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Doctrinal Study series: Church
November 13, 2022
SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
Lesson no.12
God the powerful Creator made the human body wonderfully. Read and complete what David thought said concerning the human body in Psalm 139:14 “I will ______________ thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully _____________, marvelous are thy works" The human body is a marvelous works of God as a living organism that made up of billions and billions of tiny cells. The cells of the human body are more than the population of people in the world. There are no one who can give exactly the how many cells are they in the human body, however the number of about from 10 to 100 million cells are just estimated count of scientists.
            There are some wonders of the human body:
            1. Man’s blood circulated 60,000 miles of tubing reaching to every part of the human body and if all the veins, arteries and capillaries were laid end to end, this tubing could be stretched for more than seven times around the world.
            2. Man’s heart pumps 5,000 to 6,000 quarts of blood daily and seems never get tired pumping which never takes a rest.
            3. Man’s adult has over 200 separate bones and there is a blood manufacturing within the bones that is why there are blood cells made inside the bones.
            4. Man’s body consist of more than 600 muscles that enable man to move his arms, legs and body with coordination due to these muscles with many perfectly designed joints.
            5. Man’s nervous system carries messages to and from the brain for it was likened to a highly organized postal or telephone system. The impulses of man’s nerves can move at a speed of nearly 350 feet per second. For more than 30 times in just one second the nerve impulses can zip up from a foot of a man and back again.
            The human brain is the most complex computer in the world. The world’s most incredible piece of machinery is the whole human body. Man did not made and can never make any robot that can begin to do what the human body can do, in spite that men have made many different kinds of robots. 
I – GOD HAS PUT TOGETHER ANOTHER BODY
            Besides, our wonderful human body, God has put together another body in a wonderful way, which is called the body of Christ.
            Read Ephesians 1:22-23, then complete the missing words in the passage.
Ephesians 1:22-23 “And hath put all things under his (Christ’s) feet and gave him (Christ) to be the _______ over all things to the ________(believers), 23 Which is _____   ________, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
According to the teaching of these verses, the Church that is made up of the believers is His body. So, it is clear that the Church is the body of Christ. Now, read again verse 22, who is the Head of this body? __________ .
Read Colossians 1:18, then complete the blank space in this verse. This verse teaches the same truth.
Colossians 1:18 “And he (Christ) is the _________ of the body, the _________: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”
What is called the Body of Christ? ________________
Who is the Head of the Body of Christ? ____________
            The human body has members (feet, hands, heart, lungs, liver, etc.,) so the body of Christ has members.
Who are the members of the body of Christ, which is the Church?
            Read I Corinthians 12:27 then complete the verse in order to know who are they?
I Corinthians 12:27 “Now ____ (believers) are the _______ of _______, and members in particular.”
According to this verse, Paul said every believer, that is every saved person is a member of the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is the Head and we are the members of the body of Christ which is the Church.                                                                                                                                                                                  
II – THERE ARE MANY MEMBERS AND THERE IS ONE BODY
            Read I Corinthians 12:12 then answer several questions:
I Corinthians 12:12 “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”                                                                                                                                                                                    
How many times the word “one” was mentioned? ___________
How many times the word “many” was mentioned? ___________
    
Select the word that goes before the word “body”?  (   ) one          (   ) many
Select the word that goes before the word “members”?   (    ) one      (    ) many
We know the human body has many members: eyes, nose, stomach, tongue and ears to mentioned just a few.
Give some of the other members? ____________________________________________________________ .
Each individual person has many bodily members but only have one body. How many bodies do you have? ____
            Read I Corinthians 12:14 the answer several questions:
I Corinthians 12:14 “For the body is not ______   ___________ , but _________.”
Let us suppose if the whole human body were nothing but only have a big eye? (I Corinthians 12:17)
I Corinthians 12:17 “If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?”
If the whole body have nothing but only an eye and able to see very well, but would the body able to hear? ____
If the whole body have nothing but only an ear and able to see hear well, but would the body able to smell? ____
If the whole body have nothing but only a nose and able to smell well, but would the body able to run or walk? __
If the whole body have nothing but only have feet and able to walk, but would the body able to eat and taste? ___
If the whole body have nothing but only have tongue and able to eat or taste, would it able to shake hands? _____
What else the body would not be able to do if it has only one member? __________________________________
     We would be in trouble if we have just one member in the body.
It is very necessary to have many members if we want the body to function and work in the right way. Likewise, for the body of Christ to function and work in the right way, it is necessary to have many members. Now, the Church is made up of many genuine saved believers, the same with the human body is made up of many members. If you are genuinely saved, the believers of Jesus Christ, then you are one of these members of the body of Christ. You are not the only one member of the one body of Christ. Therefore, in the body of Christ, there are many other believers not just one member.
III – HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST
            How does a person become a member of the body of Christ? I become a member of the body of Christ, the moment I repented from my sins and believed Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour. To know how this happened, please read I Corinthians 12:13 and put the words in a blank space.
I Corinthians 12:13 “For by one ________ are (were) we all ____________ into _____ body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
The word “baptize” here in Greek "ebaptisthemen" means “to immerse, to place something into something else.”
A person is baptized in water when he is dipped or immersed into the water, that person is place or submerged into the water. To illustrate this: When you put a piece of paper in the Bible, and close the bible, then that paper has been baptized into the Bible. We learn that the moment a person is saved, God has baptized or place believers into the body of Christ.
The moment a person was saved, that person became a member of this wonderful body! You are not the only member of that one body. You became one of many members of the body of Christ, the church.
IV – EVERY MEMBER OF THE BODY IS LIVING
Every part of the body is living. Each cell in the human body is living, so the human body is a living organism. There is a great difference between the mannequin who looks human but has no life and the living person who is a living organism. 
The thing of the human body is also true with the body of Christ which is the church. Like the human body the church is a living organism, so the church is not just an organization. Every member of the body has life. Fill up the missing words in I John 5:12 "He that hath the _______ hath ________;"
John 3:36 “He that _____________ on the _______ hath everlasting _______: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life;” A person can assuredly have everlasting life if that person believeth on the Son.
Each believer on the Son and member of the body of Christ which is the church has the Holy Spirit living within. Read the supporting passages in Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 6:9.
Romans 8:9 "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
I Corinthians 6:19 “What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”
            Please answer some questions based on the following verses:
Are you dead spiritually? _____Ephesians 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”
Are you alive spiritually? _____I John 5:12 "He that hath the Son hath life;”
Do you have the Holy Spirit or don’t have? _____   Romans 8:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
            Why is the believer a living part of a living organism? ____________ (I John 5:12)
I John 5:12 “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
V – THE HEAD OF THE BODY DIRECTS THE MEMBERS OF THE BODY
            It is the head of the human body that gives the orders to the members of the body. It is the brain that tells the hand what to do, therefore unless the hands receive an impulse, the hand cannot do anything. It is the brain which tells the legs what to do, because the legs would not just start running even when they feel like to run, unless they must wait for an impulse from the brain that gives the orders what to do. The very center of all the operations of the body is the head with its brain. It is the head gives order, and directs all the members of the body. 
            You cannot blame your hand when it takes something or do the sin of stealing something. Your hand just did what you have told your hand what to do. You cannot blame your tongue or your mouth for the sin of lying. It is not the fault of your tongue; it is your fault. Your mouth just says what it is told to say. If you punch a person in the face, you cannot blame your fist. Your fist only obeyed your orders and just did what you told your fist to do. What do you think if a criminal made some excuses by saying, “I am not guilty, I did not shoot that person. The trigger was pulled by my finger and I did not do it. I am clean and innocent, and if you want my finger to go to jail, it is your decision.” This is silliness. The finger only does what the head told the finger what to do. The Head of the Body gives the orders.
            Read Ephesians 1:22-23 then answer several questions:
Ephesians 1:22-23 “And hath put all things under his (Christ) feet, and gave him (Christ) to be the head over all things to the church,”
Colossians 1:18 “And he (Christ) is the head of the body; the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he (Christ) might have the preeminence.”
Who is the head of the body of Christ? _______.      Who is the Head of the Church? ________.
Who should tell the members of the body what to do? ______ .  Where should we get our orders from? _______ .
Who is our boss or our commander? ____ . Who is the One who tells us how to operate and how to live? ______ .
            The members of the human body always obey what the head of the body tells them to do, however the sad thing is that the members of the body of Christ do not always obey the Lord Jesus Christ. As believers of Christ, we should and we must obey Christ, but sometimes we do not follow His orders.
Now, where do you find Christ’s order? Check your answer:
(   ) in the dictionary            (   ) in the Bible               (   ) Nowhere              (   ) in the daily newspaper
VI – EVERY MEMBER OF THE BODY HAS DIFFERENT GIFT OR FUNCTION
            Each member of the body of Christ has not the same gift or function.
            Read I Corinthians 12:15, then answer several questions:
I Corinthians 12:15 “If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?”
Is the foot part of the human body? _________ Is the hand part of the human body? ________
Are there things that the hand can do that the foot cannot do? ___________
Are there things that the foot can do that the hand cannot do? ___________
Can your run faster on your feet or can you run faster on your hands? _____________
Can you play baseball by grabbing a bat then swing that bat with your two feet? __________
To really work and function in the right way, does the human body need both the feet and the hands? ______            Read I Corinthians 12:16, then answer several questions:
I Corinthians 12:16 “And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?”
Is the ear part of the human body? ____   Is the eye part of the body? ____   What can the ear do that the eye cannot do? ______   What can the eye do that the ear cannot do? _____ . The human body needs both the ears for hearing and the eyes for seeing.
            In the body of Christ which is the Church, this thing is also true. All believers were given different gifts and abilities by God. For example: Brother Lucas was able to do some things that Brother Ben cannot do and in reverse, Bro Ben might be able to do some things that Brother Lucas cannot do. Another example: One believer has the ability to preach but no ability to sing. Another believer has the ability to sing but is not gifted in preaching. The same example in the human body: The ear can hear but cannot see and the eye can see but cannot hear. A person needs both ear for his hearing and eyes for his seeing because that person’s ear cannot see and the eye of that person cannot hear, so each part in the body of that person has not same function. The same thing is true in the body of Christ. When we are alone, there are many things that we are not able to do in the body of Christ which is the Church, but when every member of the body Christ work together we are able to do the job, and accomplish more!
            The God who gave the human body everything it needs to function what to do and become healthy body is the same God that has given everything that the body of Christ which is the Church it needs to function and to become healthy. See some supporting passages in I Corinthians 12:6-7, 11, 18.
I Corinthians 12:6-7, 11, 18 “And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.”
VII – EVERY MEMBER OF THE BODY IS IMPORTANT AND MUST WORK TOGETHER
            Each member of the body is needed and important.
            Read I Corinthians 12:21, then answer several questions:
I Corinthians 12:21 “And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.”
Does the eye need the hand? _________ Suppose the eye sees an ice cream, does it need the hand? _______
The eye is a wonderful member of the human body, but the eye cannot do a lot of things, the eye cannot touch, carry, handle, grab or hold. To do these things, it takes the hand, so the eye needs the hand. The same is true with the hand that needs the eye. Both the eye and the hand is important.
Do you want to be a person without your hand? ______ Do you want to be a person without your eye?
Can the head say to the feet, “I have no need of you”? ________ (I Corinthians 12:21)
Suppose the head may think and desire to get into a car and take a ride. But how is the head go and to get inside the car without the fee? __________ .
The feet are amazing when it comes to thinking and the head is amazing when it comes to walking. The feet need the head to think and the head needs the feet to walk. So, the feet and the head work together
Is the head really important? ____________ . Are the feet really important? ________________.
All the members of the body are important and necessary that is why all must work together.
Illustration: During the championship game. A basketball player catching the ball from the teammates who passes the ball during fastbreak play. The ear hears the shout of the coach’s instructions to do the fastbreak play and the eye sees the coming ball from off the court. The brain that is in the head tells the legs to start running in a certain direction; the player’s arms, legs and the body, all move together in a certain direction and then finally the basketball player jumps highly and catches the ball and shoot it for a winning basket of the game. For a successful catch that gave them championship trophy, all of the members of the body were important and equally needed. If the eye refused to do the function to see, if one leg refused to do the function to run, or if the arm refused to function of extending itself, then of course the ball would not have been caught that lose the ball game and not become the champion team.
All the members of the human body work together very well, needing each other and helping each
other. The human lungs take air into the body. The human brain, muscles, and bones help the human lungs. I need help so I can move my bones. It is my muscles that help my bones move. It is my brain that thinks and sends messages to all the parts of me. The human brain needs oxygen which it gets from human blood, which got it from human lungs. The human bones, muscles, brain, lungs, heart, nerves and stomach all help each other. This is the same the way the body of Christ needs. Every Believers need each other, that is why it is very important that every believer need to help each other.
Illustration: The mechanical typewriters used by people before the time of the computers. A mechanical typewriter must have all of its keys working properly to function well. There are times when the typewriter works quite well except for one of the keys. Our church is somewhat like that situation, not all the key people are properly working properly. A member of the church is thinking that since he is only one person, that not working properly, he would not make or break the church. But it does not make difference, because to be effective, the church needs the active participation of every person.
            In spite of many weaknesses, indifferences, selfishness, and bad attitudes, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke, rebuked and shared with all the believers or members of the body of Christ, which is the Church that everyone of them had a purpose and that they were uniquely made to fulfill that purpose. God wants to use all the members of the body of Christ. Every member of the body of Christ is needed and important. As believers of Christ, each one of us has our own weaknesses and our character flaws and our sins. There are times the saints, the believers hurt people the wrong way, but the Bible tells us something what we need to do.
Ephesians 4:2 “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, _______________ one another in ______;”. This verse tells us to be forbearing one another in love that is putting up with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye ______ one to another, ____________, ___________ one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
            If the Spirit filled us and we are yielded to the control of God, then the Lord Jesus is able to use everyone of us in the body of Christ in a way that would please the Lord, so that we might be an instrument to edify and build up one another, and become a light that shines as testimony for those who are without Christ.
            If you are genuinely saved, who repented from sins and believe Jesus Christ as your Saviour then the church needs you, you have a very important place in the body of Christ. The carpenter could not do his job without the hammer, the saw, ruler, level, sandpaper, clamp, hand drill, and other carpentry tools. We must be aware of the importance of each one of us in the church, without you or anyone of us the church would be missing one of its essential and needed members in the body of Christ.
            Some of the members of the human body which are not visible and so beautiful in appearance are very important. Some member of the human body which are visible are the eye, nose, lips, face. Of course, those visible part of the human body gets lots of attention and judgment like the beautiful eyes, the brown eyes, blue eyes. When you look at that person you usually look at his eyes. However, there are some of the other members of the human body that are not so visible and so beautiful and attractive. The liver is one of those that are not visible and pretty part of the human body and would not win a beauty contest. The lungs cannot be seen unless it undergoes operation, beside the lungs are not the most beautiful part of the human body and cannot win the beauty contest. Listen, without your eyes you can still live, but without your lungs and liver you cannot live. There are organs in the human body that are very important even though they are not visible and are not beautiful, these are the heart, the lungs, the liver, and the kidneys, etc.
          There are some who are very visible and prominent members in the church. The Pastor who is behind the pulpit always seen by everyone. There are also others who are visible like the choir members and those who play the instruments involved in the music ministries. Even though there are some members who are less visible they are just as important with other visible and prominent members. There are old man and old woman who are not visible to the eyes of people, but they faithfully pray daily. These some old man and old woman who are not visible members but praying faithfully for the Pastor, are helping and supporting the Pastor on their knees, and because of that the Pastor can preach as well as he does. It is true, that sometimes people may not notice you as much as they notice someone, but this does not mean you are not important as other members in the body of Christ which is the church (I Corinthians 12:22-24).   
I Corinthians 12:22-24 “Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked.”
           We must learn the importance of being content with God’s placement in the body. Faithfulness gladdened the heart of God. As a believer we have a unique place in God’s plan, so we must make the most of it.
VIII– EVERY MEMBER OF THE BODY AFFECTS THE WHOLE BODY
           Every part of human body whether healthy or a sick body affects the whole body.
           Read I Corinthians 12:26 to know who else suffers with, when one member of the body suffers?
I Corinthians 12:26 “And whether one member suffer, _______ the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the ____________ rejoice with it.”
Illustration: When the hammer hits your thumb, will the whole human body be affected? Will some of the different members of the human body react, when the thumb gets hit by a hammer? Of course, there will be a normal reaction from some different parts of the body. The mouth might say “ouch!” You notice that your body feel miserable If your noise has sore throat or had been stuffed up?
           What will happen in the human body, the same will happen in the body of Christ. If one member of the body of Christ is spiritually sick, the whole body of Christ will be affected. If there is a believer, one member of the body of Christ has no good testimony at school or at work or at community, the testimony of the entire church will be affected. The opposite will truly happen if one believer, or one healthy member of the body of Christ is doing well spiritually, this will greatly help the whole body of Christ.
Illustration: A basketball team composed of 12 players. Think if one of their players uses bad language and had some arguments with the referee and do not show sportsmanship attitude, this affects the name and reputation of the whole team. On the other hand, if one of their basketball player teammates shows a good spirit of sportsmanship and do not have any arguments with the referee, in spite there are some inconsistencies and bad call-in officiating during the game, then this good example of the disciplined players contributes a help to the entire whole basketball team to gain a good reputation and testimony. The same is true, as member of the body of Christ, we as believers of Christ are on the same team. The whole body was affected by whatever we do, thus what we do is very important to the body of Christ.
IX – WHEN ANY MEMBER OF THE BODY IS HURT, THE HEAD KNOWS AND FEELS IT
              Your head is aware and immediately knows when somebody steps on your toe. Your toe will send a message to your head. Whenever any part of the human body is hurt, there is a message sent to the human brain and the head always knows about the hurt.
            Whenever a believer is hurt, the Lord Jesus Christ always knows about every hurt of every believer. Christ is the head of the church, which is the body of Christ. When you touch, hurt, or do something about the body, the Head always knows it and feels it.
            Read Acts 8:1 and Acts 9:1 and see that Saul went about threatening, persecuting and hurting Christians in the church.  Acts 8:1 “And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.” Acts 9:1 “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,”
            Read Acts 9:4 and learn that Jesus Christ met Saul. What Jesus said to Saul? Acts 9:4 “And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou ________?”
Think carefully, as we know Saul was hurting Christians but we wonder why Jesus said in Acts 9:5, “Why are you persecuting me?” Acts 9:5 “And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”            According to the words of Jesus as He teaches Saul, when you hurt the body (Christians) you are hurting the Head (Christ). Jesus knows no matter what difficulties, heartache, disappointments, pain we are facing, Jesus knows and cares. When people ridicule us or deride us or speak against us and hurt us in any way, the Lord Jesus knows well and feels everything we feel. Every member of the body of Christ has a wonderful relationship with their highest, holy, and heavenly Head, the Lord Jesus Christ. We as the members of the body are marvelously connected to Christ, the Head.
X – THE BODY MUST STAY HEALTHY
           The human body must stay healthy, that is why it is very essential for us to take care of our body, getting enough rest, eating nutritious food, getting exercise to remain physically healthy and fit.
           The same is true with the body of Christ. The body of Christ must stay healthy. Remember, the body of Christ (the church) is only as healthy as the individual members are healthy.
           Being member of the body, it is very important not to forget that I do not need to be sick just because someone else is sick. By God’s grace, God still help me to stay healthy even if other believers are spiritually sick. Myself is the only person and no one else who can keep me from being spiritually healthy person. If I am not healthy spiritually, I have no reason and I have no right to blame other members of the body of Christ. The only person I can blame is my myself.
          The body cannot function well or will not be doing well if many of the members are sick and not healthy. It is very important to be a healthy believer. But the question is how and what does a believer need to do to be a healthy believer? What is the description of a healthy believer? Would you describe a healthy believer at school? at home? and at the church? How about yourself, would you describe yourself a healthy believer? How healthy are you spiritually? Would the body of Christ be doing very well, if other believers were just as healthy as you? Would the body of Christ be badly much affected, if other believers were just as sick as you?
           Would you personally answer several questions: Are you thankful for your wonderful physical human body that God has given you? As a saved person, are you thankful for the wonderful privilege of being part of the spiritual body of Christ?
           Christ is the Head of the church, His body, the believers.
Colossians 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church”
Ephesians 1:22-23 “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
Ephesians 5:23 “Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.”
Are you thankful for the Head of the church? Are you obedient and submissive to the orders of the Head?

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