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.
GENESIS 40:6-7
" When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.
So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, "Why are your faces so sad today?"
JOB 42:10
And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
ROMANS 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
LUKE 15:4-6
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders
and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ’Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
GENESIS 4:1-3
Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man."
Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.
But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let’s go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don’t know," he replied. "Am I my brother’s keeper?"
The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear.
I THESSALONIANS 4:18
" Therefore encourage each other with these words."
I THESSALONIANS 5:11
" Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
I THESSALONIANS 5:14
" And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone."
ROMANS 15:1
" We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves."
2. LOVE ONE ANOTHER
As members of the Body of Christ we should love one another . One of the greatest needs of every human being is to love and to be loved. The Lord has placed us as members of His body in order that we may give love and receive love from one another. The Body of Christ is the place where love overflows and the world on seeing this love would acknowledge that we are indeed the disciples of Christ. We must demonstrate this love towards each other and remove all strife and bitterness within the body of Christ.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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JOHN 13:34-35
" A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
MATTHEW 22:37-39
Jesus replied: " ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’
JOHN 17:20-23
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
ROMANS 13:8
" Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. "
I THESSALONIANS 3:12
" May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. "
I THESSALONIANS 4:9
" Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. "
II THESSALONIANS 1:3
" We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing."
HEBREWS 10:24
" And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. "
I PETER 1:22
" Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. "
I JOHN 3: 11,23
" This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. "
I JOHN 4: 7, 11,12
" Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. "
2 JOHN 5
"And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. "
3. EDIFY ONE ANOTHER
As members of the Body of Christ we must edify one another . The Lord has placed us in His body so that we can receive instruction and counsel from one another and learn from one another. We are not meant to struggle all by ourselves to grow spiritually. We are meant to grow in our spiritual walk in fellowship with other beleivers . In whatever area of our spiritual life we are struggling , we should get help from others in the body of Christ who are strong in that area . In whatever area of our spiritual life we are strong , we should look out for those in the body of Christ who are struggling in that area and help them. Our fellowship with the members of the body of Christ should result in mutual edification.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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ROMANS 14:19
" Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. "
ROMANS 5:14
" I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another."
EPHESIANS 4:29
" Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. "
4. PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER
As members of the Body of Christ we should pray for one another. The Lord has placed us in His body so that we may uphold one another in prayer. We should be willing to share our sins and failures with each other not to humiliate and slander and destroy one another but to pray for one another . We should develop strong and deep and trust worthy relationships in the body of Christ where we are safe in sharing our struggles and prayer requests with one another. The Lord Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith should not fail. He could see the attack of Satan on Peter which would cause him to deny Jesus three times. But because Jesus had prayed for him , Peter was restored back to faith and the service of God. Our prayers can restore those who have fallen in their hour of temptation and protect them from destruction.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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JAMES 5:16
" Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. "
LUKE 22:31-34
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."
But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death."
Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me."
EPHESIANS 6:18-20
" And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."
COLOSSIANS 4:2-4
" Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. "
5. SERVE ONE ANOTHER
As members of the Body of Christ we should serve one another . The Lord has placed us in His body so that we can help each other. We should not have to carry our burdens all by ourselves . As members of the body of Christ we ought to carry each other’s burdens. When we carry the burdens of others , we will experience that others would come forward to share our burdens .
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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GALATIANS 5:13
" You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. "
GALATIANS 6:2
" Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
I PETER 4:9
" Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. "
6. HONOUR ONE ANOTHER
As members of the Body of Christ we should honour one another . The Lord has placed us in His body so that we can honour one another and submit to one another and be kind and compassionate to one another . The worldly people always try to show themselves as greater than others . They are motivated by selfish ambition and vain conceit . But as members of the body of Christ we are called to be radically different from the world. We should walk in humility and take the initiative to honour others more than ourselves. The Body of Christ should be the place where we treat one another with the greatest honour.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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ROMANS 12:10
" Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."
PHILIPPIANS 2:3
" Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. "
EPHESIANS 5:21
" Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
I PETER 5:5
" Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
EPHESIANS 4:32
" Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
7. BELONG TO ONE ANOTHER
As members of the Body of Christ we belong to one another. We cannot behave as unattached members and function independently of everyone else. The Lord has united us as members of the same body . Whenever we meet a fellow believer in Christ , we must acknowledge the relationship we share with each other as members of the same body . The Lord does not want any discrimination in His body based on any worldly considerations such as wealth , colour , language , community , status , nationality etc. We should treat all our fellow beleivers the same as members of the same body of Christ. The Lord has placed us in His body in a specific place with a specific responsibility according to His will. We should fulfill our role cheerfully and not be envious of anybody else .
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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I CORINTHIANS 12:27
" Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. "
I CORINTHIANS 12:12-20
" 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.
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.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
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.
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.
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?
But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
If they were all one part, where would the body be?
As it is, there are many parts, but one body. "
ROMANS 12:5
" so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. "
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