One Complete Body – Some Assembly Required
SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 
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BIO: My name is Ann Ellis. I am one of those rare "Native Floridians". I have the privilege of living on the same land where my parents lived long before I was born. My major in school was Christian Ed., and I served as a youth director in my past church. I am currently an Elder at FPCO and involved in the Prayer and Spiritual Formation ministry.
KEY VERSE: 1 Corinthians 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up on many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
CENTRAL TRUTH: No matter how insignificant we may feel, the body is incomplete with each one of us. If we fail to connect to the community of faith we will hurt the whole body.
DEVOTIONAL: One Complete Body – Some Assembly Required
I love this Scripture. It is such a beautiful picture of how the Body of Believers should look as we live before the watching world. Each of us has a special part to play and without our part the body will be incomplete. God has called come of us to preach, some to teach, some to cook and clean house. The gifts are many and varied, but all work together to make a complete whole.
Just as God has given us different gifts, He intends that we will be connected to the body in order to use the gifts well. A foot trying to walk alone would be useless and grotesque. The world in which we live tends to encourage isolation. We do our banking, get our lunch, and even pick up our dry-cleaning through the drive through. Studies say that we now prefer texting and email to actual conversations. In this environment we must be very intentional about sharing our lives with others. This Scripture teaches that we need each other to live our lives fully. My life will be diminished if you fail to share your piece of the body with me.
As we practice living in community, we will discover how we compliment each other and how we support each other with out different gifts. We get into trouble when we think we should have someone else’s gift, or that our part in the body isn’t important or useful.
The final verse tells us to desire the greater gifts. At first this seems contradictory, but this verse should have been part of Chapter 13 where we are told that the greatest gift is love. All of our gifts must be used in love. This is what will draw others in and make them want to be part of the body.
QUESTION 1: Have you discovered your special part in the body?
QUESTION 2: Are you using your special gifts to make the body of Christ complete?
QUESTION 3: Are you currently in a life group or small group? How would this impact the completion of the body?
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