THE CHURCH AS THE BODY OF CHRIST: LEADERSHIP IMPLICATIONS FOR MINISTRY

1
THE CHURCH AS THE BODY OF CHRIST LEADERSHIP
IMPLICATIONS FOR MINISTRY
Thursday, March 31, 2011 700 p.m. Presented
at Carolina Region Leadership Training
School Koury Convention Center Greensboro, North
Carolina Dr. Lloyd L. Watkins, Sr.,
PRESENTER Rev. Drexel N. Mitchell, Sr., LTS
DEAN Dr. Beverly G. Rose, B.O.C.E. DIRECTOR Rev.
Robert J. Williams, Jr., HOST PASTOR Rev.
Louvenia R. Coleman, HOST PRESIDING ELDER Bishop
Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr., PRESIDING PRELATE
2
THREE BIBLICAL IMAGES OF THE CHURCH

1. The People of God
2. The Body of Christ
3. The Community/Fellowship of Holy Spirit

3
THE HUMAN BODY ISA WONDERFUL CREATION

• I will praise thee for I am fearfully and
  wonderfully made marvelous are thy works and
  that my soul knoweth right well
• (Psalm 13914, KJV)

4
THE HUMAN BODY HAS ELEVEN ORGAN SYSTEMS

1. Integumentary System
2. Skeletal System
3. Muscular System
4. Cardiovascular System
5. Nervous System
6. Respiratory System

1. Digestive System
2. Excretory System
3. Endocrine System
4. Reproductive System
5. Lymphatic System

5
FIRST CORINTHIANS

• AUTHOR Paul, the Apostle
• DATE Uncertain, Probably A.D. 54-56
• on Pauls third missionary journey
• TO WHOM WRITTEN To the Church of God at
  Corinth, to those set apart in
• Christ
  Jesus (12)
• PURPOSE
• 1. To draw the church back together in a
  spirit of unity as one body in Christ
• 2. To deal with moral laxity in the Church.
• 3. To answer certain questions (marriage,
  Christian liberty and rights, public
  worship, spiritual gifts, and the
  resurrection)
• 
  

6
POTENTIAL DANGERS SURROUNDING SPIRITUAL GIFTS(1
Corinthians 121-3)

1. Danger of being ignorant about the gifts
2. Danger of being carried away to false worship
3. Danger of speaking false messages
4. Danger of speaking the truth apart from the Spirit

7
DANGER OF BEING IGNORANT ABOUT THE GIFTSThree
Ways

1. A person can be ignorant that there is such a
   thing as spiritual gifts.
2. A person may know that the Holy Spirit gifts His
   people, but he may not know what special gifts
   the Holy Spirit has given him.
3. A person may know what his gifts are, but he may
   not know how to properly use them.

8
DANGER OF BEING CARRIED AWAY TO FALSE WORSHIP

1. Using a counterfeit gift to imitate the real
   gift.
2. Misusing the gift and ending up not worshipping
   God, but worshipping in a meaningless way.
3. Beginning to feel and act super-spiritual,
   worshipping the gift and self rather than
   focusing attention upon God.

9
DANGER OF SPEAKING THE TRUTH APART FROM THE HOLY
SPIRIT

• Speaking (mouthing) the truth without being
  truly converted. Professing without committing.

10
DANGER OF SPEAKING FALSE MESSAGES

• Some persons in the Corinth church apparently
  spoke in tongues and distorted the great truth
  that Jesus is Lord.

11
THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS(124-11)

1. The unity of the gifts
2. The purpose of spiritual gifts
3. The list of the different gifts
4. The unity of the gifts restressed

12
THE UNITY OF THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS

• Paul says there should be absolutely no pride,
  controversy, or division over the gifts.
• Three reasons
• There are different gifts, but they all come from
  the same Spirit.
• There are different ministries or ways of
  serving, but they are all done by the authority
  of the same Spirit.
• There are different activities and operations in
  carrying out the various ministries, but the same
  Spirit who works and give the power to do all.

13
THE PURPOSE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS

• The purpose of the spiritual gifts is to enable
  members of the body to do the ministry of the
  Body.

14
THE LISTING OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS

1. Wisdom
2. Knowledge
3. Faith
4. Healing
5. Miracles
6. Discernment of spirits
7. Tongues
8. Interpretation of Tongues
9. Apostle
10. Prophet
11. Teacher
12. Helps
13. Administration

15
THE CHURCH AS THE BODY OF CHRIST(1212-31)

1. The human body is a picture of Christ and His
   Body the Church
2. Some less gifted felt they were unimportant to
   the Body of Christ
3. Some more gifted felt they were more important in
   the Body
4. God has put both the presentable and
   unpresentable into one Body the Church
5. Each is a member of the Body of Christ and has
   his/her own place in it
6. Each is to covet the very best gifts

16
THE HUMAN BODY IS A PICTURE OF CHRIST AND HIS
CHURCH

• The Holy Spirit baptizes us into one body, Christ
  Himself His Church.
• The Spirit causes us to drink of Himself.

17
SOME LESS GIFTED FEEL THEY ARE UNIMPORTANT TO THE
BODY

1. Each member is necessary
2. Each member has an essential function
3. Each member is set in the Body as the Holy Spirit
   wills
4. Each member is distinct, but together there is
   only one body

18
SOME MORE GIFTED FEEL THEY ARE MORE IMPORTANT TO
THE BODY

1. The weaken members (less gifted) are actually
   more necessary
2. The unpresentable parts are treated with greater
   honor

19
GOD HAS PUT BOTH THE PRESENTABLE UNPRESENTABLE
INTO ONE BODY

• To keep the members from clashing.
• To create a natural care for one another.

20
EACH IS A MEMBER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST AND HAS
HIS OWN PLACE IN IT

1. God sets and gifts each member in the church.
2. All do not have the same gift.

21
EACH BELIEVER IS TO COVET THE BEST GIFTS

• So he can more effectively serve the Lord.
• However, there is a more excellent way than
  gifts, love.

22
CONCLUSIONS

1. The Church is His Body, because she is His
   creation.
2. Jesus Christ is the Head of His Church. She
   receives her directions/orders from Him.
3. Two can accomplish much more than one.
   (Illustration Two lepers once seen sowing peas
   in a field. On had no hands, the other had no
   feet).
4. We are to seek unity in diversity.

23
CONCLUSIONS (Continued)

1. The interdependence of members of the Body of
   Christ.
2. The Need for collaboration (Working Together)
   cant we all work together, and get along, for
   the good of the Body?
3. A Tools Convention (Illustration)
4. Every member is important (Illustration The
   Missing Typewriter Key)