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Lesson 13: Unity in the Body of Christ
Would you ever think about purposely hurting a part of your body? Of course not, our bodies are the most important part of our existence. Without them, we couldn’t walk, work, love, eat, sleep, or drink. Our bodies are an amazing work of art that only a loving, organized and perfect God could create. Each part fits together and compliments the other in perfect unity. The hand grips the glass, the arm pulls the hand up to our mouth, our mouth takes in the water, our throat muscles open and allow the water to flow down our esophagus, our stomach and intestines absorb the water, and our blood takes its vital nutrients throughout the body, nourishing the cells so that the whole process can be repeated. Although we can live without an arm, leg, eyes, or ears, none of us would choose that type of existence. None of us would say, “Well my eyes are more important than my ears, so I will just chop them off.” The sheer thought of this is absurd. So what does this have to do with the follower of Jesus?
In our last lesson we saw that Paul referred to Jesus’ followers as a body, knit together and dependent upon each other. Just as the parts of the body work together in perfect harmony and unity, Jesus wants us to not only work together but to be one (Read John 17:22).
Q1. Why does Jesus want us to be one? Read Psalms 133:1.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Jesus wants us to be one because it is good. Moreover, it is beautiful. But there are other reasons.
Q2. What relationship do God and Jesus have? Read John 10:30.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Not only is being one good and beautiful, it is the essence of Jesus and God’s relationship. God and Jesus are one. They live in perfect harmony and unity.
Q3. How are God and Jesus one? Read John 5:30 and 10:15.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Jesus said that everything He thinks and does is in alignment with God. There isn’t one single thing that they think differently about. If Jesus forgives someone’s sins, God forgives that person’s sins too. If Jesus judges someone and punishes him or her, God makes the same judgment. In short, Jesus and God have unity in thought, purpose, and action. All of which are rooted in the purest love imaginable.
Q4. What did Jesus want for us? Read John 17:20-23.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Jesus prayed that we would be just like Him and the Father, united in purpose, thought, and action. In fact, our unity is a sign of our being a follower of Jesus.
Q5. What do you think is the foundation of unity?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q6. How will people know if we are followers of Jesus? Read John 13:34, 35.
A.______________________________________________________________________
The basis of our unity is pure, unadulterated love! If we have love for one another, we will have real unity. You can’t have one without the other.
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
When the group was studying this subject, they paused here to reflect on what they had just read. They attempted to answer many questions. For example, how does God’s actions show He is love? Is it possible to have love in your heart without God in your life? What does love typically look like in their families, neighborhoods, country, and culture?
For the last several weeks, Mert’s friend, Yusuf, had been attending with his girlfriend Ece. Even though he highly valued Mert’s friendship and noticed a big difference in his overall attitude, Yusuf originally came out of curiosity. But he surprised himself when he came the second and third times. It was as if he was attracted to something, something he couldn’t see but could definitely feel. During the conversation, he realized what he was feeling and began to share.
“I hope you aren’t offended Mert, but I originally came to the group because I was curious. I wanted to see what a Bible study and Christian prayer looked like. I also wanted to see what you thought about Jesus, considering what I have been told my whole life. In all honesty, I also didn’t want to hurt Mert’s feelings when he invited me. I figured that I would just come once or twice and then tell him I wasn’t interested. But something unexplainable happened. My curiosity to come actually turned into a desire. I felt like if I didn’t come something would be missing from my life, something that had never been there before, at least not in the same way. Anyway, at first I didn’t know what that something was. But I think I finally figured it out.
Yusuf leaned forward and said with even more expression, “That thing was us: me, Ece, Mert, Fatma Teyze, Mehmet Hoca, Ekrem Abi, Filiz Abla, Türkan Teyze, Gül and also Reşat Abi and Afife Abla even though they aren’t here tonight. Well, not exactly “us.” It was the group dynamic, the connection, the feeling of togetherness, and the community. But more importantly, it was the thing behind all of those. It was the love! Now I see why.”
Fatma, Mehmet, and the others could sense the genuineness of Yusuf’s comments. Without hesitation, Fatma stood up, walked over to Yusuf, and gave him a big hug saying, “Ah my love.”
Yusuf smiled and continued, “We throw the word “love” around way too much. We say, ‘I love baklava or börek.’ We tell our girlfriends and boyfriends, ‘I love you.’ Sadly, many of us guys talk about our love for Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, and Galatasaray more than our love for God. But here, in this group, I feel like I have finally found the true meaning of love and that real love isn’t possible without God in my life. I don’t mean a part of my life, I mean ‘in’ my life.”
“I couldn’t agree more!” Mert confided.
“Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we are all perfect and we certainly haven’t agreed on everything we have discussed. But we are discussing, praying for understanding, and staying together. Do you know how many times I have seen people separate after a disagreement? Do you know how many times I have seen people hold grudges and never talk again?” Yusuf asked.
“Way too much!” Türkan mumbled.
Ece, who hadn’t spoken in the conversations of the group at all since she began coming with Yusuf said, “I’ve noticed a change in you.”
“There is only one thing that makes what we are doing possible: love, our love for God and each other. The question I want to ask is, is it possible to have the community that Jesus’ disciples had? Is it possible to be united in love like Jesus and God are? If so, what do we need to do?” Yusuf asked searching for real answers.
“I have wondered that myself,” Ekrem said. “Let’s keep reading the Bible and find out!” (To be Continued)
Q7. How can we show love for one another and thus have unity? Read 1 Corinthians 1:10.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Unity is the opposite of division. If we want the unity that Jesus has with the Father, we need to have the same thoughts and outlook. Some might ask, “How can so many people who have different opinions have the same thoughts and outlook?” Well the reality is that in Christ, we are no longer separate individuals as much as we are a body.
Q8. What are the believers? Read 1 Corinthians 12:27.
A.______________________________________________________________________
The followers of Jesus are His body. We are His hands, feet, arms, eyes, and ears. We are His representatives on this earth both individually and collectively. Paul said the same thing in the book of Romans.
Q9. Do all members of the body have the same job? Read Romans 12:4, 5.
A.______________________________________________________________________
It would be quite silly to expect that an arm would do the work of a foot. God made the arm to do the work of an arm. Likewise He made the foot to do its own work. Should we expect all members of the body of Christ to do the same work? Most certainly not! But we should expect each member to do the work that God appointed him to do and to work in such a way that he supports the work of others.
Q10. Are we united in pain and suffering? How about joy? Read 1 Corinthians 12:25, 26.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Are you starting to get a picture of what Jesus expects from us? When a brother or sister in Christ is suffering, we feel his pain. We can’t continue to go on with life knowing that he is hurt. We struggle with him in prayer and do all we can to help him. Likewise, when a brother or sister does something well, we rejoice together.
When a football player scores a goal does everyone praise his foot? No, they praise the player and then they start chanting for the team. God has given each of us gifts and abilities to be used to further His kingdom. When one of us does something extraordinary or uses his God-given talents to minister to others, we should thank him and rejoice as a body. In short, each individual success is a success for the whole body.
Q11. Is there a distinction in race or nationality in the body of Christ? Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 and Galatians 3:28.
A.______________________________________________________________________
The identity of a Christian is found in Jesus Christ. Whether we are Turks, Greeks, Koreans, Russians, Americans, or Africans is secondary. We are followers of Jesus Christ, individual members from all nations, tribes, tongues, and peoples who make up a multicultural and multi-talented body. We are all equal in God’s sight, no one is superior to another. In truth, the body of Christ is a new creature, something that never existed before Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Q12. What do we become in Jesus Christ? Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-17.
A.______________________________________________________________________
When we become a follower of Jesus we also become a new creature. We are no longer the people we were before we believed in Him, both individually and collectively. It is as if our old person dies and we become someone new.
Q13. What do we do as a result of the old man dying? Read Colossians 3:9-15; 1 Peter 3:8, 9 and Philippians 2:2, 5.
A.______________________________________________________________________
As new creatures, both individually and collectively, we act mercifully, kindly, humbly, meekly, honestly, and lovingly towards one another. We forgive others and ask for forgiveness. We don’t hold grudges or try to get revenge. We don’t harbor feelings of jealousy and we definitely don’t lie, not even little pink ones. On the contrary, we speak the truth in love and let the peace of Christ reign in our hearts. These are actions of love that will make Jesus’ desire for our unity a reality. They are actions that will bind us together. Read Ephesians 4:14-16.
The followers of Jesus Christ are one body united in love, action, purpose, and thought. We are the fulfillment of God’s original promise to Abraham that He would make his seed into a great nation, which was accomplished through Jesus Christ (Read Galatians 3:27-29). Do you want to be an heir to that promise? Do you want to be a member of that body?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16) (Continued)
Fatma closed her Bible and looked at everyone in the room, “Yusuf, do you feel like your question about whether or not we can be united in love like Jesus and God was answered?”
“Most definitely!” he responded.
“Mert, Gül, mom, do you all want to be a part of the body of Christ?”
“Of course,” they simultaneously replied while nodding their heads.
“I propose that we all agree, right here and now, that we will strive to love one another; that we will help and support one another in our spiritual walk,” Fatma said.
“Let’s seal our decision with prayer,” Mehmet said as he looked at Ece, Ekrem and Filiz.
“Okay,” they all agreed.
Call to commitment through prayer.
For further study read: Ephesians 4:1-6.
Would you ever think about purposely hurting a part of your body? Of course not, our bodies are the most important part of our existence. Without them, we couldn’t walk, work, love, eat, sleep, or drink. Our bodies are an amazing work of art that only a loving, organized and perfect God could create. Each part fits together and compliments the other in perfect unity. The hand grips the glass, the arm pulls the hand up to our mouth, our mouth takes in the water, our throat muscles open and allow the water to flow down our esophagus, our stomach and intestines absorb the water, and our blood takes its vital nutrients throughout the body, nourishing the cells so that the whole process can be repeated. Although we can live without an arm, leg, eyes, or ears, none of us would choose that type of existence. None of us would say, “Well my eyes are more important than my ears, so I will just chop them off.” The sheer thought of this is absurd. So what does this have to do with the follower of Jesus?
In our last lesson we saw that Paul referred to Jesus’ followers as a body, knit together and dependent upon each other. Just as the parts of the body work together in perfect harmony and unity, Jesus wants us to not only work together but to be one (Read John 17:22).
Q1. Why does Jesus want us to be one? Read Psalms 133:1.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Jesus wants us to be one because it is good. Moreover, it is beautiful. But there are other reasons.
Q2. What relationship do God and Jesus have? Read John 10:30.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Not only is being one good and beautiful, it is the essence of Jesus and God’s relationship. God and Jesus are one. They live in perfect harmony and unity.
Q3. How are God and Jesus one? Read John 5:30 and 10:15.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Jesus said that everything He thinks and does is in alignment with God. There isn’t one single thing that they think differently about. If Jesus forgives someone’s sins, God forgives that person’s sins too. If Jesus judges someone and punishes him or her, God makes the same judgment. In short, Jesus and God have unity in thought, purpose, and action. All of which are rooted in the purest love imaginable.
Q4. What did Jesus want for us? Read John 17:20-23.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Jesus prayed that we would be just like Him and the Father, united in purpose, thought, and action. In fact, our unity is a sign of our being a follower of Jesus.
Q5. What do you think is the foundation of unity?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q6. How will people know if we are followers of Jesus? Read John 13:34, 35.
A.______________________________________________________________________
The basis of our unity is pure, unadulterated love! If we have love for one another, we will have real unity. You can’t have one without the other.
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
When the group was studying this subject, they paused here to reflect on what they had just read. They attempted to answer many questions. For example, how does God’s actions show He is love? Is it possible to have love in your heart without God in your life? What does love typically look like in their families, neighborhoods, country, and culture?
For the last several weeks, Mert’s friend, Yusuf, had been attending with his girlfriend Ece. Even though he highly valued Mert’s friendship and noticed a big difference in his overall attitude, Yusuf originally came out of curiosity. But he surprised himself when he came the second and third times. It was as if he was attracted to something, something he couldn’t see but could definitely feel. During the conversation, he realized what he was feeling and began to share.
“I hope you aren’t offended Mert, but I originally came to the group because I was curious. I wanted to see what a Bible study and Christian prayer looked like. I also wanted to see what you thought about Jesus, considering what I have been told my whole life. In all honesty, I also didn’t want to hurt Mert’s feelings when he invited me. I figured that I would just come once or twice and then tell him I wasn’t interested. But something unexplainable happened. My curiosity to come actually turned into a desire. I felt like if I didn’t come something would be missing from my life, something that had never been there before, at least not in the same way. Anyway, at first I didn’t know what that something was. But I think I finally figured it out.
Yusuf leaned forward and said with even more expression, “That thing was us: me, Ece, Mert, Fatma Teyze, Mehmet Hoca, Ekrem Abi, Filiz Abla, Türkan Teyze, Gül and also Reşat Abi and Afife Abla even though they aren’t here tonight. Well, not exactly “us.” It was the group dynamic, the connection, the feeling of togetherness, and the community. But more importantly, it was the thing behind all of those. It was the love! Now I see why.”
Fatma, Mehmet, and the others could sense the genuineness of Yusuf’s comments. Without hesitation, Fatma stood up, walked over to Yusuf, and gave him a big hug saying, “Ah my love.”
Yusuf smiled and continued, “We throw the word “love” around way too much. We say, ‘I love baklava or börek.’ We tell our girlfriends and boyfriends, ‘I love you.’ Sadly, many of us guys talk about our love for Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, and Galatasaray more than our love for God. But here, in this group, I feel like I have finally found the true meaning of love and that real love isn’t possible without God in my life. I don’t mean a part of my life, I mean ‘in’ my life.”
“I couldn’t agree more!” Mert confided.
“Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we are all perfect and we certainly haven’t agreed on everything we have discussed. But we are discussing, praying for understanding, and staying together. Do you know how many times I have seen people separate after a disagreement? Do you know how many times I have seen people hold grudges and never talk again?” Yusuf asked.
“Way too much!” Türkan mumbled.
Ece, who hadn’t spoken in the conversations of the group at all since she began coming with Yusuf said, “I’ve noticed a change in you.”
“There is only one thing that makes what we are doing possible: love, our love for God and each other. The question I want to ask is, is it possible to have the community that Jesus’ disciples had? Is it possible to be united in love like Jesus and God are? If so, what do we need to do?” Yusuf asked searching for real answers.
“I have wondered that myself,” Ekrem said. “Let’s keep reading the Bible and find out!” (To be Continued)
Q7. How can we show love for one another and thus have unity? Read 1 Corinthians 1:10.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Unity is the opposite of division. If we want the unity that Jesus has with the Father, we need to have the same thoughts and outlook. Some might ask, “How can so many people who have different opinions have the same thoughts and outlook?” Well the reality is that in Christ, we are no longer separate individuals as much as we are a body.
Q8. What are the believers? Read 1 Corinthians 12:27.
A.______________________________________________________________________
The followers of Jesus are His body. We are His hands, feet, arms, eyes, and ears. We are His representatives on this earth both individually and collectively. Paul said the same thing in the book of Romans.
Q9. Do all members of the body have the same job? Read Romans 12:4, 5.
A.______________________________________________________________________
It would be quite silly to expect that an arm would do the work of a foot. God made the arm to do the work of an arm. Likewise He made the foot to do its own work. Should we expect all members of the body of Christ to do the same work? Most certainly not! But we should expect each member to do the work that God appointed him to do and to work in such a way that he supports the work of others.
Q10. Are we united in pain and suffering? How about joy? Read 1 Corinthians 12:25, 26.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Are you starting to get a picture of what Jesus expects from us? When a brother or sister in Christ is suffering, we feel his pain. We can’t continue to go on with life knowing that he is hurt. We struggle with him in prayer and do all we can to help him. Likewise, when a brother or sister does something well, we rejoice together.
When a football player scores a goal does everyone praise his foot? No, they praise the player and then they start chanting for the team. God has given each of us gifts and abilities to be used to further His kingdom. When one of us does something extraordinary or uses his God-given talents to minister to others, we should thank him and rejoice as a body. In short, each individual success is a success for the whole body.
Q11. Is there a distinction in race or nationality in the body of Christ? Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 and Galatians 3:28.
A.______________________________________________________________________
The identity of a Christian is found in Jesus Christ. Whether we are Turks, Greeks, Koreans, Russians, Americans, or Africans is secondary. We are followers of Jesus Christ, individual members from all nations, tribes, tongues, and peoples who make up a multicultural and multi-talented body. We are all equal in God’s sight, no one is superior to another. In truth, the body of Christ is a new creature, something that never existed before Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Q12. What do we become in Jesus Christ? Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-17.
A.______________________________________________________________________
When we become a follower of Jesus we also become a new creature. We are no longer the people we were before we believed in Him, both individually and collectively. It is as if our old person dies and we become someone new.
Q13. What do we do as a result of the old man dying? Read Colossians 3:9-15; 1 Peter 3:8, 9 and Philippians 2:2, 5.
A.______________________________________________________________________
As new creatures, both individually and collectively, we act mercifully, kindly, humbly, meekly, honestly, and lovingly towards one another. We forgive others and ask for forgiveness. We don’t hold grudges or try to get revenge. We don’t harbor feelings of jealousy and we definitely don’t lie, not even little pink ones. On the contrary, we speak the truth in love and let the peace of Christ reign in our hearts. These are actions of love that will make Jesus’ desire for our unity a reality. They are actions that will bind us together. Read Ephesians 4:14-16.
The followers of Jesus Christ are one body united in love, action, purpose, and thought. We are the fulfillment of God’s original promise to Abraham that He would make his seed into a great nation, which was accomplished through Jesus Christ (Read Galatians 3:27-29). Do you want to be an heir to that promise? Do you want to be a member of that body?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16) (Continued)
Fatma closed her Bible and looked at everyone in the room, “Yusuf, do you feel like your question about whether or not we can be united in love like Jesus and God was answered?”
“Most definitely!” he responded.
“Mert, Gül, mom, do you all want to be a part of the body of Christ?”
“Of course,” they simultaneously replied while nodding their heads.
“I propose that we all agree, right here and now, that we will strive to love one another; that we will help and support one another in our spiritual walk,” Fatma said.
“Let’s seal our decision with prayer,” Mehmet said as he looked at Ece, Ekrem and Filiz.
“Okay,” they all agreed.
Call to commitment through prayer.
For further study read: Ephesians 4:1-6.