The Gift and Necessity of the Local Church
Kyle Kauffman // June 28th, 2026
What do you think of when you think of the church? It’s likely that many of us think of Sunday Mornings because that’s what we associate church with. And while the gathering of the church is incredibly important, it can also be dangerous if we only start to view church as an event that we attend. It’s common in our own day to view church as good, but not necessary; as nice, but not essential; as a place I go rather than a people I belong to. Part of what we might need in the 21st century is to recover a biblical vision of the church that tends to focus more on the church being a people I belong to then an event that I attend. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul is making this case in responding to the Corinthian tendency to elevate certain spiritual gifts in a way that dismisses the need for everyone who belongs to the church. Paul makes the case that the church is essential for us because everyone in the church is essential for the spiritual good and health of others. He recognizes that the health and well-being of every member of the church depends on the love, care, and service of others in the church. This passage serves to remind us of how good and necessary the church.
1 Corinthians 12