RPG Adults
YE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST (III)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
1 Corinthians 12:20
“But now are they many members,
yet but one body.”
YE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST (III)
There is one God and Father of all, one Lord, one Holy Spirit, one Faith, one Baptism, one Hope and one Body (Eph 4:4-6). There is only one Body, one invisible and universal Church composed of truly born-again Christians (1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:28). However, there are many members with different gifts and functions to serve the Lord and to edify one another (Eph 4:12-15). Moreover, “God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him” (v 18). “God hath tempered (joined) the body together … that there should be no schism (division) in the body” (vv 24-25). God desires and is able to join all members together in unity as long as they all submit to Jesus Christ the Head and His Word and do their parts faithfully.
(a) Subject to the Head: The body has only one Head. Christ is the Head of the Church (Eph 5:23-24). Sadly, there is division in many churches nowadays, caused by the church leaders and members who are not fully submissive to the Head, the Lord Jesus Christ and God’s Word.
(b) Do One’s Part Faithfully: God does not count how much we have done for Him but how faithfully we do our part according to His will (Matt 25:21, 23).
(c) Belong to One Another and Need One Another: The body cannot have only one member, and one member cannot establish the church, but at least two or three gathering in Jesus’ Name (Matt 18:20). In some cases, we are to walk alone with God to do His will against the majority, but we still need faithful brethren to fulfill God’s purpose (vv 15, 21). We need Christ our Head as well as one another.
(d) Care for One Another: All the parts of our body are related to one another and affect one another, so “the members should have the same care one for another” (v 25). We should pray for one another and care for one another.
THOUGHT: We need the Lord our Head and we need one another.
PRAYER: Father, please help me submit to Thee and do my part faithfully.