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Free PDF eBook<\/strong> containing all of Year 3<\/p>\n Print PDF<\/strong> of this lesson<\/p>\n \nPaul wrote, \u201cFor as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another\u201d (Rom. 12:4,5). To be a \u201cmember\u201d of Christ\u2019s body is not merely to have an official status as a \u201cChristian,\u201d but rather it is to be a working part of the body. The body as a whole has a function to fulfill, and all of us as individuals are to be parts of that work. And as for our fellow workers in the local congregation, we are to see ourselves as \u201cmembers one of another.\u201d<\/p>\n In Christ, we have obligations not only to the Lord Himself but also to the others who make up the Lord\u2019s church, and we ought to accept our responsibilities as members of a local congregation.<\/strong><\/em> We can\u2019t have a saved relationship with the Lord and not have a working relationship with His people.<\/p>\n Wherever we live in this world, we are sojourners, or pilgrims, on our way to heaven. We are \u201csaints,\u201d the unique possession of God and those devoted to Him and His work. As such, we need to seek out an assembly of the Lord\u2019s faithful people where we live and \u201cjoin\u201d ourselves to them (Ac. 9:26-28). The local church will benefit \u2014 and so will we \u2014 from our commitment to assume the responsibilities of being a \u201cmember\u201d of the Lord\u2019s body.<\/p>\n This week, let\u2019s think about our relationship to the local church. Let\u2019s be reminded that it is a blessing to have siblings in God\u2019s family, and we can\u2019t love the Lord without loving those brothers and sisters. \u201cEveryone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him\u201d (1 Jn. 5:1). A proper relationship to Christ involves properly relating ourselves to others who have the same relationship to Him that we do, especially those who are near enough to us locally that we can work and worship with them.<\/p>\n It is easy to talk about the importance of our responsibilities, but the challenge is to put our talk into action. Do we really love our brothers and sisters in the local church? If we say we do, then we need to hear John\u2019s admonition about love: \u201cLittle children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth\u201d (1 Jn. 3:18).\n<\/p>\n Key Idea:<\/strong><\/p>\n The universal church is a relationship of saints to God through Christ.<\/p>\n Questions for Family Growth:<\/strong> Who gave Christ the authority that He has over the church? If the church is the \u201cbody,\u201d who is the \u201chead\u201d of it? What does it mean that the church is \u201cthe fullness of him who fills all in all\u201d?<\/p>\n Wisdom for the Day:<\/strong> Proverbs 3:7,8.\n<\/p>\n Key Idea:<\/strong><\/p>\n The local church is a relationship of saints with one another in Christ.<\/p>\n Questions for Family Growth:<\/strong> What does the word \u201csaint\u201d mean? How is the relationship of the saints in a local place, like Ephesus, different from the relationship of the Lord\u2019s people in a universal or worldwide sense? What does it mean to be \u201cfaithful in Christ Jesus\u201d?<\/p>\n Wisdom for the Day:<\/strong> Proverbs 3:9,10.\n<\/p>\n Key Idea:<\/strong><\/p>\n A faithful local church is a church that is \u201cof Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n Questions for Family Growth:<\/strong> If Christ only has one church (Mt. 16:18), how can there be \u201cchurches of Christ\u201d (Rom. 16:16)? What does it mean for a congregation to be \u201cof Christ\u201d? What eventually happens if a local church becomes unfaithful to Christ? Consider Rev. 2:4,5; 3:15,16.<\/p>\n Wisdom for the Day:<\/strong> Proverbs 3:11,12.\n<\/p>\n Key Idea:<\/strong><\/p>\n We ought to \u201cjoin\u201d ourselves to the Lord\u2019s disciples, if there are any, where we live.<\/p>\n Questions for Family Growth:<\/strong> What did Saul desire to do when he came back to Jerusalem as a new convert to Christ? What mistake did the saints in Jerusalem make? What would it mean today to \u201cjoin\u201d ourselves to the Lord\u2019s disciples in a particular place?<\/p>\n Wisdom for the Day:<\/strong> Proverbs 3:13-18.\n<\/p>\n Key Idea:<\/strong><\/p>\n We ought to conduct ourselves properly as \u201cmembers\u201d of Christ and of one another.<\/p>\n Questions for Family Growth:<\/strong> How can we show that we are \u201cone body in Christ\u201d? What does it mean to be \u201cindividually members one of another\u201d? What do we learn from 1 Cor. 12:12-26 about our responsibilities as \u201cmembers\u201d?<\/p>\n Wisdom for the Day:<\/strong> Proverbs 3:19,20.<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\nMonday: Ephesians 1:22,23#<\/h2>\n
Tuesday: Ephesians 1:1,2#<\/h2>\n
Wednesday: Romans 16:16#<\/h2>\n
Thursday: Acts 9:26-28#<\/h2>\n
Friday: Romans 12:5#<\/h2>\n