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I'm going to ask you to consider today what the church is, why it is the way that it is, and what part you and I play in it. Why is this conversation important? Some of you may be asking that. And I would say that this conversation is important because, contrary to what our culture may tell you, fulfillment is not found in some individualistic American dream type life. Living by yourself for yourself. But it's actually found in relationship. And when I say relationship, I don't just mean relationship or friendships. I mean relationship with God and relationship with others. Have you stopped to consider recently? Most likely not, but have you stopped to consider at all recently a stained glass window? What a stained glass window is. Okay? Think about a stained glass window. And I don't mean just like a cheap janky stained glass window, you know, at some trinket store. I mean like a beautiful piece of art in a church, okay? It's incredible, right? It's a thing of beauty as you look at it. All the intricacies, all the detail, all the color, and the art and the way that the light comes through and refracts off it and makes a beautiful picture out of that. A stained glass window, though, if you think about it, is actually just little pieces of pretty obscure and uninteresting glass, if you were to take them by themselves, right? It's just like a weird shaped piece of glass that it may have a color to it. By itself, pretty uninteresting. But when it's crafted, when it's put into the context of something bigger and it's given relationship to the pieces of glass around it, and relationship to the greater context of the whole window, it becomes something absolutely beautiful and harmonious as all of that comes together and creates something magnificent. And I would say to you today that a stained glass window is in a small way like the church, the body of Christ. We've titled our series that we're studying through the body. And today I'm excited because we finally get to the passage in this miniseries as we've been working through 1 Corinthians from like the start of 1 Corinthians all the way to where we are now, we're finally at the part where we're talking about what the body actually is. The scripture that talks specifically about that. And so today we're going to get to delve into the intricacies of what that means. But before we do that, I want to grossly overgeneralize and put all of you in one of two camps this morning, okay? Let me allow me to do that. Firstly, I believe there are those of you today who are not entirely certain of what you believe about God or what you believe about Jesus or this Christian faith. And if you're here, that's a great thing. Thank you for being here. Thank you for engaging in this conversation. But I just want to acknowledge that you may be in this room today, and that's a good thing. The second group of you is those of you who would state with certainty that you have a restored relationship with Jesus, with God through Jesus. You're a Christian and you're absolutely sure of that. Now, I just want to say you're in one of those two camps. The reason I want to say that is because I believe this message has specific things to say to both of you in different ways. Firstly, if you're in that first camp, if you're searching, if you're unsure of what you actually believe, today is an opportunity for you to see what God could be calling you to. My hope is that as we talk about the church, as we talk about the body of Christ, that we will be painting a beautiful stained glass window that you can look at and say, wow, I could be a part of that. That's my hope today. That's my prayer. For those of you who are Christians, are sure of where you stand with God, where you stand with Jesus, today is an opportunity for you to be reminded of what part you play in that picture. To be reminded that you are a part of something bigger and that you have a distinct part to play in that, and that God has a calling on your life. So, with those thoughts in mind, let's go straight to the scripture today. We're going to read through a lot of scripture today, but that's a good thing because we believe this is God's word, which means it has more power than any of my words today. And I want to encourage you as we turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, that God is able to speak to us through his word this morning. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and we'll go to verse 12. As you turn there, I just want to remind you that we are coming out of a conversation about spiritual gifts. And previous to that, the Spirit who gives those gifts, the Holy Spirit. So 1 Corinthians 12, 12 is where we're going to pick up this morning. We'll read a couple of verses and talk about it and then continue reading some more, okay? Here we go. For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body, so also is Christ. For we were all baptized by one spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one spirit. Now I don't know if you noticed, but you should have noticed that all throughout here there's this word one that keeps popping up. As we're reading this, it's talking about one body, one spirit, all this stuff, talking about one. And that's because God cares about unity. And we're going to talk about his care for this oneness and unity a little bit further on in the message today. But I do want to point that out. I do want to acknowledge that. And I also want to point out that this word body is beginning to be used here. Now, this word body, when it what it's referencing, is a human body. It's using a human body as an analogy. What's an analogy? Well, if you were to look up the definition, this is what you would find. An analogy is a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation and clarification. So the body is an analogy to help us understand the form and function of the church. Think about that. This term that we're going to leverage through the rest of this whole passage today, this body, is there to help us understand the form, what it looks like, and the function of the body, of the church. And the details and the intricacies are going to be explained by using this analogy. It's going to give us specifics by using this analogy. Couple of quick side notes for you before we continue on with this thought. First side note is this. When we're talking about the church here today, we're talking about what I would say is the big C church. What I mean by that is the church as a whole, not just put a local expression of the church. When you talk about a local expression of the church, that's typically spelt with a little C church, okay? So Point Community Church, we're just talking about a local expression of the church. When we're talking about the church or the body of Christ today, we're talking about the global movement of God's people, the big sea church, okay? So just understand those differences. The second side note that I'd point you towards is the beauty that we find in verse 13. We could park on verse 13 and just spend some time reflecting on the gospel there because it's pretty awesome. Verse 13 tells us that whether we're Jews or Greeks, whether we're slaves or free, we're all made to drink of the one spirit. I couldn't pass over this without pointing out to you how awesome the gospel is. The message of Jesus, who he is, what he's done for us, is incredibly radical and beautiful. The reason it's radical is it says to us that whether we're Jews or Greeks, those two groups of people hated each other. Okay? They weren't on the same page. And it says, whether we're slaves or free, and again, those are two totally different classes of people. It's saying this message of Jesus, who he is, what he's done for us in God, is equalizing. It does this amazing work of grace for everyone. And I just want to point that out. I couldn't pass over without saying, you guys need to hear that this morning. The message of the gospel is radical and beautiful. So back to the body. Why is the church like a body? Why is there this analogy? Why is this parallel drawn? Well, let's read on in 1 Corinthians and kind of draw some parallels and see what we can find out. Verse 14. I would encourage you to keep your place in your Bible. We're going to keep coming back to it today. Verse 14. So the body is not one part, but many. If the foot should say, Because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body, in spite of this, it still belongs to the body. And if the ear should say, Because I'm not an eye, I don't belong to the body, in spite of this, it still belongs to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed each one of the parts of the in one body just as he wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? Now there are many parts, yet one body. Guys, I know that some of you when you approach God's word or faith or even Christianity, you have very somber and serious thoughts. And I'm not saying today that it's bad to be reverent. I believe that there is absolutely a place for reverence, for understanding the severity of sin, the amazingness of grace, and to treat all of those things with respect and reverence. That's a good thing. But I also want to remind you that God is the God who created laughter, humor, and joy. And we see that here in this text. I don't know if you picked up on that. As we were reading through this text, it's talking about body parts talking to other body parts. Saying, Well, I'm not a, you know, I'm not as good as a hand. Well, you know, what part do I have to play? That's a funny illustration, there's it there in the body. The one that really I think is quite funny is where it talks about the whole body just being one body part. And it says, Imagine if the whole body were an ear. I don't know about you, but picture that, just a big ear. Imagine if that's what we look like. That's funny. Like that's in God's word. And as we read that, it is funny, but it's also making a very good point to us. The church is like a body because it has many unique and essential parts. The body has many unique individual parts. That's made very clear in verses 14 and 17. And all of its members belong, they're essential. And there's a created order that God has made to all of it. And whether you like it or not, verse 15 and 16 make it clear. Hey, yeah, you belong. Whether you like being a hand or a not, or if a foot or the illustration is there, it's saying that's what you are, and you belong. You have a place. So the church is like a body because it has many unique and essential parts. The church is also like a body because it is designed with an intentional plan. An intentional plan. I love verse 18. It may be my one of my favorite, I don't know if you meant to have favorites, but it may be one of my favorite verses in this particular section. Read it with me. But now, God has placed each one of the parts in one body just as he wanted. Just as he wanted. The reminder is here that God is sovereign over the body. He is sovereign over the design and the purpose, the plan that he has and the purpose. And I want you guys to hear that today. If you're a Christian, you belong, but there's also an intent and a design between by the way that God has crafted you to be a part of that body. The third thing I'd remind you is that the church is like a body because its members are completely dependent on one another. In a body, think about a human body, the members of a body are dependent on one another. My hand cannot be a hand and do what a hand does without all the stuff in between there, right? It needs an arm, it needs like it needs bones, it needs ligaments, it needs blood vessels, all of that stuff works together. My hand is incredibly dependent on the rest of the body. You and I, as Christians, are a part of the body. We're like a hand or any other body part you can think of, and we're incredibly dependent on all of each other. And again, I don't mean just this local expression of the church. I mean the big C church. We are dependent on one another. And that's the way that God intended it. We see that as we continue to read on. Read verse 21 with me. It says this. So the eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you. Or again, the head cannot say to the feet, I don't need you. But even more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary. Those parts that are weaker are necessary. This is saying like parts like a stomach. Nobody thinks, wow, what a glorious stomach you have. No, like that's that's a part that's incredibly necessary. It draws all the nutrients out that we need for everyday life. And much in the same way, you may not feel like you're a spectacular part of any of the church, but the part the truth is that you are necessary. We are dependent on one another, and we all desperately need each other, whether you realize that or not. Now, to this point, we've talked about some parallels that we find between the church and the human body. And that's a good conversation, but I would say that that's a pretty like heady and knowledge-based conversation. One that we're kind of it's kind of doesn't really impact our lives at all, right? Like we're you're like, oh yeah, I can kind of see those parallels, that's cool. But what I'd like for us to do is actually to go more into our hearts and into our beliefs and say, well, what does this actually mean for us? Why is this conversation important? Why is it important for me to see that the church is like a physical body? And so the question I'd really like for us to wrestle with is why is the church important? Why is the church important? What's the point of having this whole analogy in this conversation? And there are many truths that we could pick on and answer with this, but I want to point you to just two specific things. Again, not an exhaustive list. First thing is this the church is important because it gives those in Christ a place and a purpose. It gives those in Christ, Christians, a place, a place of belonging, and a purpose. It gives them significance. We see that as we continue to read on in the text. I'm going to read for you verse 24. You notice we're skipping down to partway through 24. It's just talking about honorable parts and less honorable, presentable and non-presentable. And then it says partway through 24, instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all members suffer with it. If one member is honored, all members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individual members of it. I've said this already. If you're a Christian, you're part of the body. Like it or not, you're a part of the body. It's clear. Verse 267 makes that absolutely clear. Now you are, talking to Christians, this letter is written to Christians, are the body of Christ and individual members of it. But what that means is that you have a place and a per a purpose. And I just want to encourage you, if you're a believer, if you're a Christian today, know that you belong. You're a part of something big. You may not feel like that. You may not sense that, you may feel disconnected, you may feel like you're kind of an island living life alone. But the truth is, if you are in Christ, you belong. And I just want to say that too for those of you who are not Christians, because I want for you to see what that you too could belong to something significant that could give you meaning and purpose. This means not only that you belong, but that you're cared for. I don't know if you notice that in the text. If you go to verse 25, it says that we're to have the concern, we're to have concern for one another and not to have divisions, to be one, to have unity. That concern that it's talking about is a beautiful thing, as we care and love for one another. It actually goes on to talk about that, what that specifically looks like. If you look on uh to the next illustration, it talks about, it talks about how if one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers with it. I'll give you an actual example of this. Okay, so if I was up here and my hand was cut, I'd probably be freaking out. But if I was up here and my hand was cut, my hand would be suffering, right? It would feel terrible. But for those of you who have been injured like this, you know that your whole body experiences that suffering, right? You feel pain through your whole body. And much in the same way, the analogy has been drawn here to say that the church is meant to function in the same way. As somebody, a member of the body, goes through a moment of hardship, it may be loss, death, it may be a hard time in life or in relationship. As they experience that, the whole body is meant to experience that with them and come around them and love them and support them and care for them in that moment of need. God intended it to be that way. That's why Christian community is so important, so that we can love and care for each other in those moments of suffering. We can all suffer together and love and care for each other in that moment. Much in the same way the inverse is true. What I mean by that is if I was up here, this would be really weird, but if I was up here and one of you was giving me a foot rub, that'd be weird. But my foot would feel really good, right? My foot would be feeling amazing, but not just my foot, my whole body would feel good. I'd enjoy that. And in the same way, when when honor is brought to a member of the church, when one of you goes through or a group of you goes through a moment of experiencing joy and happiness and honor, the whole body experiences that together. For example, if somebody gets a promotion or somebody has a marriage or experiences the birth of a new child into their family, the whole body gets to experience that joy together. That's the way God intended us to live, in relationship, in community with each other. That's a good thing. We have a place and we have a purpose. Think back to that stained glass window with me. All of those pieces by themselves are scattered, broken pieces of glass that are uninteresting. They're just, I mean, they're just pieces of glass. But put into a greater context, they're not random and unremarkable. They actually become something that belongs and something that is significant. If you're a Christian, you belong. And that's one of the reasons why the church is important, because it gives you as a person in Christ a place and a purpose. The second reason that I'd point out to you that as to why the church is important is because it points everyone to Jesus. The church is incredibly important because one of the purposes of the church is to point people towards Jesus, who he is, what he's done. Some people, and I I've thought this at different times, I've thought, you know, what would it be like to actually see Jesus? I wish I could see Jesus or I could talk to Jesus or see what he looked like or any of that. Guys, we see Jesus when we see the church functioning as the way it should. The church is called what? The body of Christ. If you want to know what Christ looks like, look at the body of Christ. That's what it's meant to meant to work like. Now, sometimes the church in present time and in history past, the church has done a great job of reflecting Jesus and pointing people towards Jesus. At other times, present time and pro and and times past, the church has done an absolutely horrible job of reflecting Jesus. And I think Jesus was absolutely and is absolutely aware of this. If we go to Acts 17, sorry, not Acts 17, John 17, we get to see Jesus addressing this, I think, in an incredible passage. So I'm gonna ask you to jump out of 1 Corinthians and go back to John chapter 17 with me. This is an awesome passage, guys. All the Bible's awesome, but I really like this part because this is a part where Jesus prays for us. People living in 2017. He's praying for us. How cool is that? We're gonna read a prayer. He's getting ready to go to the cross. He's been talking with his disciples, and now he's praying to God the Father as he's getting ready to go to the cross. And I want you to start in verse 20 with me of chapter 17 of John. It says this I pray not only for these, talking about his actual disciples there 2,000 years ago with him there. But he says, But I but Also for those who believe in me through their message. That's us. That's us. This prayer is for us. May they all be one. This is what he says. This is what Jesus thinks is so important to pray for us. May they all be one as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be one in us. There's that one word again. So the world may believe you sent me. Our unity, our oneness points people to Jesus. We'll continue on. I have given them the glory you have given me. May they be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they be one com sorry, may they be made completely one, so the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. God the Father, Jesus, they love us. And that is to be expressed through the church. The church is to be an expression of Jesus, to point people towards Jesus. Jesus was aware that when we are one, when we live in unity, when we have a unity of heart and purpose, we the church reflect his goodness and his glory. People are changed and people are transformed by the church being what it's called to be, reflecting Jesus. Another way to put that is this: when the church functions the way that God intended, it is the best apologetic, that's a Christianese word for argument, for the gospel. When the church functions the way that God intended, it's the best argument for the gospel. I see get this played out in multiple ways. I've had the opportunity to see this played out in multiple ways. I'll give you a couple of different size contexts. Firstly, I've seen life groups. Life groups are like little groups within Point Community Church that get together and love and serve each other. What I would say is they're little churches inside of a bigger church, local expression of the church. And as these life groups get together, there have been moments over the years where I've got to see them reflecting the goodness and glory of Jesus by laying down of their own priorities and their own needs to love and to serve one another and to point people inside of their groups who are going through hard times, marriage difficulties, financial stresses, as they've rallied around people, they've pointed them towards Jesus. And it's a really cool thing to see. It's really cool. It gets me very excited. A second greater example, if you zoom out a little bit further, is to see local expressions of the church pointing people towards Jesus by being one, by being unified. A couple of weeks ago, we got to experience something we call kids' clubs. We got the whole church to say, hey, how can we mobilize to love and to serve the community around us and to point them towards Jesus? And as people came out and gave up of their time and their comfort, it was hot. That was a great expression of people giving up of themselves, being one, and pointing people towards Jesus. I saw people pointed towards Jesus at three different locations around the city. It was a really beautiful and awesome thing. That's just one example. Zoom out a little bit further. You can get churches across a region to come together to point people towards Christ. An example of that, last year, we said with the churches across South Austin, what would happen if we were to love and serve the community together on one day if we got together and did this? And we prayed about it and we decided that the best thing for us to do was to get to love the schools together, to get a whole bunch of churches to just love the schools across South Austin. And as we did that, we had people asking, well, what part of what church are you guys from? We're like, we are the churches of South Austin, we're from different churches. That blew people's minds. They're like, what? You guys are working together? Yeah. As people were unified, Jesus was glorified. That was a good thing. That's the way it's meant to be. That's the way that God intended it to be. The church is ultimately about glorifying Jesus. Hear me say that today. And we have, as individuals, a small part to play in that. So what part do we play? If you are a Christian, if you're a believer in Jesus, you're a part of the body. We've said that multiple times, right? Like it or not, you're a part of the body. You may be deadweight in the body. That's not very kind, is it? Or you may be a vitalized part of the body. You might be giving life and health. Or you could be crippling the body by being deadweight, by being a non-functioning part of the body. Understanding our role and our place is hugely significant. So, Christian, what part do you play? Ask yourself that question this morning. And what I'd say to you is that that is something, as you question that, that is something that we discover with the help of God's spirit, God's word, and God's community. Now, this is bordering on what we were talking about last week with spiritual gifts, but this is an important point. So we're going to talk about this for a moment. God's Spirit, if you're a Christian, lives inside of you and can give you wisdom, insight, and direction. He is the counselor. We talked about this a couple of weeks ago. Ask him what role you play, what you could or should bring to the church. And what I mean, I mean think bigger than just point community church in that. God, what are you calling me to with my life? It's yours. What do you want me to do? What do I contribute? What do I bring? How have you uniquely gifted me? What experiences have you given me that I can bring to the table? How can I love and serve you with my life? That's the prayer to pray. Allow his Holy Spirit to answer that. Also allow his word to speak to that. His word has so many truths about what it means to live and to engage and be the people that God's called us to be. Allow his word to speak to you in that. And then also allow Christian community to speak into that. Allow people to say, Well, I really see this in you. People who love you and love God can speak great truths into you about how God has uniquely wired and gifted you. I'd strongly encourage you to consider what your role is in the body and what you bring to the church. What does it look like for you to participate? What are your giftings? There's one particular scripture that I very much like that speaks to giftings, and it's found in Ephesians chapter 4. I want to ask you to turn there. I know that you guys kind of feel like we're doing a Bible drill today. It's good for you, I promise. Ephesians 4. Ephesians chapter 4. Jump forward past Corinthians to Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 4. I love this passage. I know I'm not meant to have favorites, but I really do love this passage because what it does is it paints for us a picture of what the church, if and when it functions the way that it should, could and should look like, okay? So we're going to read about this in verse 11 as we continue to consider how God has called us to play a part in what's going on. Verse 11 is where we'll start of Ephesians chapter 4. It says this, and he, talking about Jesus. And Jesus personally gave some to be apostles and some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry to build up the body of Christ. There's that language again. Until we all reach unity in faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. Have we reached that yet? No, we haven't reached that yet. But this is the goal. This is what we're shooting for. We are to be a church that continues to grow and to morph and to become something that brings honor to God. Listen to verse 14 as we continue. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning, with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. Here verse 15. I really want you to hear this. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ. From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part. You are an individual part. I am an individual part. And when we work properly, we bring glory to God. We bring glory to Jesus. And that's important for us to consider, but it's not where I want for us to stay parked. I want you to back back up to verse 15 with me and look at it again. Verse 15 says this. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head. Christ. Jesus, Christ, is the head. It's not me, it's not you, it's not some prominent figure from church history. Christ is the head, and that means that he provides leadership and he provides life to the whole body. Think about it. Let's continue to leverage this analogy. The body can function without certain things. For example, today, I'm up here without an appendix. Ooh. Amazing, right? I'm appendixless. I'm up here and I'm preaching to you without an appendix. That can happen. A body can also function without even limbs. That's not easy, but like if I didn't have an arm, I could still be up here preaching to you guys. A body cannot function without the head. It just doesn't happen. The head provides life, it provides leadership, it provides direction, signals to the whole body. It is absolutely key and essential. And you and I are not the head, it is Christ. That is not your role, that is not your place to fill, that is his. Let's reflect on that and remember that. And also remember what we're told in verse 16. Read that with me again. Verse 16, it's just told us that Christ is the head. Verse 16 starts out with this. I love this. From him the whole body is fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament. It promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part. The proper working of each individual part and the growth and all of that stuff comes from him. Verse 16 starts with those words. From him. You may have noticed that around here at Point Community Church, this local expression of the church, we pound a very loud, I think it's a loud drum, against moralism. What I mean by that is that we try very hard to make it clear that the Christian life is not about what you or I bring to the table. Our default is to look to ourselves, to pull ourselves up by our own strength and our own power to make something of our lives. And we're encouraged in our culture to do that from a young age. But for those of us who have pursued that, we discover usually fairly quickly the futility andor the emptiness of that quest. And throughout the scriptures, and clearly here again, we're told that we are to look to Christ, that it's from him that everything happens and works together. That he is, that Christ is the author and the perfecter of our faith. That's Hebrews 12. The author, meaning he's the one who initiates or starts our faith, but he's also the one who brings it to fruition. He's the one, he is the one who is the perfecter, or another way to put that, he's the power source for our faith. It's by his power that we can be the people, we can play the role that we're called to play. The point that I'm trying to drive home here is this we must discover our role in the body, yes. And not try to fulfill it by our own power. Yes, pray about what role you play. Understand that you have a role to play. Don't be dead weight in the body, but understand that you cannot look to yourself. You must look to Christ for his power to enable you to be the part of the body of the Christ that he's called you to be by his power, not ours. Three last questions for you. First question is this Do you belong to the body? This is a simple question, right? It's yes or no. Are you a part of the body of Christ or not? And I think the question that I'd like to ask, and I don't want to sound rude asking this, but if not, why not? My hope is that as we've talked about the church and what it can and should be, we've been able to paint a beautiful stained glass window for you and for you to say, I could be a part of that. I could be a piece in that. My hope and prayer is that as you're sitting here and you're not sure of where you stand with God or with Jesus or what you believe about these things, that you would see that you can have a place and a purpose as part of the church, as part of the body today. My prayer is that you would see that. And so I'd encourage you that today you can move from being outside the body to being a part of the body. What it requires is for you to believe in Jesus and to confess Jesus. To believe and confess that he is Lord, that God raised him from the dead. And if you have questions about what that means, or if you want to make that move today, or if you want to pray that prayer, talk to somebody who brought you along, or come and talk to me. Or just even as we have time to respond here in a moment, just pray a prayer and say, God, I want to be a part of your body. Show me what that means. I believe he'll answer that prayer. I absolutely believe he'll answer that prayer. And your life can have a plan and a purpose. It can be a part of something much bigger, not just an individual piece of glass, but something beautiful. Part of something beautiful. The second question for you is what part do you play? If you are, if you are, answer that first question like yes, I'm a part of the body, what part do you play? Are you dead weights? Or are you a vitalized part of the body? Are you just kind of drifting along with the body, not really understanding what it is that you play, or are you understanding your role and by the Spirit's power being enabled to live out that role that you're called to? Stop and consider that today. Last week uh we went home, and we usually have life groups, but life groups are taking a break at our home. So we went home and the house was quiet. Well, as quiet as it can be with three kids. But uh, we were there at home and my wife Liz and I had a conversation about spiritual gifts, because that's what we talked about last week. And we started talking, and I said, Well, what spiritual gifts do you think you have? And she said, Well, what spiritual gifts do you think I have? And we had this awesome conversation about gifting. She was like, Well, I kind of see these things in your life, and I was like, Well, I kind of see these things in your life. And we were able to encourage and edify each other in that process. That's what we're talking about through God's spirit, through God's word, and with God's community. That's the illustration I just gave you. Figure out what God has called you to. You have a part to play. Don't be deadweight, be vitalized in the part that you play. Third question What is your power source? What is enabling you to play the part that God has called you to play? What is driving you? Are you looking to yourself and your own power and your own umption or strength or whatever you want to call it? Or are you looking to God, to his spirit, to Christ, to enable you to be the person that he's called you to be and to live the life that he's called you to live. This is a real struggle. I'm preaching to myself as I'm saying this, by the way. Because I struggle with this, to fulfill what God has called me to by my own power and strength. But the reality that God keeps hitting home to me time and time and time again is that more than anything, he wants my heart. He wants me to pursue him, to love him, to connect with him, and that is what enables me to be the part of the body of Christ that he has called me to be. My relationship to him, my connection with him. And so I want to encourage you, what is your power source? Are you connecting day by day, moment by moment, with the power source, with God, or is it just the thing on Sundays, or maybe a couple of times a week? We ought to give ourselves completely to him, and I'm not trying to beat you guys up here this morning. I'm asking this question of myself. I really am. Am I looking to Christ in all of life to supply the power that I need to be the person that he's called me to be? It's a daily, momently, moment by moment battle. And so I want to encourage you to think about in these next few moments what that means practically. I'm not standing up here and saying, guys, you need to read your Bibles and pray more, and everything will be alright. No, I'm saying connect with the God who loves you. Yes, that can include reading your Bible, and yes, absolutely, pray. But more than that, connect with the Father and God who loves you and gave his son for you. Okay, that's what enables you to be a vitalized part of the body. Allow him to empower you so you can be a part of something much bigger than yourself, which is the church, the body of Christ. That's my prayer for myself. That's my prayer for you guys this morning. On that thought, let's pray. God, not surprisingly, as we've looked at your word this morning again, we're reminded that we desperately need you. Because you are the person who initiates our belief in you, you're the author and the perfecter, which means you are the one who provides power for us to be the people that you're calling us to be. So, God, I'm just praying this morning with my friends here, with my family, my church family, that you would enable us to be the men and women that you've called us to be. To not be just dragging along with the body, but actually be contributing, being a part of something much bigger than ourselves, realizing our place, realizing our role. And so today, God, I pray that if somebody's not a part of their body, that if they're not a Christian, if they're not a believer, that they would make a decision to move to believing in you and be a part of that body. God, for those in the room who feel very confused about the role or the part that they play in the church, I pray that you would bring today and this week clarity. And God, for those who are looking anywhere else than you to give them power to be the people that you've called them to be. God, I pray that today they would look back to you, realizing that you are the head and that every piece of growth and development and goodness comes from you. God, we need this reminder today. We need to be reminded of our dependency on you. God, even as we we reflect in these next few moments, I pray that you'd help us to be honest with you with ourselves. Help us not to believe lies, but to to wrestle with the truth of what you want to say with us into it. Thank you. Amen.