That caught my attention and it’s amazing how the Lord put it here. I believe for such a time as this, I believe it would be a help to you. I hope it will be as it was a help to me. We’ll look at the whole chapter to get the context and our thought tonight. At least the first part of our thought is found in verse number 18, 1st Corinthians twelve, verse 18. But now hath God set the members, every one of them, in the body as it hath pleased him? As it hath pleased him. God has a purpose behind everything that he does. He has a purpose in how he places us in the body of Christ. He has a purpose in our place in the church. He has a purpose for us when it comes to our death. And we don’t know, we can’t understand it. One of the preachers up there Monday evening was talking and said that there’s no way to understand it. Nobody can understand why Miss Rachel left early, it seems in mid forty s of age, and why she would leave and serving the Lord faithfully. But God had a purpose and God’s got a design and God has orchestrated it, allowed things to happen. I believe the devil is on the attack and he’s looking for people to take out of here, but he can’t do anything unless God allows him. And so God’s design and purpose is greater than the devil’s tactics to destroy Amen. So we don’t understand it, but we know that God is working something beautiful out. I believe that. I believe that wholeheartedly as it had to pleased him, god’s got a purpose, it’s going to please him. Let’s look at this whole chapter and let’s pick out some things from it. Let’s pray first. Heavenly Father, again we come to you Lord. We’re a needy people and Lord I thank you for the reminder of how much we do need you. Would you help us tonight please? From your words in Jesus name we pray. Amen. First Corinthians, chapter twelve, verse one. Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that you were gentiles carried away under these dumb idols even as you were led wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the spirit of God, calleth Jesus accursed. And that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. He starts out talking about spiritual gifts, the design of the gift given, the gift that God gives us as born again children of God is the Spirit of God. And then the Spirit of God bestows gifts gives gifts unto us to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, to encourage one another. And we’re going to read through the list of these gifts that’s given here in this passage. We’re not going to spend a lot of time on it tonight. We may revisit it at some point. But the purpose is not the gifts. The purpose is to exalt the giver and really not the Spirit of God so much as the Lord Jesus Christ. So where if I give you an understanding that no man speaking by the Spirit of God, call it that Jesus occurs. No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. He said in the context here, he’s saying, remember where they come from. They come from a gentile area that served idols and we don’t have to worry so much or we’re not so much accustomed to that in America with worshiping statutes. We worship money, we worship other things. But in other countries where they worship idols, worship statutes, there is such a thing as demonic power that can create supernatural things and witchcraft. The witch doctor is thinking of all these tribal people that are influenced by this. There is spiritual darkness and wickedness in high places, the Devil’s principal power of the year. So he’s saying there are certain things that may happen that might not be from the Spirit of God. And here’s a way to tell. What does that person think of Jesus Christ? Now, they may say he was a good person or he is a Lord, but he is he the Lord? Is he the Son of God who he said he was? There’s some denominations or not really. Christianity might be classified as Christianity, but if you don’t believe in the death of Jesus Christ, his burial and resurrection being sufficient for men’s salvation, men’s sins, then that’s not Christianity. But anyway, they will save Jesus as a good person, but that he’s not God. He’s not the Son of God. He said there’s a difference. Either he’s God or he’s not. Verse number four. Now, there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of administrations, but the same Lord, and there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which works all in all. Stop right there. Do you see the Trinity here at work? You see that in verse four, five and six, he says there are differences in verse four. There are diversities of gifts. There’s different gifts. It’s given, but who gives the gifts? The same spirit. The Spirit of God gives the gifts. There are differences of administrations, but who administers the same Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. There are differences of operations, but who is operating? God. God the Father, right. So you got God the Son, God the Father, God the Spirit, all working in conjunction with there are different gifts, there’s different administrations, there are different operations. You know, God doesn’t have he’s not limited and constrained to repeat Himself in exactly the same manner as he did before. We read Acts and we see the Great Revival or the Great Awakening rather that happened at Pentecostal. Lord, that would be wonderful. Can we see that again? And we could see a great move of God. But it would not happen exactly the same way because God’s not limited to exactly the same thing. Makes sense. God’s greater than that. He’s more sovereign than that. So anyway, there are differences. But it’s the same God that’s working the same purpose. Out verse eight seven. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to prophet withal what’s the purpose? The purpose is to exalt Jesus Christ and to edify one another. And let’s not get so sidetracked that we focus on the gifts and forget the giver. Amen. Want to remember what God is doing? So verse eight four to one is given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom to another, the word of knowledge by the same spirit to another, faith by the same spirit to another, the gifts of healing. By the same spirit to another, the working of miracles to another, prophecy to another, discerning of spirits to another, diverse kinds of tongues to another, the interpretation of tongues. By all these worketh that one and the self same spirit dividing to every man severally as he will. Just real quick we’ll touch on it and we’ll jump past this. But God does not give the same gift to every bornagain believer. There are some people say that unless you have this particular thing that the Spirit of God gives you, you’re not saved. But the Bible doesn’t say that he gives to each one of us something different so we can work together. We’re going to see that as we read. For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body be in many are one body, so also is Christ. For by one spirit are we all baptized in the one body, the baptism of the Spirit of God. We know what baptism of water is, right? We are submerged into the water. We’re put under the water and we’re brought back up being baptized. Let’s see. Get the wording here. Reverse number 13. For by one spirit are we all baptized in the one body. We are put in one body. The body is Christ, right? We’re put in the Lord Jesus Christ. The body of Christ. By the spirit of God. So the baptism of the spirit happens one time. When you become a child of God, you’re born again, baptized by the Spirit of God. You’re born of God. There’s one baptism, but there’s many feelings. You can be controlled by the Spirit of God or you can go your own way. And there’s more to that. But I’m trying to get somewhere tonight. So by one spirit are we all baptized into one body. Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we bond or free and have been all made to drink in the one spirit. Jewish gentile doesn’t matter. We’re one in the Lord Jesus Christ. But baptized by one spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. Now we’re going from one body. One body is made up of many individual parts. And how many of you know some of those parts have quit working right? They’re not working as good as they should be. The hair follicles, when some of us aren’t working as good as they should. If the foot shall say, because I’m not the hand, I’m not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I’m not the eye, I’m not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were the eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now have God set the members, every one of them, in the body. What’s the next five words? As it hath pleased him, right? As it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members yet but one body? 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. They much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor. And our uncomplic parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comedy parts have no need. But God has tempered the body together. We are tempered together whether we like it or not, we are one together in Christ. And having given more abundant honor to the part which lacks that there should be no schism in the body, but that the member should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God has set some of the church first, apostles, second, daily prophets, thirdly, teachers. After that, miracles and gifts of healings helps governments. And last, diversities of tongues. I believe it’s that order for a reason. Are all apostles or all prophets? Are all teachers or all workers or miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? The answer is no. That’s a rhetorical question, but earnestly the best gift to get shown to you in a more excellent way. So here’s the problem that they were facing. We face sometimes as we get more focused on the external, the emotions of things, and we want to see the wow factor, right? We want somebody to come in here speaking in a heavenly language, usher in the heavenly language, and get all caught up. But he said, Wait a minute, wait a minute. He said those things, the tongues, which is speaking in another language. It’s exactly what the tongue is, another language that somebody else on earth speaks all that has had its place. At one time they were putting that out of order. He said first there’s positions or certain offices in the church, certain places in the church that are above it and then over here in the gifts. That’s the latter at the bottom lung of the gifts listed, right? So the things that we ought to lift up are the things that edify one another and encourage one another and help one another. So let’s go back and visit this thought. And I believe it’s all one theme. He’s talking about spiritual gifts, but verse 18, he says, God places each one of us in the body as it has pleased him. Now, thankfully, I’ve never had a broken bone. Thank the Lord for that. How many of you had a lot of you? I’m about to watch who I’m hanging out with. How many of you know when you have a broken bone or you have a problem with one eye, the other side of your body compensates for it? Right? It has to. It has to compensate for it. When something in your body isn’t functioning correctly, something else picks up for it or supposed to try to pick up for it. My gallbladder quit functioning probably, I don’t know, a couple of years back we had it finally taken out. But there are other things in my body that are compensating for it. And I can tell now if I eat certain things that I should not have eaten, that it doesn’t do well. That’s the same with us. We are set in our place for a reason. We’re to work together. One of the hard things to deal with, with our physical body, if something quits working, it hinders the effectiveness of our work and what we can do. If we have a springfoot, we can’t go and do like we ought to do. We can’t be a very good worker like we should be. The same thing is true in our church too. If we’re not where we should be with the Lord, that hinders what God wants to do with his church, with his body. We have the believers place in the body of Christ. We are placed there by the Spirit of God. And I want you to notice how privileged a place it is. Look at verse number two again. Where were we before? The Bible says, you know that you were Gentiles carried away under these dumb idols even as you were led. He said you were enmity with God. You were enemies of God. All of us were. We have no business being here in the church house knowing the Lord is our Savior on our way to heaven. But Jesus showed mercy. God showed mercy towards us. He loved us while we were yet unlovable, and he died for our sins. We’ve got entrance into the body of Christ. How? We just read it by the Spirit of God. How if any man have not the Spirit of God. He is none of his right. How do we get the Spirit of God when we by faith put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for our sins, repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Not only our placement, but our position in the body. I don’t know anybody that would want to be a foot of the body. It don’t seem like that would be very exciting. Maybe somebody might want to be the hand. Don’t know anybody that want to be the ear. The Ivy said it doesn’t matter. Some are more prominent members of our body than others. But God has a purpose in place for every single part of his body. Just because you’re not up here preaching and teaching tonight does not mean that you’re not important. Just because I am does not mean that I’m important. Right? If you were up here, I couldn’t be up here, right? If I was down there. So we all got things that God has allowed us to do. And some of you may wish you were up here and I was down there. That’s a whole nother story, whole nother message. But God has given us all something to do, to work together and it should work seamlessly. It’s tough when a person’s body is to such that their brain is telling to do something and it just won’t do it. Think of Sister Terry, what she’s been going through and she has been getting a little frustrated. She’s not able to get out what she’s wanting to say. Her mind is thinking it, but it’s not making the connection that it should make and it’s frustrating, it’s a little bit debilitating and it’s the same way in the church house. We are individuals. I’m thankful for our individual personality. I’m glad you all aren’t like me. What a boring place that would be. I’m glad I’m not like you, but I’m glad God has brought us together. We’re to help one another and encourage one another. We’re here for each other. The unity of the body. Verse twelve. Look at verse twelve again as the body is one. Look at verse 20. But now are they many members yet but one body? We’re individuals in one body. Look at verse number 25. And there should be no schism in the body. Nothing lacking but that the members should have the same care, one for another. I believe we have a wonderful, caring church here. I believe if somebody is suffering, the other members of the body suffer with them. When Miss Rachel was going through all this, I know many of you, if not all of you, were praying and earnestly pleading for God to touch her body. And on their behalf we’re praying for others too, that God would touch their bodies. And your prayer request? We’re praying for those needs. We are suffering with one another. The same is true if somebody is blessed, God blesses them. We ought to verse 26. Whether one members suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. We ought to rejoice with one another. When somebody gets a job promotion or a new car that you don’t find out about until you’re on the van ride on Sunday morning not speaking to anybody in particular. But we ought to rejoice and be excited because God’s blessed you. I’m just kidding about that, dad. But the make up of the body of Christ we’re all individuals, right? We’re all individual members. We’re not the same. Our standards should be biblically based. But our roles, our personalities, our responsibilities, our functions in the church are different. God’s allowed you to do things that he hasn’t allowed others to do. It’s not because you’re any less of a Christian or not as important to God, but God’s put you there for a reason. God has you where you’re working for a reason. Unless you’re just completely out of the will of God. And if you are, you ought to move, find where God’s will is and get involved in that. Get there. But the importance of each member, each member is important. There’s a unique role for every individual. We see that. We see there’s different gifts given, there’s different offices given, there’s different parts of the body, but it’s all working together. And he’s leading into Chapter 13, which is about what? Love. Charity, right? Love in action. He said that’s the best way we have to do things out of love for the Lord first and for one another second. Think of Miss Rachel, how she loved being with Dale, how she loved hearing preach. She would be the best. Amen. And the whole bunch. And she would always support Brother Dale and his messages. Even if something hit hard and the rest of us were kind of squirming in our seats, she’d be right there. Amen. And her husband. And she loved that. She enjoyed that. And that was God’s role for her. And she fulfilled that faithfully. Amen. And we all ought to seek to do that. What God has given us to do, to do it faithfully. It’s important for the body of Christ. He’s got a purpose for that, for us here in this community that we are in. He’s got a reason we’re here. That’s not just to take up space. It’s not just to meet together three times a week. It’s to exalt his name among a lost and dying world in a wicked society, a wicked country that’s going in the wrong direction. It’s just to keep lifting up Jesus that Jesus saves and he’s coming again. It’s not to please one another. It’s to please God. There’s a unique role that only you can feel in the body of Christ. It also shows me that God is sovereign. He knows where I fit better than I know where I fit. I might think, Well, I would fit better if I was back in a sound booth and nobody could see me. And I still think that. But you might think, well, if God would do this or God would provide me with this, or God would allow me to do this, it would be so much better. Wait a minute. God’s got you where he’s got you for a reason. God’s got you with those abilities for a reason. Look, verse number 18 again. But now I’ve got to set the numbers, every one of them in the body as it hath pleased him. He has a design that he’s working on, a purpose that he’s working on to fulfill. How is he going to get the gospel out? Unless missionaries go and take the gospel? Unless there’s people from the church that go and give out gospel tracks and invite people to church. Unless Brother Bill goes on the van and helps bring in the kids as they come, who’s going to go and get them? What happens if there were no teachers? If everyone was a van driver? We would have a church full of young people without teachers, right? And what a scary thought that would be. What if there was nobody here to receive them when they came? So we each have a role, each have a purpose. But the sovereignty of God on display. Not only has he chosen my place in his body, he’s directed my path through this life. Like Sister Rachel, she’s been on our minds a lot this week. God’s directed his path for her life through this time this past year that she had from they said next week. It would have been a year since they had to leave a meeting. Things were starting to happen with her body. She was getting in her body was starting to do certain things. They were getting a little concerned. They didn’t know what it was. But it was a year ago next week and after January surgery, we still believe that God touched her body and healed her. But I believe it was God’s time. All of this could have happened what happened this week, it could have happened last year. I believe God allowed her to spend time with Dale and Adelaide this year. Not necessarily for her, but I think it was for Dell and Adelie and I think it was for us to have a little more time with her. But God’s Sovereign. God knows. I don’t understand that dale and Rachel just slips off the time. My mom and I, my wife and I, my Rachel, we talk about Dell and when we say Dell, it just automatically and Rachel, they’re just all always been together. You say, how do you explain it? How can you explain? You can’t explain it. But God’s got a purpose, God’s got a design. He’s sovereign, he knows best. And as hard as it is, God’s ways are perfect. His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. You can’t explain it, you can’t understand it. And I would suggest, don’t stress yourself out trying to understand it. Just trust God. His ways are best. When we get to Heaven, he’ll either explain it to us or we won’t care. It won’t matter. Things will be so much better. Then I think about our ladies and the things that they go through when they’re having a baby, and the suffering and the hardships that they go through, the weeks leading up to it. The tummy rolls and then the time of delivery happens. I like how the Bible puts it. They were delivered of a child. Not the baby was delivered, but the mama was delivered. But what they go through, the pangs of death, so to speak, but, you know, after the baby is born, it was worth all of that. They’re holding the baby, and many times they forget. They don’t remember so much, all the things that they went through because they’re holding that precious baby. I believe it’s going to be like that, only so much greater. When we get to Heaven, say, wow, my light affliction that I went through. You mean all that that Sister Rachel went through? All the suffering that she had and with her body shutting down? Yeah. All that was just like, compared to the glory that she’s realizing right now where she is in the presence of the Lord Himself, and so shall she ever be with the Lord. Just as we have different roles, we have different circumstances, that a sovereign God arranges for his purpose as it hath pleased Him. He cares for us. He’s got a unique purpose that he’s working out. I don’t understand why Sister Brenda is going through the things that she’s going through, but God knows God’s got a design purpose. Brother Randall things that he’s going through, brother heady and what he’s had to go through this past year. I don’t understand it. I can’t explain it. I can’t understand it. You can’t understand it. We know a God who cares, a God who has a purpose and design, and I promise you, he’s doing something much more beautiful than we can see with our eyes. We got to trust Him as it had pleased Him. His way is perfect. He’s directed my life through interactions, through circumstances, through these trials. My job is not to understand it, but just to trust Him and to find what he’s trying to teach me. Said, Lord, are you trying to show me something through this trial? Help me to learn it. Help me to be better equipped in Your body with one another. We don’t live under ourselves. I know many of us like to go away and escape other people sometimes right after your Walmart trip. Just get me away. Take me somewhere, and somewhere far, far away where there is no Walmart. But we don’t live and die to ourselves. We are members of the body of Christ working together, helping one another. We have need of each other. Look at look at verse number 21. We’ll wind it down. 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. Every single one of us don’t think that you’re not needed in the house of God. You’re needed. Let me tell you this. You’re missed. When you’re not here, nobody else may see you. But I see you. And I see you when you’re not here and you’re missed. You’re needed. You help brighten somebody’s life that you don’t realize. We depend upon you for a lot. And you may not realize it. You may not see it, but I promise you it’s there. Every single person in here knows when you’re not where you are. And you might be providentially hindered, but you’re missed. You’re needed. God needs. He’s put it together where we need one another. And when it’s his time for someone to be taken from us he’ll supply that need in some other fashion. He’ll give us grace. He’ll give us something else to help with that. But he’s left us here. We’re needed. We ought to care one for another. As verse number 25 says, there should be no schism in the body but that the member should have the same care one for another. Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. One member be honored. All the members rejoice with it. Right now we’re mourning with Dale and Adelaide. We’re rejoicing that Sister Rachel is in heaven. We’re relieved. We’re praying there at the end. Lord, if it’s your will that she would pass into heaven would just help her to go quickly so she don’t have to suffer as much. Things were shutting down and God answered that prayer. And we’re rejoicing. She’s there. But we’re mourning with Delan, Adele, with these others that are suffering. We’re suffering with you. I may not be in your shoes, but I promise you I’m praying for you. We ought to be praying one for another. We impact one another. We rejoice together. We suffer together. Isn’t that a beautiful thing too? We get tired of one another. Amen. Amen. Sometimes we get tired of one another. We’re human beings. We’re people. But God gives grace. God gives extra grace. And God helps keep that lively. Listen, if we didn’t get tired of one another, we wouldn’t be doing anything. We would not be a living organism. And the Church is a living organism, not an organization. An organism that’s living and breathing God. The body of Christ moving through this life, interacting with people. There’ll be bumps in the road. There’ll be times you get tired of me. I’m glad it hasn’t happened yet. But there’ll be times somewhere down the road. And you know what? We’re working together, walking through this life together. And God’s supplying the strength and the moving parts. Let’s not. Get sidetracked. Let’s keep working together, keep serving the Lord together. Our shared care for one another, our suffering, our rejoicing together. Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular. He keeps saying that. He said there’s one body, many members. Then he says, there’s many members and one body. He said, don’t forget you have a role in the body of Christ. You have a uniqueness that only you can feel in that body. I think the Lord for Brother Robert, Sister Donna teaching junior church on Sunday morning. It would be hard to be over there here. At the same time, it’d be tough. I don’t know how we do it. We have to have some special effects back there in the sound booth working out. Appreciate Brother Jacob doing the sound booth and we’d love to get him some more help back there. But every one of us have a unique role that God’s given us. Let’s look for that role. Look for ways to show that role. Say, Lord, what can I do to help your body? Help somebody else. This Sunday, we’re going to pick up a love offering again for Dale and Adele to help them with these expenses that they’re occurring for the funeral, for the bearing, the service and all that. Pray about what God would have you give. I know you’ve given and given and if you’re not able to give, we’re not going to drag it out of you. That’s fine, god understands. But if you’ve got something to give, pray about what God would have you give, okay? And we want to take care of them and help them through this. Just the same way. If you’re going through something, we want to help you through it as well. We’re here one for another. Amen. That’s our purpose. One of these days when we get to heaven, god’s got something else in store for us. I don’t know what it’ll be. I like to dream of what maybe God has in store for us in heaven or with Him. He’s got this great big universe. Maybe he needs somebody to go check on. I don’t know. Galaxy N 75634, whatever it is. And boom, we’re over there and we’re back and check on all those beautiful worlds out there. Maybe it’s something here on this Earth that God’s that restored Earth. Maybe it’s something in New Jerusalem. Maybe it’s walking down the street of Gold, checking on that. Making sure he’s supposed to be where he is or vice versa, whatever it is, I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’ll be glorious and wonderful and beautiful. But we’ll still be working together. You know what? Let’s practice now. Helping one another, encouraging one another further developing what we already enjoy. Serving the Lord together until he comes. You’re not going to get that out in the world. Nobody in the world will treat you like the body of Christ should treat one one another. You’re not going to get that in the world. So let’s be what God would have us to be towards one another, okay? And let’s be done with that. Let’s stand because.