THE DIMENSIONS OF THE CHURCH
                                    1 Cor. 1,2:13



            INTRODUCTION:

              1. No New Testament identification is clearer than the
                 one which shows Christ's body to be the church (Eph.
                 1:22, 23; Col. 1:18, 24; Eph. 5:23, 28-32).
              2. We are also told that the body of Christ is analogous to
                 the human body (i Cor. 12:12-20)-
              3. Diversity of member-functions (Rom. 12:4-8) is essen-
                 tial to the overall unity of purpose (Eph. 4:11-14)-
              4. Paul concerns himself with these themes in 1 Corinthi-
                 ans 12 and brings to verse 13 the dimensions of the
                 church.

            DISCUSSION:

            I. ITS MATERIAL (1 Pet. 2:5).

                A. "We all"-"Jews or Greeks"-"bond or free" (text).
                B. Jews -",ere included in God's plan for the church (Nit.
                   10:5-7; Rom. 11:1).
                C. Gentiles" are now invited (Eph. 2:11-19).
                D. All are extended the wonderful invitation (mt. 11
                   28-30).
                E. There is now no distinction in Christ, in his body
                   (Rom. 3:2 1).
                F. "Nothing human ought to be alien to the church ex-
                   cept sin" 

           II. ITS FORM:

                A. The essential nature of the church is seen as     11  one
                   body" (text).
               B.  This "one body" is mentioned frequently in the New
                   Testament (Rom. 12:4, 5; 1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 2:16; 4:
                   4; Col. 3:15).
               C.  The unity of the church is understood only when the
                   church is viewed as the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:20).
               D.  The Corinthian Church demonstrates the kind of uni-
                   ty under consideration in our text (1 Cor. 1:1, 2, 10-13)-
              E. "As a missionary in India I have often been asked:
                   'Are you really so narrow-minded as to think that you
                   are going to enroll the whole human race in your lit-
                   tle group?  Are you like the frog that thinks its little
                   pond is the A, hole ocean?' With all my heart I can an-
                   swer that I long for every human being to be a Chris-
                   tian.  But-in all loyalty to the church of my fathers-
                   I have to confess that I cannot wish for every human
                   being to be a Presbyterian.  That is one way of stating
                   the burden which disunity places on the heart of the
                   evangelist.  None of our churches is a big enough fel-
                   lowship to be a home for the human race.  Only a uni-
                   versal fellowship can be the adequate bearer of a uni-
                   versal Gospel" (Ibid., p. 12).
               F. Paul knew such a "universal fellowship" (1 Cor. 1:1,
                   2).

           III.  ITS AGENT:

               A. 'In one Spirit we were baptized into one body" (text).
               B.  Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he preached the
                   gospel in the Holy Spirit (i Thess. 1:5; Eph. 6:17).
               C   Jesus suggested that entrance into the church or king-
                   dom is by a birth of water and the Spirit (in. 3:3-5).
               D.  In various passages the Holy Spirit is linked with bap-
                   tism (in. 3:3-5; Acts 2:38; 5:32; Tit. 3:5).
               P.  We reach Christ through baptism (Rom. 6:3, 4; Gal.
                   3:27) and thereby contact the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1,
                   2, 9).
          CONCLUSION:

            1. Thank God for the New Testament Church (Mt. 16:
               16-19).
             2. Thank God for the dimensions of the church (text).
             2. Membership in it comes simultaneously with remission
               of sins (Acts 2:37, 38, 41, 47)-