Tables: Who's at the table?

1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Romans 15:7

July 12th, 2026

“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.” -1 Corinthians 12:12-14

-Matthew was a Tax Collector

-Simon was a Zealot

-Jesus chose them BOTH

- Jesus wasn't building a group of people who naturally belonged together. He was building a family whose unity would be found in Him.

1) The Body Needs All Its Parts

-Our primary identity is no longer found in our background, our politics, our age, or our status. Our primary identity is that we belong to Christ.

"A dwelling place requires not one big stone but many pieces of stone, interlocked and fortified together... together our unique shapes complement each other and create a more structurally sound building." -Brett McCracken

2) Living with Different People is Hard

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

Galatians 6:2

-Community isn't about finding people who never create burdens. It's about becoming the kind of people who help carry them.

"bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." - Colossians 3:13

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." - Ephesians 4:2-3

"In true community we will not choose our companions, for our choices are so often limited by self-serving motives. Often our companions will be persons who upset our settled view of self and world." -Parker Palmer

3) The Spirit Is the Bond That Holds Us

"For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body." 1 Corinthians12:13

-The church is not an institution for perfect people. It is a sanctuary for sinners saved by grace

"If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all." - Charles Spurgeon

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:7