Crossway Church Tallahassee
Sunday, June 28, 2026
  • Blessed Be Your Name
  • Our God is Greater
  • Greatest Commands

      • Isaiah 52:13–53:12NIV2011

  • Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
  • Encourage My Soul
  • You Are My All In All
  • Introduction:
    One of the greatest paradoxes of our time is that we've never been more connected...and we've never felt more alone.
    We carry phones that connect us instantly with people around the world. We can order dinner without talking to a cashier. We can work from home. Have groceries delivered without ever interacting with a person. We can even watch church without ever walking into a building.
    Yet studies continue to tell us that loneliness, anxiety, and isolation are increasing.
    Listen to the statistics:
    The World Health Organization says 1 in 6 people globally are affected by loneliness.
    The American Psychological Association says nearly 7 in 10 US adults report not receiving the emotional support they need, with 65% of highly lonely adults reporting feelings of depression or sadness.
    The CDC estimates that up to 32% of US adults frequently feel lonely, heavily correlating with self-reported stress, depression, and a lack of emotional support
    There are many more studies out there that tell us the over and over again the same truth. Somehow, we've become experts at connecting to information while becoming strangers to one another.
    That's why the church is so different. God never intended His people to be a crowd of individuals sitting in the same room. He created us to be a body, functioning together so that no part is alone.
    Have you ever wondered...Did God know what He was doing when he established the church? Did He know what He was doing when He brought us together?
    Wednesday night we talked about the good works God prepared in advance for us to do. But here's the question I've been thinking about all week:
    What if God didn't just prepare good works for each of us individually? What if He brought us together because some of those good works can only be accomplished when we serve together?
    This morning Paul anticipated our questions about gifts and service and I would like to explore this for a few minutes in 1 Corinthians 12.
    God has given every believer a gift.
    1 Corinthians 12:4–10 NIV
    There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
    You know sometimes when we hear a call to serve, we think about singing on stage, changing dirty diapers, greeting people, serving in Kidstown. For some of us those things create anxiety.
    We might say:
    I just want to sit it my seat and mouth the words. No one wants to hear me sing.
    I am too shy to say hello to someone at the door.
    I am just not a kid person.
    We, like Moses, can have a million excuses for why we should not do something and I get it. Being up on stage does not come easy for many of us and the thought of changing a dirty diaper, makes people run the other way, but maybe that is not what God is calling you to do.
    Spiritual gifts are not only the ones listed here, in fact, there are 4, 2 here,1 in Romans and once more in Ephesians. Each on has some similarities, some have completely different things.
    Holding babies and changing diapers is one of my gifts, but yours might be different.
    You might be a compassionate voice to someone going through a traumatic event.
    You might be bold enough to speak loving truth to a brother or sister in sin.
    You might have extra money to give to someone in need.
    You might have the gift of prayer.
    You might be blessed to know how to fix things.
    You might have patience and a listening ear.
    We could list gifts the rest of the day because the gifts come tobenefit the kingdom of God and so, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:11
    1 Corinthians 12:11 NIV
    All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
    see, gifts are given to us, as the Spirit determines. It’s not a competition. That is what the Corinthians were struggling with here. They thought some gifts are better than others.
    The problem is when we think that way, desiring a different gift, we forget that God has given us the gift we have and when we ignore it or don’t use it, we are missing out on an opportunity to do the good works God prepare in advance for to walk in.
    God gave your gifts for everyone else’s benefit.
    Remember what Paul said earlier in 1 Corinthians 12:7
    1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV
    Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
    I don’t know if you need to hear this this morning, but I want each of us to remember God did not give you your gift randomly. He gave you your gift to use for the common good of all in the body.
    In fact the next section is Paul’s answer to a church fighting over what they see as greater gifts and their misplaced desire for them.
    1 Corinthians 12:12–24 NIV
    Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of 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 in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment.
    After talking about giant eyeballs and ears, to point out the absurdity of us not focusing on using the gifts we have been given, Paul reminds us of this fact.
    1 Corinthians 12:24–27 NIV
    But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
    Now, let’s stop and think about this for a moment. The Corinthians are so busy comparing gifts that they've forgotten why God gave them gifts in the first place.
    They want to be speaking in tongues. They want to prophesy. The want to share a message. But, they don’t realize when they are not doing their part, the body suffers.
    When one member suffers...
    Who notices?
    Who helps?
    Who prays?
    Who is there walking with them?
    It should be the body. But, when we don’t use our gifts, people suffer alone. I don't think that's the church Jesus died to create.
    We think sometimes the centerpiece here is our gift and getting a better one. Like over time you wll level up and that can sometimes happen. Sometimes we need to grow into our gifts.
    But the real centerpiece in this message is using the gift God has given you effectively?
    Preaching is one of the ways God builds His church. But it isn't the only way. A sermon is a powerful tool that can help build hope. Can help us learn.
    But sometimes hope becomes real because a brother or sister sits beside someone hurting, listens to them, prays with them, or simply refuses to let them walk through the valley alone.
    We can show our gift of kindness by bringing them a meal or giving them a ride.
    Encouragement can help someone know they will get through this situation.
    A card in the mail can bring a smile to someone’s face.
    A listening ear can help someone make important decisions.
    But, when all of these things work together…the body rejoices with them when they have come through their struggle.
    God didn't design the church simply to help us survive hard times. He also designed us to celebrate victories together.
    When someone overcomes addiction...
    When someone is baptized...
    When someone's marriage begins healing...
    When someone finally gets good news from the doctor...
    The whole body celebrates.
    Do you see what Paul is saying? This isn't simply about whether I feel fulfilled using my gift. It's about whether the body functions the way God designed it to function.
    Every time one of us chooses not to use the gift God has entrusted to us, someone else misses out on the care, encouragement, wisdom, generosity, or compassion that God intended them to receive.
    And when that happens...the whole body is affected.
    Paul isn't trying to make us feel guilty. He's trying to help us see how much we need one another.
    The Church is weaker when gifts stay unused.
    Let me ask you to think for a moment...
    What happens if the eye decides not to see?
    What happens if the hand decides not to serve?
    What happens if the ear decides not to listen?
    Do we stop being a body? The answer is no. But we stop functioning in the way God intended.
    We are on this journey together. Yes, we are individuals and God created us that way. But, He also brought us together to be one body.
    When every believer uses their gift, the church becomes what God designed it to be.
    Paul cements this idea in Ephesians 4:16
    Ephesians 4:16 NIV
    From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
    From Him, God is the one who brought us together. He is the one who has given each of us the specific gift we are to use. The specific function we serve. We are the supporting ligaments. We are the toes that help provide balance. We are the brain that works to network each parts with the other, so that when we want to move forward, we don’t fall. The stomach to begin the process of refueling the body. Our lungs provide us with oxygen.
    When we each serve our purpose, we grow into the image of our creator, we build up His purpose for us in this world and we establish it in love.
    But, don’t miss the last line, “as each part does its work.”
    When we serve together, in the way God intends for us to serve, fulfilling our part, we one function as one whole and we grow. But when a part is not doing what it was designed to do, the body suffers.
    Sure, it is not always easy. Most of you know that I'm about six months removed from open-heart surgery. Painting my house this week reminded me of something. My ankles hurt. My shoulders hurt. My arms hurt. There were moments I wanted one part of my body to stop complaining to the rest of me.
    But here's what struck me. My body didn't quit because one part was hurting. The healthy parts compensated. My legs kept climbing the ladder. My hands kept holding the sprayer. My eyes stayed focused on the edge. My heart kept doing its work. The pain was real, but the body kept working together.
    That's what healthy bodies do.
    Let me land this plane. Some of us have some church hurt. Maybe not from here, but it has made us cautious. Let me dispel the rumor that we are perfect people.
    In this body, we will have some pains. We will have to have difficult conversations. Sometimes, will misspeak, let each other down, get angry. Will lose people. Will disappoint each other. None of that was God's original design. Sin fractured this world long before it fractured our relationships. But God did design His church so that when one part hurts, the rest of the body moves toward the pain—not away from it. We grow stronger through adversity. We serve better because of it.
    In fact, if you come on Wednesday nights, we are studying Ephesians and will talk about how Paul transitions from this message to practically how we deal with everyday Christianity.
    But here is my point, we live in a fractured world. Loneliness is taking people to places of depression, anxiousness and more. But God has an answer for combating the loneliness. Become part of a body where every member belongs...
    every member matters...
    and every member has something to contribute. Occasionally we will battle with struggles together, but with the power of The Spirit within us, this body can overcome and grow through the pain. We have seen a lot of victories this year.
    What Do I Want You To Know?
    You have been gifted by God and placed here at this time, in this body, to do good works, that He prepared for you and us to do together. He gave you these gifts not to build you up. He gave you these gifts to build up this body and others in it and in the world we reach together.
    What Do I Want You to Do?
    Find the way God has uniquely equipped you to strengthen someone else—and begin doing it.
    If you don’t know what your gift is Jenny, Kris, Alison and myself would love to help you figure it out and where you can plug it in, here at Crossway.

      • 1 Corinthians 12:4–10NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 12:11NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 12:7NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 12:12–24NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 12:24–27NKJV

      • Ephesians 4:16NKJV

  • Be With Me Lord
Crossway Church Tallahassee
crosswaytallahassee@gmail.com
(850) 605-3787
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