Lesson outline on the Body of Christ
Discussion Point I.
Video, “I am a Christian But. . .
“ What do you think of this? What positive things are being said? What not-so-positive things?
In my mind, these young people do not understand the body of
Christ.
Our passage today is I Corinthians 12:12-30 (12-20, 21-26,
27-30). I will add Psalm 139 to the mix
You have probably heard several sermons or read these
passages many times before. The issue is
not so much what they mean but what do they mean for us personally and what are
we going to do about them? What one
thing right now can we do differently to make the truth of “the body of Christ”
meaningful and real in our lives, and what can we do long-term?
Discussion Point II:
List all the parts of the body (organs, limbs, etc.) you can in the time
allotted.
Question 2: Which part
of the body could be eliminated and keep living and thriving on its
The people of Paul’s time reading this letter did not know
about cells, dendrites, neurons, etc. but they did know basic anatomy and what
happened when one part of the body disappeared or failed.
Psalm 139:14-18.
God chose to use the body as a metaphor or explanation point
for the church for several reasons. In
fact, I do not really think of it as a metaphor, because a metaphor always
breaks down. (If I say, “She is jewel”
about someone I work with whom I really like and is indispensable to the
office, like my friend Donna Hendrix, I only mean she is like a jewel in being
valuable and precious. I don’t mean she
is hard, could be put in jewelry, could be bought and sold, etc.) However, with the body of Christ, we really are his body:
·
He cares for us like he would a physical body.
·
We are the physical presence of Christ on earth
while he is in heaven.
·
We suffer together as he does and rejoice
together as he does.
·
He is the head and we are dependent on him
fully.
·
The Holy Spirit is the “life force” and keeps us
alive and united.
·
We need each other and no one part of the body
is indispensable.
·
The physical aspect of our lives is important
(we are not all spirit).
·
It is not good to be alone. We do not really thrive and grow spiritually
(or otherwise) away from people. To
think so is to buy a lie. (Genesis 2:18). We have idealized aloneness.
·
Other?
As a body, the church is different from any other
group. How?
Why is “body life” not attractive to us?
o
Sense that time is wasted with other people
o
Rejection, which has very little to do with the
rejectee and everything to do with the rejecter. John 6:60-69.
o
Not our style
o
Not sure what we contribute
o
Just plain messy
o
Too much other stuff
TAKEAWAYS:
1.
Our church needs a re-igniting of this idea of
body life. Are we a social club or a
night club? Neither.
2. We
ourselves need each other. My
story: A woman I avoid. She needs the church. Time to God is the eternal now. I need the church.
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