Faithful in Friendship

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 12:12It is important that we understand that while Jesus Christ and the Church are not identical, they are inseparable. We cannot forsake the church; we must remain faithful in fellowship.1 Corinthians 12:12 says, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.”This passage describes the church as a body, with Christ as the head. As our bodies inhabit our humanity, the church inhabits Jesus Christ. The body serves the life of the person who lives inside of it; likewise, we are Jesus’ hands and feet.Adrian Rogers says, “Jesus is the invisible part of the visible church, and the church is the visible part of the invisible Christ.”We are not just a collection of parts; we have life. The Holy Spirit moves us, therefore we are more than an organization… We are an organism. We have many members, but we have one agenda.“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).The formation of the church body begins when the members are born again and spiritually baptized by the Holy Ghost. As a result, we are bound together as a single body in fellowship.We share a common life, unified by the Holy Spirit dwelling in each of us. We belong to one another, casting aside any competition with one another or isolation.We also show a common love as 1 Corinthians 12:25 and 26 say: “...that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”Finally, we serve the same Lord; Adrian Rogers says, “Loyalty to Jesus means loyalty to His body; you cannot love Jesus without loving what Jesus loves.”As Jesus loves the church—faults, failures, flaws, and all—so should we.Apply it to your lifeWe are all somebody in His body; accept your role, whether you are an ear to hear or an eye to see. Be yourself and give yourself to the church; as we work with each other, Jesus Christ will be seen through us.