A Functioning Church
Sermon Summary
Let’s begin with the conviction Jesus voiced when He said, “I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18). In His mind the church was never a crowd of spectators but a living body where every part matters. That means you matter. Paul drives that point home in 1 Corinthians 12: “You are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” There are no second-class citizens in Christ’s kingdom; no one is a spare tire riding in the trunk.
Every Member is Essential
North-American headlines tell a different story. Nine out of ten churches are plateaued or declining. A hundred to a hundred-fifty congregations close every week. Yet the problem is not primarily cultural opposition or government policy; it is the church forgetting its own identity. When we see ourselves as consumers sampling religious goods instead of indispensable ligaments in Christ’s body, decline is inevitable.
So hear this: if God has led you into this fellowship, He is pleased for you to be here (1 Cor 12:18). He intends you to contribute, not merely observe. Your presence, your prayers, your gifts, your smile in the lobby—each one is essential to the Spirit’s work among us.
Diverse Roles, Unified Mission
Paul chooses the most ordinary metaphor imaginable—the human body—to picture breathtaking diversity held together by one purpose. Hands grip, feet stabilize, ears listen, eyes discern. Imagine an absurd cartoon body that is nothing but a giant eye rolling down the street. It would see plenty but accomplish nothing else. In the same way, a congregation made up of only teachers or only musicians or only administrators would be grotesquely ineffective.
God “arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose” (1 Cor 12:18). That means spiritual gifts and natural abilities are not status symbols but assignments. One sister excels at hospitality, another at intercession; one brother knows how to untangle spreadsheets, another how to disciple teenagers. The Spirit weaves these threads into a single fabric so that the gospel can advance in Vancouver and beyond.
Our unity, then, is not uniformity. We do not erase ethnic accents, occupational skills, or personality quirks. We marshal them beneath one banner—making Christ non-ignorable in our city. When every part works properly, Paul says in Ephesians 4:16, the body “makes itself grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
Motivated by Love, Not Obligation
The engine that drives this diversity is not guilt, fear, or social pressure; it is love. That is why the apostle inserts 1 Corinthians 13 between chapters on spiritual gifts and church order. Without love, tongues are mere noise, prophecy is empty wind, benevolence is self-promotion, and martyrdom is wasted (13:1–3). Love is the hand that wields every tool.
What kind of love? Agapē—patient, kind, humble, rejoicing in truth, bearing and believing all things. Love accepts slow progress in a toddler Christian without cynicism. Love opts for the back-row parking spot so a guest can have the front. Love refuses to nurse old wounds because Christ’s cross canceled every record of debt.
If that seems unattainable, remember Romans 5:5: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” We do not manufacture agapē; we meditate on the cross until gratitude overflows into action. That is why serving teams, community groups, and leadership roles in this church are not boxes to check but altars where we offer ourselves as living sacrifices.
Reflection — How Will I Serve?
Where am I tempted to spectate? Ask the Lord to replace consumer instincts with servant instincts. The Spirit never gifts a believer for sidelines but for the field.
What unique grace has God entrusted to me? Name one talent, experience, or spiritual gift He could leverage for others’ good. Then tell a ministry leader, “Here I am—use me.”
Is love or obligation motivating me? Obligation eventually breeds exhaustion; love replenishes itself at the empty tomb. Return often to the gospel until service feels like worship, not wage-earning.
Jesus is still building His church, and the gates of hell—and the grim statistics—will not prevail. Let’s refuse the country-club mentality and embrace our blood-bought calling. Together, as essential, Spirit-empowered, love-motivated members, we can display the manifold wisdom of God to Vancouver and to the watching heavens.
