2025 December 14 Sermon Manuscript - Diversity and Unity

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Title: Diversity and Unity (December 14, 2025 · Sermon Series: "The Church Loving One Another," Part I)

Theme Sentence: We must recognize the work of the Triune God within the church, so that we may emulate His mutual love and unity.

Key Question: How does the Triune God guide the community of the church?

Transition: The Triune God guides His church through the following aspects.

Keyword: How

Introduction: I believe every Christian knows the principle that we are to love one another. However, we must admit that within the church, we often fail to do so. On the contrary, we frequently manifest mutual judgment, criticism, and accusation, or even display indifference toward one another.

These are very dangerous signs, indicating that we have strayed from the teachings of Christ. The church is losing its testimony and is living no differently than the world.

In order to recover our "first love" and to make the church a genuine community of life (rather than a superficial one), I have prepared a series of messages on "The Church Loving One Another." My hope is that through these sermons, God will open our hearts to obey His will, to learn how to love one another within the church, and thereby bring glory to His name among us.

The scriptures I have selected are found in 1 Corinthians, chapters 12 and 13.

I. The Holy Spirit Bestows a Diversity of Gifts

1. The Meaning of "Gifts" The Apostle Paul states that there are many varieties of gifts. But what exactly does the Bible mean by "gifts"? Primarily, it refers to a person’s ability—the specific area where they excel. Everyone has a strong suit; to "excel" means to possess a special capability in a certain aspect. The Holy Spirit has placed a gift in every believer, and the purpose of this gift is to edify the church.

Broadly speaking, everyone actually possesses their own gifts, whether they have discovered them or not. Every person created by God is gifted; this is our fundamental understanding of human nature.

2. Gifts as Innate Talent Of course, this ability requires training and cultivation to be fully demonstrated. However, in essence, this ability is not acquired later in life but is innate. To be precise, it is a God-given talent. With a period of training, this talent will quickly allow a person to stand out in the community, reaching a level that the average person cannot easily catch up to.

In fact, this is true for any industry in the world. We often say someone is "cut out for" a certain field; this is exactly what that means. Of course, being "cut out for" something does not guarantee one will become a master at it. Success requires other factors; the gift is just one aspect. Yet, to truly excel in a specific area, the gift is indispensable.

(A side note to our parents: Do not blindly exert pressure in areas where your child has no gift, or you will end up making the child very frustrated.)

3. The Unity of the Spirit But "the Spirit is the same." Paul draws a contrast here between the richness of the gifts and the singularity of the Giver. All these varying gifts are bestowed by the one God. This means that we are to use this multitude of gifts to serve the same Lord.

From the diversity of gifts, we can perceive the manifold nature of the Holy Spirit. This model of "the One and the Many" (Unity in Diversity) will appear repeatedly in the scripture that follow.

II. The Son Bestows a Diversity of Ministries

1. The Definition of "Ministries" The Apostle Paul goes on to say that there are also diversities of ministries or service. What does "ministries" mean? It refers to the roles of service within the church. These roles are numerous; some are sacred offices, such as Pastors, Elders, and Deacons. Others include those who serve at fellowship meals (agape feasts) or those in the cleaning ministry. These are all ministries and acts of service.

2. The Essential Equality and Complementarity of Ministries These service roles within the church are, in essence and principle, equal. The Pastor who preaches the sermon is not, in status, higher than the sister who cleans the bathrooms. Before God, they are equal. In their core nature, these acts of service have no distinction of high or low, noble or common.

This is a point of difference from worldly culture. In secular culture, people are often divided into classes (or strata) based on personal gifts and status, where one class inherently possesses more than another. There is the idea that "those who labor with the mind govern; those who labor with strength are governed." Consequently, people constantly strive to climb from one stratum to another, leading to so-called class opposition.

However, the culture of the church is radically different from the culture of the world. In the church, the various service roles are essentially equal and complementary.

Furthermore, within the culture of the church, those who lead are called to be like servants.

3. Distinctions in Order and Authority Nevertheless, we acknowledge—and sometimes must even emphasize within the church—that there is a necessary distinction in order and authority between the sacred offices and other co-workers in ministry. This is derived from the inherent order between the three persons of the Triune God and is therefore fitting. The three persons of the Triune God are co-equal in honor and glory, yet there is still an order of priority.

The fact that sacred office holders possess a certain governing authority does not represent essential inequality, but merely different ways God uses His vessels. Moreover, with greater authority comes greater responsibility.

4. The Unity of the Lord But "the Lord is the same." These different roles all exist to serve the same Lord. The diversity of the roles also reflects the diversity in the office of the Son—specifically, the offices of Priest, Prophet, and King. These three offices are perfectly unified in the Lord Jesus Christ. Once again, we see the model of "the One and the Many."

III. The Father Bestows a Diversity of Effectual Workings

1. The Meaning of "Effectual Workings" "Effectual workings" (or energema) also refers to functions, capacities, or activities. The church has various activities, which require the separate involvement of people with different ministries and gifts. From a goal-oriented perspective, both gifts and ministries exist to serve these activities.

For example, during worship, the service requires a moderator, a musician, and a pastor to lead different parts. At the same time, parents must cooperate with the worship structure, guide their children well, and maintain the order of the service. Other examples, like the fellowship meal (agape feast) or cleaning the church, all require the collective participation of people with different gifts and ministries. God works through all the members of the church to accomplish activities and empower capacities, such as evangelism, Christmas events, prayer, and teaching, all of which must be completed through the joint effort of various gifts and ministries.

(Furthermore, to preserve a sense of solemnity toward worship in children, parents should establish family worship at home, helping children form the habit of family devotion and maintain this reverence.)

In summary, for an activity to achieve a specific function, it requires the collective participation of people with diverse gifts and ministries.

2. The Unity of God the Father But "God is the same." From a spiritual perspective, the One who controls and works through all these activities is the God who operates in all. This tells us that first, God is within us, and He is also working within us, bestowing gifts, abilities, and ministries upon us so that we may carry out various activities and form different functions, with the sole purpose of glorifying His holy name.

3. The Unifying Goal All actions of the church are inseparable from God's guidance, and all are aimed at realizing the same purpose: to glorify God. We see the model of "the One and the Many" repeated once more.

IV. Diversity and Unity in Christ

1. Our Diversity in Christ We are diverse in Christ. Every brother and sister possesses different gifts and different ministries.
2. Our Unity in Christ We are united in Christ. This unity is an organizational unity, a relational unity, and a unity of purpose.
3. The Unity of the Church Emulates the Trinity The unity among Christians and the unity of the church is a conscious imitation of the unity and the love that exists within the Triune God.

• The Father loves the Son and has given all authority to the Son.
• The Son loves the Father and completely submits to the Father's will.
• The Father and the Son love the Holy Spirit and send the Holy Spirit to accomplish all the work.
• The Holy Spirit loves the Son and the Father, proclaiming only the Son and the Father.

The essence of this love is to hide oneself and exalt the other. This is the love within the Triune God—a holy love.

This love is fundamentally different from the love of the world. Worldly people tend to step on others and elevate themselves, believing only they are the most capable. This is most thoroughly expressed in China's imperial culture, where only one person—the Emperor—could exist at the apex. Yet, in the glory of the Triune God, there is only the focus on the other persons, not on oneself; this is the glory of God.

4. The Bonding Agent: Self-Giving Love The adhesive between our diversity and our unity is the Triune God’s love for us—the self-giving love that exists among the three persons of the Godhead. It is because of Christ's love for us that we, too, are able to love one another.

Concluding Statement: We pray that God will lead us to recognize the work of the Triune God within the church, so that we may love one another and be unified within the church.

Click to Donwolad:多样与合一（12月14日·《教会彼此相爱》证道系列之一）.docx