Lesson 3, Week 3: Becoming Spiritually Whole Through Church and Ministry
Today’s Scripture Focus: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.
*Pause and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you as you
read and study God’s Word.
One of my favorite memories from
childhood is of picking wildflowers. The
morning glory vines would anchor themselves to the metal fences dividing our
fields. Their megaphone blossoms of
purple, pink, and white decorated our fencerows. Honeysuckle, intertwined just as firmly on
the metal arbor and sweetly perfumed the air.
Clustered along the bottom of the fencerows, sweet peas blossomed in
hues of rose. A wild rose bush could
generally be found nearby, and always there were the hearty dandelions, which I
called “dots of gold.” After picking the
bright blossoms, I would set my pail aside and run off to a new adventure. I remember the disappointment I felt when I
returned a short while later and found my flowers drooping their heads, totally
wilted.
How vibrant and alive the
wildflowers had been when connected to their source of nourishment. But, oh,
how quickly they withered when separated.
Believers are like that, too.
They attend church and receive nourishment from meeting together. God’s seed is multiplied among the
worshipping fellowship and the body of believers grows. But when a believer breaks off from their
source of spiritual nourishment, they loose the strength and encouragement that
they receive from other believers.
They, too, will experience a
wilting in their spiritual life.
Think on
These Things
Almost everyone below fifty years
of age would predict that the second half of life is bound to be a “slow-down”
period. They envision every day of
retirement as being filled with leisurely activities. But for those of us who
are living in the autumn and winter of life, we know better. Much to our surprise, when we arrived, life
just picked up speed. The rockers are
empty for this ALIVE generation, for we are “out and about.”
We are more involved with family,
friends, and worthy causes. Many of us
have lived in the fast lane for so long that we don’t have a clue about how to
slow down. We may feel healthy and even work occasionally to supplement our
retirement. Besides, we want to live
the American way—to embrace it all, including our dreams of travel and
leisure. Our lives are filled to the
brim and at times, we may even be tempted to pass “church” and move on down the
road to family activities and recreation.
In fact, it can even become a habit.
The Scriptures explain why we must not let this happen.
And let us consider how we may
spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,
but let us encourage—one another—and all the more as you see the Day
approaching. Hebrew 10:24-25 NIV
The body is a unit, though it
is made up of many parts; and through all its parts are many, they form one
body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into
one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one
Spirit to drink. 1 Corinthians
12:12-13 NIV
Read I Corinthians 12:12-31
regarding the importance of each believer.
Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. I Corinthians 12:1 NIV
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. Now to each one the manifestation of the
Spirit is given for the common good. I Corinthians 12:4 & 7 NIV
Read I Corinthians 12: 7-11 to better understand why each believer is
given one or more gifts from the Holy Spirit.
Observe the Sabbath day by
keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Deuteronomy 5:12 NIV
By the seventh day God had
finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all
his work. And God blessed the seventh
day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating
that he had done. Genesis 2:2-3 NIV
Six days do your work, but on
the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the
slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.
Exodus 23:12 NIV
God knew what man has a hard time
grasping; a man needs a time of refreshment and refueling.
What I Have
Learned
One reason we meet together is to
__________one another.
What might a church or individual
member to for a fellow believer
--during
sickness?_________________
--during a period of
grief?____________________
--during a time of financial
problems?____________
--during a spiritually dry period
or struggle? _______________
What other situations come to
mind where one Christian could encourage
another?___________________________________
Who makes up the body of
Christ?___________________
What do all believers
share?________________________
The Holy Spirit gives each
believer one or more gifts. The gifts are to be used for what purpose? ___________________
After reading the Scriptures
regarding the Sabbath, give two reasons why you think God wanted man to keep
the Sabbath holy and for man to rest from his labors?
1.
2
How I Will
Apply What I Have Learned
- I will make it a priority to join with a band of
believers in weekly worship.
- I will pray about my spiritual gifts and choose to
serve actively in my church.
(Scripture never mentions a time of
spiritual retirement—more on that subject later in our study. Your church
ministry will be a witness to the younger generation.)
- I will choose to spend my Sunday worshipping the Lord
and in restful activities. I will
use this day as a time of restoration both spiritually and physically.
Father,
Thank you for teaching me the importance
of joining together in fellowship with other believers. May I encourage as well as receive
encouragement from them. Father, may I
love them with Your love. May I overlook
their faults and forgive their shortcomings.
May I remember to bear their burdens in prayer
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