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• The body of Christ is the chief means by which Christ works today.
• God has given us our physical bodies as a visual representation of how the church is supposed to function.

• 1 Corinthians 12:13
• All Christians who are born again have been baptized by the Spirit and are part of the body of Christ.
• The church is a group of people who share the same life, who belong to the same Lord, who are filled with the same Spirit, who are given gifts by that same Spirit, and who are intended to function together to change the world by the life of God.

• 1 Corinthians 12:14–20
• There are no insignificant members of the body.
• We often have the wrong idea of what the work of the church is—it is not just a meeting on Sunday morning
• The church is Christ at work in the world.
• Illustration: A youth pastor in Stedman's church painted a football like an eyeball and carried around with him, demonstrating how ridiculous it would be to consider someone an isolated member of the body.

• 1 Corinthians 12:21–26
• Illustration: Churches should be like a football team, where each player brings his own talent, but they too often function like golfers.
• The parts of our body that seem the weakest are often indispensable.
• Illustration: The big toe senses when your body begins to get out of balance, and it immediately strengthens so that you can stand up and speak.
• God works the physical body together in a beautifully articulated and coordinated thing; and spiritually, the body of Christ is the most coordinated thing on Earth.
• How each of us acts is going to govern how other people see the body of Christ.

• 1 Corinthians 12:27–29
• Diversity is necessary to the functioning of the church and its work in the world.
• Each of us is given unique gifts by the Holy Spirit, and we should desire that the highest gifts be manifested within our congregations.