Life in the Church 2. Christian Community


[WOTS]
11/11/2017


Life in the Church

                                            2.  Christian Community               November 11, 2017

1Corinthians12:12-28; Ephesians 2:19-22

SONG: UNITY {Ps. (詩篇) 133:1; Mk. (馬可) 3:24-25}

By Dr. Meiman Lai Saidi

Worldwide Outreach Teaching School

 

The Word to live by 1 Peter 2:9                       彼得前書2:9

9.  But you are a chosen people, a royal   priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

 
  1. 惟有你們是被揀選的族類、是有君尊的祭司、是聖潔的國度、是屬　神的子民、要叫你們宣揚那召你們出黑暗入奇妙光明者的美德。

Preface: We all need to be reminded of and re-challenged by Apostle Paul’s message of diversity in unity. And God calls us to experience the Christian life as part of the people of God, the body of Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, this is our session truth.  Think about if you accomplished something that was momentous and significant alongside other people. How do you think that would be different if you removed the other people from you? Do you think the outcome would have been significantly different?

Today, we are going to be talking about the importance of the Christian community and the body of Christ as we strive to be committed disciples of Jesus Christ.

 

Prayer: O Lord, Thanks for the privileges that You have given me; Please make me to be a voice for righteousness and truth and to be a good example of Jesus to service others. Grant the desire of my heart as I teach Your Word. And please speak through me with power and clarity. Let Your Word impact and change lives forever. May Christ alone be exalted and glorified, both now and forever, in the name of Jesus’ Amen!

Session Goals: 學習目標1).To recognize that the church is not just a building or institution, but the people of God and the place where God dwells認識 教會不只是一棟建築物, 而是上帝的子民和祂相遇之地.  2) To value all the gifts that God places within the church for God’s purposes. 重視神給教會的所有恩賜有祂的目的。3) To embrace the rich variety of people whom we can know and love through our life in the church. 把愛的生命在教會中發揮我們不同的恩賜。

A.     One Body, Many Parts1Corinthians12:12-14

12.  The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.

13.  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.

14.  Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.

 

12.  就如身子是一個、卻有許多肢體、而且肢體雖多、仍是一個身子．基督也是這樣。

13.  我們不拘是猶太人、是希利尼人、是為奴的、是自主的、都從一位聖靈受洗、成了一個身體．飲於一位聖靈。

14.  身子原不是一個肢體、乃是許多肢體。

Apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of each church member; he compares the body of Christ to a human body. Each part has a specific function that is necessary to body as a whole. The parts are different for a purpose, and in their differences they must work together. If a seemingly insignificant part is taken away, the whole body becomes less effective. Christians must avoid two common errors: 1 being too proud of their abilities, thinking that your gift is more important than someone else’s is an expression of spiritual pride.   2 thinking they have nothing to give to the body of believers.  Instead of comparing ourselves to one another, we should use our different gifts to help the society.

“We were all given the one Spirit to drink” means that the same Holy Spirit completely fills our innermost beings. As members of God’s family, we may have different interests and gifts, but we have a common goal is to spread the good News of salvation to the world.   

B.     Body Parts 1Corinthians12:15-28

  1. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

15. 設若腳說、我不是手、所以不屬乎身子．他不能因此就不屬乎身子。

 

 

 
  1. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
  2. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
  3. But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
  4. If they were all one part, where would the body be?
  5. As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
  1. 設若耳說、我不是眼、所以不屬乎身子．他也不能因此就不屬乎身子。
  2. 若全身是眼、從那裡聽聲呢．若全身是耳、從那裡聞味呢。
  3. 但如今　神自己的意思、把肢體俱各安排在身上了。
  4. 若都是一個肢體、身子在那裡呢。
  5. 但如今肢體是多的、身子卻是一個。

 

 

 
  1. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!"
  2. On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
  3. And the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpreventable are treated with special modesty,
  4. While our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
  5. So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.
  1. 眼不能對手說、我用不著你．頭也不能對腳說、我用不著你。
  2. 不但如此、身上肢體人以為軟弱的、更是不可少的．
  3. 身上肢體、我們看為不體面的、越發給他加上體面．不俊美的、越發得著俊美．
  4. 我們俊美的肢體、自然用不著裝飾．但　神配搭這身子、把加倍的體面給那有缺欠的肢體．
  5. 免得身上分門別類．總要肢體彼此相顧。

 

 

 
  1. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
  2. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
  3. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

 
  1. 若一個肢體受苦、所有的肢體就一同受苦．若一個肢體得榮耀、所有的肢體就一同快樂。
  2. 你們就是基督的身子、並且各自作肢體。
  3. 　神在教會所設立的、第一是使徒．第二是先知．第三是教師．其次是行異能的．再次是得恩賜醫病的．幫助人的．治理事的．說方言的。

v.12:18, Apostle Paul is saying that God has arranged that different Christians in the body of Christ exercise different spiritual gifts, not the same gift. Diversity is intended to accomplish God’s unified purpose.                                                                                                            v.12:21, the principle here is the interdependence of the parts of the body in the one whole. Christians in the body of Christ are mutually dependent as they exercise their distinctive functions.                                                                                                             v. 12:23-24, Christians should give “special honor” and support to those in the church who have ordinary gifted. Persons with more spectacular gifts do not need to be given special honor.                                                                                                                 v.12:26, every part suffers. In the body of Christ if one Christian suffers, all the Christians are affected.                                                                                                                                               v. 12:27, you are the body of Christ means each local church is the body of Christ just as the universal church is Christ’s body.                                                                                                      v. 12:28, these three gifts are: listed as “first”, “second” and “third,” indicating their importance in the church. Paul also already insisted that all gifts are important (vv.21-26).

In this passage the apostle Paul talks about the body of Christ being made up of many parts to form one body. For example, verse 15 reads, “If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease (停止) to be part of the body. And if the ear say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body…” We should use the gifts we have been given and encourage others to use theirs.  What is your response when a fellow Christian is honored? For example, your feet strong to walk, you are happy bout it. How do you respond when someone is suffering? We are called to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep 與喜樂的人要同樂．與哀哭的人要同哭 (Romans羅馬書12:15). Do not jealous of those who rejoice. Believers are in the world together, we need to get involved in the lives of others.

C.     One in Christ (Our Reconciled) Ephesians2:19-22

  1. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,
  2. built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

19.  這樣、你們不再作外人、和客旅、是與聖徒同國、是　神家裡的人了．                                             20. 並且被建造在使徒和先知的根基上、有基督耶穌自己為房角石．

 

 

 

 

 

21.   In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

22.   And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

21.   各〔或作全〕房靠他聯絡得合式、漸漸成為主的聖殿．

22.   你們也靠他同被建造成為　神藉著聖靈居住的所在。

A church building is sometimes called God’s house. God lives in a group of people, and He shows himself to us, people can see that God is love and that Christ is love as we live in harmony with each other and in accordance with what God says in his word. We are citizens of God’s kingdom and members of His household.

As we are built together in Christ, we stand firm and strong. We are part of the church of God in which the Holy Spirit dwells. As a community, we experience and reveal the presence of the Holy Spirit in a way no individual Christian can. This is a vision of a community whose diversity of culture, race, economic and social status, personalities, vocations, and gifts are united in one Spirit under one Lord to glorify our loving Creator and Redeemer. This is a powerful witness to the good news of salvation through Christ. By Ryan R. Pettit

In Christ, we reconciled with our Almighty God.  God alone reveals the truth of all we call unknown, and all the best and worst of man won’t change the Master’s plan.   In the Christian community shows diversity of roles/functions/skills/gifts; this kind of diversity is important because it recognizes that unity, among the diversity is the key for a body to work as it should. In relation to the body of Christ, no gift is more important than any other. Everyone is to work together and use their gifts in order to be effective as the church of Jesus Christ.

This passage, while all Christians have equal access to God and status before Him, we are not all gifted in the same ways. We are not self-sufficient for carrying out God’s purposes; we must work together to be the body of Christ. Affirming the division of labor within the church is to affirm that God created us to be different from one another, and this is good and purposeful. By Ryan R. Pettit

D.    Conclusion:

1.      Life in the church is the people of God get together harmony in a place not only just a building, it is the trinity God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit dwells into us.           認識 教會不只是一棟建築物, 而是上帝的子民和祂相遇之地.

2.      We value all our different God’s giving gifts to fulfill His purpose in our life.                 重視神給教會的所有恩賜有祂的目的讓我們去完成。

3.      To take all people in who are around us and include as a part of our body with love through our life in the church, so we can earn souls for Christ and glorify to God!  帶領人進來把愛的生命在教會中發揮我們不同的恩賜, 如此更能領人歸主, 更加榮耀歸於神。