God created us to need each other.
In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body… Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it. —1 Corinthians 12:13,27
1st Century Church United as WE
And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. —Acts 4:33-35
Romans 12:5; 1 Peter 2:5; Ephesians 2:21,22
A flaw in the English language works together with our love for individualism. In English, the word “you” can be both singular and plural. That is, we can’t differentiate formally between you singular and you plural.
–Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien
Reading it Wrong: Quit Smoking?
Your (singular) body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you (singular), Whom you (singular) have received from God. —1 Corinthians 6:19
Paul: Quit the Temple Prostitutes.
Individual bad behavior contaminated the entire congregation.
Your (plural) body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you (plural), Whom you (plural) have received from God. —1 Corinthians 6:19
“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” —John 17:20,21
Philippians 1:9-11 Prayer
God, cause our love to abound in this pandemic. Help us to connect with each other and serve one another as never before. Give us grace to demonstrate what Your body here on the earth looks like. We want to clearly reflect Your glory in all the chaos surrounding us. Help us to break out of our individualism and begin to see ourselves as part of something so much bigger. Give us what the early Christians had, an understanding of our oneness in Christ. Teach us how to function together and lose our need to one-up each other. Give us grace to get low and prefer our brothers and sisters over ourselves. Show us what it looks like to love and serve each other like Jesus.
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. —Proverbs 17:27,28
There’s a Group for You!
GraceSTL.org/small-groups/
Anchor of Hope & Connect Booklets @ Info tables
Men of Focus
Mon. & Thu. @ 6:30 pm C212
Discussion Questions
1. What’s the difference between a personal relationship with Jesus and a private one?
2. Anne Rice said this about the Church: “It’s simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group.” What would you say to her?
3. What steps are you taking to remain connected with the body of Christ?