Everyone Has A Part

Paul continues his theme of unity in Corinthians, by discussing the design of God's family.

The word for church in the original language (ekklesia) literally means "the called-out ones". It was generally used to refer to a group of people, assembled to perform a particular task. A town's city council was referred to as an ekklesia.

God's people are called out to complete his mission in the world. To proclaim the gospel, and bring into his family, people from every nation, every tribe, every people group, and every language. To complete this mission, there are numerous jobs, assignments, and responsibilities.   New ground, without the gospel, needs to be identified, and reached out to. Areas need to be saturated with the gospel. Areas need to be saturated with prayer to alter the spiritual climate. New ones need to be grounded in God's Truth, and introduced to a new way of life. Lifestyle changes, corrections, and adjustments, need to be identified, and implemented. People's spirits need to be encouraged, loved, consoled, and comforted. And there are physical services: household repairs, meals, medical care, and rescue from disasters.

God's mission is not one thing. It is the creation of a community, a family, in tune with Him, and one another. As a result, there are a multitude of needs to meet. And God has developed his body to meet those needs. He gives his Spirit to each new family member. And the Spirit empowers each member with a gift. And each gift is the ability to complete one of the functions, one of the assignments, in God's family. And without that function working, God's family will not work as God intended.

So, we can look around at all the people in our local family of God. Each one has a place in the family. Each one has a role in the family. Each one has an assignment, that when completed, makes God's family function better, brings God's mission closer to completion, and demonstrates God's character to the world, because it expresses the love, and unity, of God's family.

It may not be the same as our role, and assignment. But that does not mean it is not needed, or valuable. If it is needed by the body of Christ, then we all need it, for our good, and our growth, and the growth of God's Kingdom.

It may not take place on Sunday morning. It may not take place in the Sunday meeting. It is still necessary for God's mission.

Not one person is the same. Not one gift is given to all -- except the gift of the Spirit, who gives all gifts. If they are in God's family, we need them, the church needs them, and the world needs them.

Lord's Supper

Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians, because they had gotten off track in a number of ways. Paul brought the gospel to the city, and it was received with joy. But then cultural practices got mixed in with the gospel.

Now, God created culture. So, expressing allegiance to Jesus through cultural expression is not necessarily wrong. Scripture can be translated into a people group's heart language. Praise, and worship, can be offered using a particular cultures art forms, music, dance, or poetry.

Jesus translated the Lord's Supper from the Passover. The Passover is celebration of deliverance from slavery in Egypt. The Lord's Supper is a celebration of deliverance from slavery to sin. Jesus took the symbols of Passover -- bread and wine -- and applied them to the context of the new covenant. Unleavened bread, eaten in haste, to his body. Blood on the doorposts and lintels to his blood.

The problem came when the Corinthians connected the Christian celebration with the celebrations done before Christ, and the gospel, came to them. They would have celebrations for the other gods. They have to be the same, right?

Of course, they were not the same. The pagan feasts focused on me having a good time. The Lord's Supper focused on everyone's need, because of sin in everyone's life. The Lord's Supper focused on Christ's work of redemption, which we all need, and which we all received.

So, if someone is more concerned about how much food is piled on his plate, while others have none, then we have one more symptom of division. If we are all part of God's family, then it should matter than some of the children are provided for, and some are not.

A prominent theme in this letter is unity. How meetings, and other practices, are handled, demonstrates how all people are viewed. And we need to look at ourselves, make sure our hearts are right before God, so we act, and respond, rightly, with love, and unity, toward others.