Church Officer Ordination

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Nehemiah 9:5-6
• Prayer of Invocation
• Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 12:27-31
• Prayer
• Sermon
• Hymn — All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
• Ordination Proceedings
  • Statement on the Nature and Importance of Church Officers
  • Ordination Vows
  • Laying on of Hands with Prayer
  • Declaration of Ordination
  • Charge to the Officers
  • Charge to the Congregation — Hebrews 13:17
• Hymn — The Church's One Foundation
• Benediction

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Sermon Title: Christ the Head Feeds His Body

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:27-31

I. Christ the Head Feeds His Body Through His Word

A. In 1 Corinthians 12:28, three gifts are ranked: apostles, prophets, and teachers — all concerned with the preaching and teaching of God's Word

1. Apostles were witnesses of the resurrected Christ commissioned to proclaim the gospel
2. Prophets were called to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ
3. Teachers were gifted men for teaching God's Word

B. The remaining gifts (miracles, healing, tongues, etc.) serve the proclamation of the Word, not the reverse

1. Sinclair Ferguson: "The ministry of God's revelatory word is central to the use of all other gifts — it stabilizes and nourishes them"
2. The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the cornerstone — Ephesians 2:20

C. The "higher gifts" of 1 Corinthians 12:31 are those that make the Word of God clear

1. 1 Corinthians 14:5 identifies prophecy as greater than tongues because it builds up the church
2. The Greek word for "greater" in 1 Corinthians 14:5 is the same word translated "higher" in 1 Corinthians 12:31

II. Christ the Head Feeds His Body Through His Officers

A. The ranked gifts (apostles, prophets, teachers) are offices, unlike the miscellaneous gifts others possess

1. 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 show that these offices give way after the apostolic age to elders and deacons

B. Paul's example in Acts 14:19-23 demonstrates that apostolic work is not complete until officers are appointed in every church

1. After being stoned in Lystra and surviving, Paul did not rely on the inspiration of his example alone
2. He appointed elders in every church before departing

C. Titus 1:5 — the church is put in order by appointing officers within it

1. Tonight is a special occasion not only for Drew and Chuck but for the entire congregation, because Christ feeds every member through his ordained officers

III. Christ the Head Feeds His Body Through His Members

A. 1 Corinthians 12:27 — "You are the body of Christ and individually members of it"; the plural "you" is deliberate

1. The Corinthian church had elevated the gift of tongues, creating a spiritual elite — the haves and have-nots
2. Paul lists tongues last, directly countering the Corinthian tendency to rank it first

B. The rhetorical questions in 1 Corinthians 12:29-30 expose the Corinthians' individualism

1. They had formed sub-groups within the body, each defined by a particular gift
2. Gifts are given to build up the one body, not individual groups or persons

C. The "still more excellent way" of 1 Corinthians 12:31 flows naturally into 1 Corinthians 13 — the way of agape love

1. Agape is a duty-bound, covenantal, selfless love regardless of attraction, shared interests, or feeling
2. This is Christ's own love, poured into his members by his Spirit
3. Through this love Christ feeds and nourishes his bride, preparing her to be presented holy and without blemish before him — Ephesians 5:25-28