Images of the Church School or Body? 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 Page 1785

Images So Far: Hospital Family Social Club Flock Military Vine School Body

Pay Attention! I have randomly put some pictures in the PowerPoint and at the end I am going to ask you about those pictures.

Belief and Action Many people have beliefs about Jesus but they are reluctant to connect to a church congregation.

What Comes to Mind? School

School or Disciple? The trouble is not the information but the application.

Jesus’ Teaching Transformation is what discipleship is about.

Offering Discipleship As a congregation we want to offer the opportunity of discipleship not just bible classes and there is a difference!

1 Corinthians 12:12-26 Pg1785 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

1 Corinthians 12:14-16 14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

1 Corinthians 12:17-20 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

1 Corinthians 12:21-26 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment.

1 Corinthians 12:21-26 But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

People need people: It is good to be a part of a whole. It is good when people know you enough to know when you are rejoicing. It is good to have people who hurt with you when you are hurting. It is good to have people who care about your relationship with God and who will learn and follow God’s truth with you.

This is the plan! The church body is God’s plan. Our personal relationship with God is critical and being a part of a congregation does not make you right with God.

Accepting Salvation That part is between you and God. We will all be held accountable individually as to whether we have accepted salvation by connecting to Jesus life, death, burial , and resurrection through our death to sin shown by leaving our old ways, being fully immersed in water confessing that Jesus will lead our lives, and coming out of that water sinless and ready to live with Jesus as the leader of the rest of our life.

Baptism Cartoon A winter baptism gone bad!

Yeah, I’m looking at you! People connect with people and when others look at our lives they can see a picture of the change that Jesus makes in our lives. As individual Christians our friends and neighbours see Christ in us but it is when we are together that Christ is seen more clearly.

The Pictures? Now, back to the pictures that were in the slide show. What pictures did you see? Butterfly, Landscape, Globe, Polar bear, Jesus on the cross

Taking It Home: Are you right with God according to scripture? Do you need help finding out? Are you a part of the church body? What are you doing? What part of Jesus do you do a fairly good job of displaying? What aspects of God do you not show very well?

We Need You and You Need Us. Taking It Home: What do we look like as a whole? Can we ask your opinion? How can we connect you to Jesus and to others? Will you help us be a clearer image of Jesus to each other and the community? We Need You and You Need Us.

Conclusion: We are called to be a body and to be a body that looks and lives like Jesus. We are a body that wants to lead people to Jesus not just to church. Let’s be thankful for God’s work in our lives as we strive to live what the Bible teaches. May you be blessed this week as you reflect Jesus.

Next Week: 1. Pep Rally 2. Bride Friend and Neighbour Sunday. Welcome presented by our Kids. The last two images: 1. Pep Rally 2. Bride