Good day dear friends. We announced yesterday about Cindy Gratz' car accident and her being in St. Joseph's Regional Hospital in Bryan, TX. I spoke with Bob yesterday afternoon and he told me that Cindy survived what seemed like no one would have. She has movement in both legs, though one side seems a bit weaker than the other and will undergo surgery on Tuesday to relieve pressure on her vertebrae. Please hold Cindy and Bob in prayer.
We finished our three sermon series on our mission statement and we studied "Building up the Body of Christ." What does it mean to be a member of this Body and what is require of us so that the Body can grow? We'll look at that each day. Here is our study guide for today:
Monday: Yesterday we studied two powerful passages on the early church. Please re-read those and see again what may jump out at you regarding the early church. There was a profound joy of being a part of the community that should be the most attractive attribute of any Christian church today. Sadly, that is not always the case. Why do you suppose that is and what can we do to change that? The same is true for the families of today. While there is no perfect family, there are plenty who do rise above the rest in terms of the love experienced in each other. Along with that comes forgiveness, fellowship, compassion, and grace.
Here are those passages:
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
1 Corinthians 12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
From both passages I shared what can be called the "keys to the kingdom" in terms of having true fellowship and shared joy. These were: Prayer. The starting point of anything done for God, including and especially each day. Prayer is a connecting point. I use a laptop that can run for hours without being connected. But as it gets used and used without the direct connection it reaches the point where the screen gets very dim and a warning comes that I need to save my work and directly connect to a power source or I will lose all that I am working on. The second I plug it in the screen brightens up (which is great for us old folks!) and I can continue working. Our lives are similar when we go and go without prayer. Once we connect and especially if we stay connected, our lives are brighter and radiate the presence of Christ. Along with prayer I mentioned to the congregation the importance of fasting. Wednesday we begin the forty-day period of Lent that with our Catholic brothers and sisters involves fasting in the form of giving up something. True fasting is to rely on spiritual nourishment instead of the physical. If you give up a meal time or a portion of your meal, then spend that time in prayer and Bible reading. You will notice the blessings that are yours.
Love. Love should be the first thing people should experience upon walking into any church, especially ours. In my Sunday night class we talked about the experiences we've had in other churches that within the first 90 seconds we determined that we would never visit the church again or that we would leave immediately. If we welcome and treat each other with unconditional love, can you imagine the blessings that are ours?
Wonder. In that account in Acts of the first church in verse 43 we see how the people are filled with awe and wonder about all that God was doing in their midst. This came as a result of much prayer, fasting, and love. We should never lose the sense of wonder towards God. God will amaze us!
Sharing/Giving. Once we have prayed, fasted, loved and reflected in wonder, we will see how we can share and give like never before. We will strive to take care of the needs of those around us and the needs of God's church. A praying, loving, awe and wonder-filled church (and individual members make these up) will give like never before.
Inviting/Witnessing. There's nothing like telling someone where you have been helped. There's a joy in showing others where you have been fed. And so it is with the praying, loving church: We invite others to come and join our experience. We give witness to our faith in our actions and in those opportunities that arise where we can tell others about what God has done for us.
Building each other up. We as a Body of Christ should strive to encourage and rejoice with those who need that and mourn with those who mourn. We should be a place where people receive hope and strength.
We can apply these to our personal lives and personal situations. We can share these in the way we live. And blessing upon blessing will be ours.
PRAYER: God of the Body, give to us encouragement and hope, love and joy. Let us be vessels that share that with others. May your Body grow. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
