Get In The Game
Pastor Levi Stewart & Travis Hunter
March 13th, 2022
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
In order for the body to work well, all the different parts have to function in unison. They all have to carry out their functions at the same time in order to keep the body going. Similarly, all of us have a unique part to play in the kingdom because we are all different. God didn’t want us to be the same, so He made us all different on purpose so we could show Jesus Christ to everyone around us.
Your part is extremely important. When you play your part, you make a difference. The fact that two pastors came together to share this message is symbolic enough to emphasize that everyone has a part to play.
THERE IS NO ‘I’ IN TEAM
Let’s say, for instance, you’re a foot and you’re really good at walking. You’re eager and ready to go but if you don’t have an eye guiding you then you’re not going to be successful at walking. 1 Corinthians 12:21 says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’”
In the body of Christ, every element and facet is essential because God who created and designed the human body made it that way. We don’t have spare parts in the body of Christ. Everyone has a role to play. And we certainly do not have room for one-man shows. This is why we constantly emphasize that there is no ‘I’ in team because we all have to work together to accomplish our purpose.
THE DREAM TEAM
Have you ever noticed that at the end of a movie they show the credits and it’s not just the actors? Yes, they may be the stars of the show, but so many people are involved behind the scenes to make the movie happen.
When you play your part, you make a difference, but if there’s anyone on the team who is not playing their part, it also makes a difference. If the pastor comes on stage and is ready to preach but no one turns on his microphone, it makes a difference. If the pastor is about the drive home his point and give the altar call but three babies all begin crying because there is no one to attend to them, it makes a difference. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 says, “that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”
Your calling and your part in the kingdom are not better or less important than anyone else’s. When one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. When one part of the body is honored, the whole body is honored.
Let’s say you wake up in the morning and you feel great and you’re ready to go. Now, think about the day that you feel that pain in your back, and you have no idea what’s going on. You hobble to get ready and you can’t stop thinking about the backache. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a headache or if your feet don’t hurt because they feel great. But all that matters is that you have that backache.
1 Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” Paul is implying that without you, it is not a full-functioning body. It takes every single part to make a full-functioning body. Each and every one of us working together create a masterpiece. When all of the members play their part in the body of Christ, we accomplish what we’re setting out to accomplish.
A PERFECT GAME
In the history of baseball, there have only been twenty-three perfect games. This means that the winning team got every out, they did not allow any hits, there were no walks, and nobody got on base. There were no errors, every ground ball was fielded in the infield, and every fly ball was caught in the outfield. For a complete nine innings, everyone played their position perfectly. When the team wins, everyone wants to celebrate together because they all played a part. Although the pitcher is the star of the show and gets most of the credit, it would not be possible without everyone playing their part.
If we are going to accomplish our purpose in the body of Christ, there can be no spectators. There can’t be anyone sitting down on the sidelines. Everyone has to work together because when you play your part you make a difference. You are not the crowd cheering in the stand. You are the team on the field in the game, the ones that get in the game to accomplish the work of Christ as the body of Christ.
We may not be a baseball team or part of a movie production company, however, we are the physical representation of Jesus’ body on Earth. You may be a hand, a foot, or a kidney, but you are part of Christ’s body and you have a part to play.
When you play your part and everyone does what they are required to do, the whole team wins. When we all get in the game, it’s the perfect game.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
How do you want to fit into the body of Christ? What part do you want to play?
Are you ready to get in the game? Are you ready to be a part of the dream team? It’s your moment to get in the game and allow your gifts to be used for the edification of the saints.
