Absolute #17 Members of One Body

Members of One Body

Absolute Curriculum 

Year 1, Lesson 17

Introduction

In our last session we discussed the fact that as believers in Jesus Christ we must not only believe in Him for our salvation, but we must also work daily to put to death the sin in our lives. But how do we do that? In the final three lessons this year, I want to walk through three basic steps we must take toward becoming more like Jesus, three things every single one of you can and should do. First, become a part of the Body of Christ. Then next week we will look at reading the Bible for yourself, and finally we will look at prayer.

Members of One Body

To use the phrase become a part of the Body of Christ may have been a bit misleading. What I mean by that is that all who believe in Jesus Christ are by definition brought into the body, or family of God.

John 1:12

All who believe in Jesus Christ are called children of God. We have been adopted by Him, loved by Him, saved by Him.

Ephesians 4:4-6

Throughout the scriptures there is this emphasis on unity between all believers in Jesus Christ. Why? because we share One Lord and One Salvation. There is a spiritual unity that exists between every individual who is in Christ. But what does that look like on a practical level? So what if I have an abstract spiritual unity with people all the globe and history; how does this affect my life currently?

Well, the Scriptures are clear that we are not saved to be “islands” as it were. We were called to be a part of the local body of Christ, His Church.

Hebrews 10:24-25

How does the Body shape us?

So what is the practical effect of becoming part of the church locally? The first part we can see right there in Hebrews 10:24, being around other believers gives us the opportunity to stir them up to love and good deeds, and puts us in a position where we to can be encouraged and pushed toward living a life that honors God. But there are several other ways that the Church can draw us closer to Christ, and help us in our fight to become more and more like Him.

First of all, baptism. Baptism is one of the two ordinances established by the Lord Jesus before He left earth, which the church is to administer to those who become believers in Him. Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 6
Baptism publicly identifies us with the Triune God by showing that we have become one with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection to new life. Indeed, this should be one of the first things that we do upon believing in Christ is to be publicly identified with Him in baptism. And as we see in the Great Commission at the end of Matthew, as well as throughout church history, baptism is something administered by the church.

Second, communion or, as it is also known, The Lord’s Supper. Jesus, in Luke 22 and other passages, commands His disciples to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, the bread and the wine (or the crackers and juice as we often take it), in remembrance of Him. We are to join with other believers in commemorating the death of Jesus for us, and by doing so with other Christians, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that we proclaim the Lord’s death (and its saving effect) until He comes.

Third, preaching. The preached word is one of the main reasons we are to be in church Sunday after Sunday. There are other places that we can and should receive teaching. Obviously, right now you’re in youth group. There are also Bible studies you can join, you can read the Bible yourself, maybe your parents or grandparents teach you about God and the Bible. Those are all great things. But do you remember 2 Timothy 3:16-17 where Paul tells Timothy all of the uses of God’s word, how powerful it is? What is his next statement in chapter four? Preach the word! Timothy (and all pastors) are to preach the word, because in hearing the word preached, you and I are changed. God corrects us, rebukes us, trains us, encourages us, equips us: these things are what happens when you consistently sit under the preaching of the word of God with an attitude of humility and a desire to hear from God. Bible studies are cool. Youth group is good. Listening to sermons online is helpful (I do that a lot). But none of these is as important or valuable as sitting under the consistent preaching of God’s Holy Word by your local pastor.

Finally, encouragement. We hit on this a little already, but I want to look at another verse here

Colossians 3:16

None of these things are possible outside the regular gathering together with the local church. There is so much more to say about the church and its benefits, and what the church should look like, but obviously this introduction is very much aimed at showing how the church helps us toward growing in Christlikeness. I’ll cap it off with an analogical statement for you:

Sanctification is a team sport.