Principles of Christian Living

Lesson 5

Lesson Text—I Corinthians 12:12-14

I Corinthians 12:12-1412 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

Lesson Text—I Corinthians 12:12-14

13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.14 For the body is not one member, but many.

Lesson Text—I John 1:1-4

I John 1:1-41 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

Lesson Text—I John 1:1-4

2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

Lesson Text—I John 1:1-4

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Lesson Text—I John 1:5-7

I John 1:5-75 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Lesson Text—I John 1:5-7

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Focus Verse—I John 1:7

I John 1:7But if we walk in the light, as he is

in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of

Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Focus Thought

God desires for us to have

fellowship with Him and, in turn,

with each other.

I. No One Stands AloneCULTURE CONNECTIONWe Need One Another

Someone once said of the church, “Christians are the only ones who leave their wounded abandoned.” About that common saying, a contributor to the blog Bukisa.com stated, “Maybe it is true, or perhaps those who leave the wounded, were never truly followers of Jesus” (Creciendo, March 13, 2010). I must agree, and I pray it never be true of genuine believers in Christ Jesus. We need each other!

I. No One Stands AloneEvery close-knit culture and group of

people should recognize how important is fellowship and closeness between fellow members. Great strength comes through unity and camaraderie.

In the April 2010 issue of the Jewish publication Community, Rabbi Eli Mansour wrote in his article titled “Jewish Affection,” “Animosity towards one’s fellow Jews is like weeds growing in one’s garden. No matter how many seeds one plants and no matter how much he waters them, the flowers cannot blossom.

I. No One Stands AloneSimilarly, we Torah Jews must remove the weeds of sin’at hinam (baseless hatred) from our ‘garden.’ We cannot hope to grow in religious observance, Torah knowledge or devotion to Gd [sic] as long as these damaging weeds are present. ‘Derech eress kadma le’Torah.’ Before anything else, we must learn to treat each other kindly, lovingly and respectfully, and eliminate feelings of hatred and ill-will toward our brothers and sisters.”

I. No One Stands AloneBefore we believers in Jesus Christ can achieve full benefit from studying the Scriptures, we must learn how much we need one another, treating each other with kindness, love, and respect.

I. No One Stands AloneContemplating the Topic

Fellowship is vital to believers in Jesus Christ. Constant and ongoing fellowship—both with God and with fellow believers—sustained the early church. The Book of Luke reveals that the growth of the early church included their continuing steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. (See Acts 2:42.)

I. No One Stands AloneFurther, the Book of I John teaches us that as we walk in the light, we have fellowship with the church, and the blood of Christ cleanses us from sin. (See I John 1:7.)

Many people have mistakenly thought they were to be isolated, like an island unto themselves. This wrong thinking has created many casualties among Christian believers.

I. No One Stands AloneThe plight of believers is similar to

that of a group of porcupines that the famous philosopher Schopenhauer once used to illustrate a point. A group of porcupines were marooned one bitter cold night in the middle of a large frozen field. There was no way to escape the biting wind. They could not burrow into the frozen ground. They huddled together to keep warm, but their sharp quills began to pinch and hurt one another.

I. No One Stands AloneThe closer they moved together, the more the pain increased until some of the animals who could not bear the pain drew apart to sleep alone. In the morning they had frozen to death. They needed each other.

In our humanness there are times when we hurt each other, and we tend to pull apart and try to go it alone; but Christians must resist this tendency. The Scriptures often encourage us to walk together in agreement.

I. No One Stands AloneJesus revealed there is a spiritual dynamic created when we gather together for fellowship with one another and with the Lord Jesus Christ at the center. Further, He assured us wherever two or three gather together in His name He would be in the midst.

Through fellowship with God and with each other, we learn to tolerate one another. Through fellowship we learn to appreciate our differences.

Transparency 1

I. No One Stands AloneThe Scriptures portray the New

Testament church through many different word pictures. No one single picture is sufficient to describe the greatness of God’s church. However, when we place several pictures together it enables us to see a more complete view of the many aspects of the church.

This is exactly what the Lord did when He presented the church in the New Testament. He took several snapshots and painted them together, forming a beautiful collage.

I. No One Stands AloneWhen looking at this collage we see the church displayed as many things: a flock (John 10:16); God’s building (I Corinthians 3:16); a new man (Ephesians 2:15); a habitation of God (Ephesians 2:22); God’s husbandry (I Corinthians 3:9); the house of God (I Timothy 3:15); the pillar and ground of truth (I Timothy 3:15); the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27; II Corinthians 11:2); the body of Christ (Romans 7:4; I Corinthians 12:27).

I. No One Stands AloneAll of these word pictures blend

together as colors on the canvas displaying the wonderful characteristics of the church of Jesus Christ. How dull it would be if the rainbow had only one color! How drab the fall scenery would be with only the amber hue. The varied hues of the sunset would not be nearly as spectacular if not set against the backdrop of a mountain range or a blue body of water. God painted the church with such variety it forces even the greatest of critics to stand in awe.

I. No One Stands AloneOne of the best descriptions of the

church is that it is a body—the body of Jesus Christ. (See I Corinthians 12:12-31.)

The human body is an amazing creation. Its five senses give it the ability to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. In a twenty-four-hour period the human heart beats 103,689 times, the blood travels 168,000,000 miles, the lungs breathe 23,040 times, and 750 muscles move. The hands are made specifically to grasp and touch.

I. No One Stands AloneThe arms are made to reach, and the feet are designed with such precision to include the smallest bones in order to support the weight of the entire body.

When the human body is healthy, every member functions together for the benefit of the entire body. In similar fashion, the body of Christ has many members. All members of the church receive direction from the head, Jesus Christ.

I. No One Stands Alone

Just as the human body functions for the benefit of the whole, in the healthy church every muscle, tendon, limb, and member cooperate with perfect precision and unity.

I Corinthians 12:27

“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular”

(I Corinthians 12:27).

I. No One Stands AloneSearching the Scriptures

No One Stands Alone“For as the body is one, and hath

many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many” (I Corinthians 12:12-14).

I. No One Stands AloneGod has designed His church so that

we need one another to thrive successfully. Just as the members of a physical body cannot function independently, neither can the members of the body of Jesus Christ. We all need one another.

Even the animal kingdom has a need for togetherness. Every year, geese gather before the onset of winter to head south. Scientists have discovered that the V formation in which the geese fly creates an uplift that no individual goose alone would have.

I. No One Stands AloneBy flying in this V formation, the whole flock becomes as one great body and adds about 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

This may be why God spoke of the church as a body. In order to survive and thrive, a body’s individual members must work together. One member is dependent on another member; one part is vital for the existence of another part. They all work in unison.

I. No One Stands AloneJohn Donne wrote, “No man is an

island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” The wise man Solomon understood this idea and the danger of standing alone. (See Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.)

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will

lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if

two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm

alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a

threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

II. We Need One AnotherWe Need One Another

An organ player had a particularly arrogant attitude. He needed a young man whom he had hired to pump air into the instrument in order to obtain the melodious sounds. One day after a particularly good concert, the young man said to the organist, “We did well today, didn’t we?” The organist snapped back saying, “No. I did well!” While conducting a concert the next day, suddenly the organ ran out of air and the music was silenced.

I. No One Stands AloneOut from under the curtain popped the head of the young man who said, “We are not doing too well today, are we?”

A person cannot sign his name on a church roll or recite a litany of phrases to become a part of the church. A person becomes a part of the body of Christ by the new birth. Peter declared on the Day of Pentecost, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).

I. No One Stands AloneWhen a person is born again of water and Spirit, he becomes a member of Christ’s body.

Paul also affirmed the need for a personal new-birth experience for every person. He wrote to the believers in Corinth, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:13).

I. No One Stands AloneSpirit baptism serves as a common denominator not only for induction into the body of Christ, but also for continuance in the church. Together the people share life’s ups and downs while on their way to Heaven. Together they learn dependence on God and the joy of serving, fellowshiping, and leaning on one another in life.

A. Sharing Our BurdensA. Sharing Our Burdens

When we share our burdens, our love and our frogiveness, we encourage each other, develop lasting friendships, and demonstrated the true Spirit of Christ.

Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia enjoining them to “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

I. No One Stands AloneBelievers help one another bear their

burdens in many ways. It may be a kind word spoken, a smile given, a compassionate ear to listen, or some sort of assistance in time of need. Sometimes a fellow believer just needs someone to be present with him in his time of difficulty. In such moments of life, no words are necessary; the very fact that someone is there speaks loud and clear. The result is powerful. In times like these, believers experience encouragement, develop lasting friendships, and demonstrate the true Spirit of Jesus Christ.

I. No One Stands AloneFurther, through such caring actions believers exalt Jesus Christ and attract unbelievers to the kingdom of God.

“A British publication once offered a prize for the best definition of a friend. Among the thousands of answers received were the following:• “‘One who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is inviolable.’• “‘One who understands our silence.’• “‘A volume of sympathy bound in cloth.’• “‘A watch that beats true for all time and never runs down.’

I. No One Stands Alone“The winning definition read: ‘A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.’”

—Bits & Pieces, July 1991 “Jackie Robinson was the first black to play major league baseball. Breaking baseball’s color barrier, he faced jeering crowds in every stadium. While playing one day in his home stadium in Brooklyn, he committed an error. The fans began to ridicule him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while the fans jeered.

I. No One Stands AloneThen, shortstop Pee Wee Reese came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Jackie Robinson and faced the crowd. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career” (Leadership Journal).

True friendship helps us to bear the burdens of others.

B. Sharing Our LoveB. Sharing Our Love

There are two aspects of the love of God in one’s life.

1.The first is the love of God to us. “For God so loved. . . .” Most anyone who is even remotely familiar with the Word of God can probably finish quoting this verse from John 3:16. Christ demonstrated the love of God as He humbled Himself to die on the cross. His was a love that demanded He do something—and He did.

I. No One Stands Alone2. The second aspect of God’s love

is through us. When a person is born again, one of the first fruit of the Spirit to appear is love. The person who experiences the new birth receives the love of God, and His love elicits a response from the recipient.

Paul wrote, “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5). The words “is shed abroad” are translated from the Greek word ekkechutai, which Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines as “to pour out.”

I. No One Stands AloneStrong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible translates the word as “to pour forth, figuratively, to bestow.”

As the Holy Ghost is poured into the hearts of individuals, the love of God gushes out touching all who are in its path.

Every kind deed done and every helpful word spoken become a platform for the love of God to demonstrate itself through His church.

I. No One Stands AloneIt is no wonder Jesus declared to His disciples, “Inasmuch as ye have done it [fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and visited the sick and imprisoned] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40).

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35).

C. Sharing Our ForgivenessC. Sharing Our Forgiveness

The cross of Christ paved the way for people to obtain forgiveness from their sins. Among the last words of Jesus Christ as He hung dying on the cross were, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). These words therefore should become a pattern of lifestyle for every believer who has received forgiveness and salvation. One of the great indicators of the Christian life is the ability of a person to forgive.

Ephesians 4:32

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one

another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians

4:32).

I. No One Stands AloneThe person who learns to live in

and extend forgiveness to others experiences a lifestyle that is victorious and joyful. “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:7).

Colossians 3:13-14

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man

have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on

charity, which is the bond of perfectness” (Colossians 3:13-14).

I. No One Stands AloneThe Word of God admonishes us to

forgive others as Christ forgave us. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines the Greek word anechoo, which is translated “forbearing” in Colossians 3:13, as “to hold oneself erect and firm.” When individuals forgive those who have offended them, they are possibly more like God than at any other time.

“Forgiveness is the scent that the rose leaves on the heel that crushes it” (Source Unknown, Quotes, Frédérick Jézégou).

III. The Church Is a BodyThe Church Is a Body

“For as the body is one, and hath many members…. So also is Christ” (I Corinthians 12:12).

The church has been compared to the human body because of the different personalities, talents, and diverse people who comprise the body of Christ.

I. No One Stands AloneEach body part has a specific

function. The hand bears no resemblance to the foot. The ear cannot function as the eye. The nose is unable to filter the blood as the kidneys do. But when all body members function according to their purpose, the body is healthy and productive.

The lesson is simple but true: no one can function properly in an area for which he has not been made or called to function.

I. No One Stands AloneThere are times when an organ of the body may be sick or wounded. During such times it may be necessary for the other members of the body to care for and take up the slack of that wounded part. So it is also in the body of Christ. Sometimes we need to carry the burdens of fellow believers in addition to our own. This is what Paul referred to when he wrote, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

A. Jesus Christ Is Head of the Church

A. Jesus Christ Is Head of the Church

Just as the head houses the brain, which is the message center of the body, Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and He sends signals to the various parts of the church body, calling and empowering them to do what He has designed for them. The head gives power to the nose to smell, to the eyes to see, to the hands to reach, and to the ears to hear. Likewise, Jesus Christ empowers the members of His body.

I. No One Stands AloneWithout the direction of the head,

the members fail to fulfill their God-given design. Only when the members stay connected and communicate with the head are they effective. Christ as the head of the church also protects and cares for the members of His body.

“For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body” (Ephesians 5:23).

Colossians 1:17-18

“And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the

dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence”

(Colossians 1:17-18).

B. The Church Is UnifiedB. The Church Is Unified

When Nimrod, the leader of the post-Flood world, rose to power, he desired to build a city and a tower “whose top may reach unto heaven” (Genesis 11:4). Because of the unity of the people, they had great ability to achieve their goals together. Apparently, the people would have accomplished this task had the Lord not intervened to stop them.

I. No One Stands AloneWe witness the power of unity time

and again not only in the Word of God but also in the history of mankind. When men and women rally around a common cause, those things once deemed impossible become reachable.

Just as the physical body receives natural impulses and signals from the head, the church as the body of Christ moves in concert with one another as the body members receive supernatural instructions from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I. No One Stands AloneAs the church responds together to Christ, all the members move in a unified effort to do the will of God.

This is the church of which Jesus spoke when He affirmed, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

C. The Church Is FunctionalC. The Church Is Functional

The world we live in is plagued with all kinds of problems and dysfunction. There are social problems, emotional problems, monetary problems, and relational problems, among others. Sin causes these problems, and Satan uses them to keep God’s peace from our world.

I. No One Stands AloneThe presence of the church in this

sin-darkened world brings light and hope to the hopeless. Jesus said the church is salt and light, which means it has the power to make a difference in every area of life for every individual. When the church moves in concert with one another and Jesus Christ, it fulfills its purpose here on earth.

D. The Church Is GrowingD. The Church Is Growing

The Day of Pentecost presented the church, the body of Christ, to the world. The devil made several attempts to stop its monumental growth, but with little success. The Old Testament prophet said it well: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17). The church marches forward triumphantly!

I. No One Stands AloneJust as the tide in the sea is driven in

with every breaking of the waves, the church with every persecution experienced continues to push ahead the will of God for it to grow and encompass all who will embrace the living gospel of Christ.

The Book of Acts defined both the attitude of the church and the reception of the people of that day, which accommodated phenomenal growth. “Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).

I. No One Stands AloneInternalizing the Message

In our lesson we have learned the importance of being a part of the church. Just as surely as the members of the physical body minister to each other, meet the needs of each other, and provide comfort to one another, so the members of the body of Jesus Christ—the church—minister to one another’s needs. The church helps us cope with life and prepare for eternity.