Bible Study October 18, 2012

Hey Gang,


This week we begin a new series on "Balancing Your Spiritual Growth." You see, measuring spiritual health demands an integrated balance of connecting, growing, serving, and going. These are the themes of our next 4 lessons as we look at a balanced spiritual growth.

A healthy Christian connects with God in prayer and worship, relates to others in positive relationships, and connects to the church. But what does that mean? 

What makes up a good church choir? We are going to watch an episode of Mayberry and see how Andy deals with Barney, a friend, a brother, and a subordinate who just wasn’t given the gift of singing, but is now singing in the church choir.

Barney & the Choir 

Click Here to Watch

Shouldn’t Andy or the Choir Director have been honest with Barney and told him that he couldn’t sing? What do we learn from the way Andy dealt with Barney’s weakness for singing?

The focus of this week’s lesson is to help you learn what it means to connect to God and others. In the Bible, the Greek word for this connection is “koinonia.” It means to be as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ. Have you thought about that – to be as committed to each other as we are to Christ?

How do we connect?

I. CONNECT TO OUR DIVERSITY – 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-18

12 For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 So the body is not one part but many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body," in spite of this it still belongs to the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I'm not an eye, I don't belong to the body," in spite of this it still belongs to the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But now God has placed the parts, each one of them, in the body just as He wanted.


Paul says for us to connect in our diversity – what do you think he means by this? Why is the human body a good metaphor to describe the church? Why is connecting to church a vital part of balanced spiritual growth?

• Paul saw the church not as a democracy or a group of unrelated individuals but rather as the body of Christ. The human body would collapse into dysfunction without coordination of the body parts. The eye needs the hands to accomplish its objective, and the head needs the feet to reach its destination. The church is diverse in its gifts and each must connect to grow.

Let’s look at some ways we connect with each other:



1. We connect by admitting our need for each other.

“Since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.” Romans 12:5b (NLT)





Why are people so reluctant to admit their need for each other?

• Individualism – Our culture glorifies it and we admire it, self-sufficient people who seem to get along quite well by themselves.
• Pride – Many people, especially men, feel it’s a weakness to ask for help or to express a need. God wired us that way! He wants His children to depend on each other. We were designed for relationships. Everyone needs a spiritual family, and that’s why God created the church.

2. We connect by committing to each other.

• We saw earlier that we are to be as committed to each other as we are to Christ. It means we see the value of each individual’s gifts; we see each other as God’s creations and vessels of God’s grace. It means we commit to being there for each other.

It is by God’s design that we define our lives by four commitments:

A. marriage – a lasting permanent commitment of love to one person

B. children – a representation of God’s committed love for His children

C. work – a representation of commitment to serve

D. church – a representation of our commitment to one another as Christians



3. We connect by respecting each other.

• Respect begins with a Godly perspective. Paul stressed that every Christian is vital, being placed in the community by divine appointment. No matter how impressive or important a member of the body might be, one cannot form a church from a single individual.

Four ways we show respect: (Andy showed great respect for Barney’s feelings)

A. Tactful, not just truthful. Thinking before we speak, knowing that the way you say something will influence the way it’s received.

B. Understanding, not demanding. By treating others the way we would want to be treated. We should be considerate of one another’s feelings and stresses: sometimes people don’t feel good, and their having a bad day.

C. Gentle, not judgmental. Even when we disagree with one another, we should still be courteous and respectful – focusing on our own behavior first. 

D. Polite, not rude. When others are rude to you, you don’t have to respond with rudeness. We are taught as Christians to respond with kindness.





II. CONNECT THE WEAK AND STRONG – 1 CORINTHIANS 12:21-26


21 So the eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" nor again the head to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, all the more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those parts of the body that we think to be less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unpresentable parts have a better presentation. 24 But our presentable parts have no need [of clothing]. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, 25 so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. 26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Paul says we should connect the weak and the strong – what do you read into this? In what ways are the parts of our body dependent on each other? How is each church member dependent upon others to work effectively?

• Paul turns his attention to those in the Corinthian church that were giving the impression that they didn’t need some of the others. Paul says look, we’re all different members of the body, but we are also dependent on each other. Those parts that are considered weaker are necessary. Each member must care for and help the other members, whether weaker or stronger.

2. We connect by supporting each other.

“… all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.” 1 Peter 3:8 NLT



We show tender hearts when we say to one another:

• It’s OK to have a bad day.
• It’s OK to be tired.
• It’s OK to admit your mistakes.
• It’s OK to share you’re scared.
• It’s OK to grieve a loss.
• It’s OK to doubt, to be confused, and to cry.

We show humble minds when we say to one another:

• It’s OK to be happy you got a new car.
• It’s OK to celebrate that you got a HUGE raise.
• It’s OK to joyfully tell us you lost seventeen pounds.
• It’s OK to shout “Hallelujah” because God’s presence in your life is so good.

We show tender hearts when we weep with those who weep and humble minds when we rejoice in the blessings of others. To support literally means to “lend strength to.” 

 

3. We connect by getting along with each other.

“I beg you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so that there won’t be splits in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” 1 Corinthians 1:10 (LB)


One of the best ways to get along with people is to make it your goal to love those who disagree with you.

Is there a difference between having opposing viewpoints and being divisive?

• A group of people will not completely agree on every issue, but they can work together in harmony if they agree on what truly matters - Jesus Christ is Lord of all. 

 




4. We connect by being patient with each other.

“Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Ephesians 4:2b (NLT)



God gave us two ears and one mouth, perhaps to tell us that we should listen twice as much as we talk.




III. CONNECT AND GOD WILL BLESS – PSALM 133:1-3
1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers can live together! 2 It is like fine oil on the head, running down on the beard, running down Aaron's beard, on his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD has appointed the blessing—life forevermore.
We read here in the Psalm that God will bless our connections. How delightful when a community of believers walks and acts in love as the body of Christ! Didn’t the Mayberry church choir sound marvelous? It's called harmony and unity.



Why is it pleasing to see your children getting along with each other?



When was the last time you measured how tall your child was? When was the last time you measured how tall your spiritual height was? Why should we keep growing spiritually?


Hope everyone has had a blessed week as we look forward to this new 4 week series on balancing our spiritual growth.



See you this Thursday!


In His Love,


David