Bodylife Dynamics : Responsibilities And Privileges In The Body Of Christ

BODYLIFE DYNAMICS : OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND PRIVILEGES AS MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST

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OUTLINE

1. ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER

2. LOVE ONE ANOTHER

3. EDIFY ONE ANOTHER

4. PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER

5. SERVE ONE ANOTHER

6. HONOUR ONE ANOTHER

7. BELONG TO ONE ANOTHER

THE MESSAGE

BODYLIFE DYNAMICS : OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND PRIVILEGES AS MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST

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1. ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER

As members of the Body of Christ we should encourage one another. The Lord has placed us in His body so that we can give and receive encouragement in our time of discouragement and loneliness. We should not have to go through our times of sorrow and pain all alone . We must allow the members of the body of Christ to minister to us when we are going through the valley . We should not isolate ourselves from the other members in the body of Christ in our times of distress. The Lord Jesus wanted his three close disciples to be with Him during his time of agony in the garden of Gethsemane. As members of the body of Christ we must comfort and encourage those who are going through difficult times .

Nehemiah was in a comfortable position as the cupbearer in the palace. But his heart was filled with agony when he heard of the affliction of his people in Jerusalem and he cried out to God for deliverance. As one body we must share the pain and distress that others face in their life. We must reach out to others even when we are going through pain in our own life. We should not bury ourselves in our own sorrows and and not care about the troubles of others.

Joseph in the Old Testament was in pain in his own life as a prisoner in Egypt. But even during his life in prison , he cared about others and enquired about the sadness of two of his fellow prisoners and helped them. And later one of those prisoners was instrumental in bringing Joseph out of prison. Job in the Old Testament was in great suffering. But the Lord restored all his losses when he prayed for his friends. When we reach out to others even during our own period of suffering , we are sowing a seed which will bring us a harvest of blessing and deliverance in our own lives.

As members of the body of Christ we must share our joys with one another. We must rejoice with those who rejoice. We must not be filled with envy and jealousy over the blessings of others. If we have failed to receive any blessing , we must examine ourselves to find out if there is any hindrance in our lives and rectify it. God accepted the offering of Abel and rejected the offerring of Cain. Cain instead of examining his life and correcting his faults became jealous of his brother and killed him. As a result he received a severe punishment in his life.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

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MATTHEW 26:37-41

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.

Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter.

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

I CORINTHIANS 12:26

" If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. "

NEHEMIAH 1:1-4, 11

The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,

Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire."

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man." I was cupbearer to the king.