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1. |
Begin
today by reading Matthew 28:18-20 concentrating on verse 18 and
verse 20. What do these two verses say to you?
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2. |
Jesus
Christ, who has all the authority, taught us that the church is
very,
very important. In Matthew 16:16-18, Jesus hears
Peter confess him to be the Christ, the Son of God; and immediately
Jesus said, "Upon this rock I
will build my church, and the gates of Hades
will not prevail against it."
Jesus saw the church at the center of his plan. He
wanted to build it and He
intended to make it so strong that the forces of
Satan could not stand against
it. What Jesus counted as so important, we too must
count as so important.
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3. |
For
a true picture of what the church should be striving to become every
day, look at Acts 2:40-47.
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What
can you do today and the rest of this week to contribute to this
kind of
life among God's people (the church)?
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5. |
If
the church you are part of is not like this at all, what should you
do?
Complain vigorously? Leave the church and go it
alone? Or is there a better
option, a more Biblical option?
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1. |
Paul
describes the church as "the Body of Christ." Read Romans 12:1-8,
and see how giving yourself first to God leads to
giving yourself to other
people in the Body of Christ.
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2. |
Notice
particularly verse 5 which says, "each member belongs to all the
others," or "we are all members one of another." How
does this fit with or
conflict with the American ideal of individualism?
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3. |
List
three things that you know already that you can do for other members
of the Body of Christ. Share these with a prayer
partner or someone who is
close to you and get their reaction.
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4. |
List
at least three things that you know you need from the Body of Christ
in
order to grow in Christ. Share these also with
another person.
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1. |
Read
Ephesians 4:1-5. Why does it seem to you that God is so very
concerned about the Body of Christ being in unity and
peace?
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2. |
Turn
to Romans 14:13-15:3 and read how far we should go and how much
we should bend to keep the Body of Christ together.
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3. |
Is
there anything in your life that is so important to you that you
could not
give it up even if it was keeping people from coming
to Jesus Christ or
growing in him? If there is, look back to verse 21
and seek help in dealing
with this area of your life.
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1. |
God
is greatly concerned about the UNITY of the church, but he is also
greatly concerned about the PURITY of the Body of
Christ. We are called to
a holy life and a pure life, and sin in the Body that
is being hidden or
ignored will destroy the power of the church.
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2. |
Read
Ephesians 5:1-14. List those things which are described here as
improper for God's holy people.
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3. |
How
would living as "children of light" be totally different from these
things you have just listed? What is the basic
difference?
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4. |
You are
a young Christian, but what should you do if you see brothers or sisters
falling into some sin? Read Galatians 6:1-2.
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1. |
What
is the one thing that must be in the church and in our relationships
above all else?
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Read the following passages: |
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John 13:34-35 |
I
Corinthians 13:1-3 |
Galatians 5:6 and 13-14 |
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Ephesians 5:1-2 |
Colossians 3:14 |
I Peter 4:8 |
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2. |
For
a more precise definition of love, compare John 13:34-35 with I John
3:16. List all the things you can think of that
describe the way Jesus Christ
loved us.
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3. |
How are you progressing in your relationships with your new
brothers and
sisters in Christ? Are they seeing your love for
them? Many new Christians just want to be loved and to be
served. Break this pattern and reach out to
others because Jesus Christ has reached out to you.
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1. |
One
of the things we can all do for one another in the Body is give
encouragement. Read a powerful statement about this
in Hebrews 3:12-14.
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2. |
According
to this passage, what is to be the specific purpose of our
encouragement? What do you think will be involved in
giving this kind of specific encouragement? (If this is not clear,
be sure and discuss it with an
older brother or sister).
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Look
at II Timothy 4:2. Notice that we can encourage people by bringing
the Word to them (not just by complimenting them). In your new
relationships try to share with
someone every day something that you have
found in God's
Truth that is inspiring and encouraging to you.
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1. |
When
problems develop in the Body between brothers and sisters, they
must be dealt with so that Satan is given no
opportunity to enter in. Read Matthew 18:15-20 which gives us the right way to deal with such
situations.
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2. |
Determine
early in your Christian life that you will not complain or
grumble behind someone's back about what they have
done. Determine
that you will always go to them and resolve the
problem with God's help
(verse 20).
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