul emphasises to the believers in the Corinthian church that they all constitute the Body of Christ. Just in case any of them felt left out, he wrote that each member of the church is a member of the Body, without exception.
“If the Holy Spirit left our church, would we notice any difference?”
Today, we have many churches, some thriving, some in the process of being born, but, sadly, others coming to a point where they will soon die and disappear, all much as we would expect from human life. Churches are organic entities, kept alive by the power of the Holy Spirit within them, and when they deny His presence, their life starts to dwindle. Someone once asked, “If the Holy Spirit left our church, would we notice any difference?” And it is true – churches get locked into a liturgy and become a sort of religious social club, lacking any particular relevance in today’s world. Paul wrote to Timothy with a warning about such Spirit-less churches, “They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2 Timothy 3:5).
Next, in the verses we are considering today, Paul went on to list “some of the parts God has appointed for the church”. We should note that he did not supply a complete list of the gifts given to the Church, but just those that are more obvious. There is one notable up-front role missing, and that is the role of a pastor. In Ephesians 4:11-12, Paul wrote, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ”. However, it would neither be helpful nor necessary to provide a long list of all the functions and jobs necessary in a church or fellowship. Each body of believers is unique, as is a human body, and although some roles are common to all, many more are a reflection of the local needs. The Amplified version of 1 Corinthians 12:28 reads, “So God has appointed and placed in the church [for His own use]: first apostles [chosen by Christ], second prophets [those who foretell the future, those who speak a new message from God to the people], third teachers, then those who work miracles, then those with the gifts of healings, the helpers, the administrators, and speakers in various kinds of [unknown] tongues”.
We should also note that any one role is no more important than any other. God does not do favouritism. So, an apostle is no more important than a teacher, who is no more important than a helper or administrator, or even the person who cleans the toilets. All roles are necessary for the church to function in the way God intends.
“The church is God’s hands, mouth, and feet in this world—the body of Christ:.
Some might ask the question, “What is the purpose of the Church”? A quotation from “gotquestions.org” might be helpful. “So, what is the purpose of the church? Paul gave an excellent illustration to the believers in Corinth. The church is God’s hands, mouth, and feet in this world—the body of Christ. We are to be doing the things that Jesus Christ would do if He were here physically on the earth. The church is to be “Christian,” “Christ-like,” and Christ-following”. To do all of these things, we need Holy Spirit gifts functioning in the church. Without them, the Body of Christ will not survive for long. And we remember we all have at least one gift to edify the Body of Christ.
Dear Father God. Through Your Son Jesus, You have established Your church. We thank You for the gifts given to our churches and fellowships, and pray that Your church will continue to grow, for Your glory. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 