Spectator or Participant?

CHURCH NOT A BURDEN. Spectator or Participant?
I Corinthians 12:12-20
Impact Point #8: I Will avoid religious traps in the church.

5 Facts about You and the Church

1. Each member of the Body of Christ is made so by the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
2. The significance of each individual part of the church exists in the formation of the whole (1 Corinthians 12:14).
3. All individual parts of the Body of Christ are necessary for the proper functioning of the church (1 Corinthians 12:15-16).
4. The uniqueness of the parts of the body are interdependent (1 Corinthians 12:17).
5. God’s perfect design of the body is the oneness and diversity (1 Corinthians 12:18-20).

Questions for Further Discussion:

1. When have you felt insignificant in an organization?
2. What functions in the church do you feel are most important? Why?
3. In what way are Christians like a human body? (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)
4. Why should outward appearances or status not matter to us? (1 Corinthians 12:13)
5. What unifies all Christians? (1 Corinthians 12:13)
6. What makes Christians unified and dependent on one another? (1 Corinthians 12:13)
7. What lessons are there in seeing the church as a human body? (1 Corinthians 12:14-17)
8. Who arranged the parts of the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 12:18)
9. Why shouldn’t all Christians perform the same function? (1 Corinthians 12:19)
10. Why should members of the body of Christ not say to each other, “I don’t need you”? (1 Corinthians 12:21-22)
11. How might you compare your place in the body of Christ to a part of the human body?
12. How well do you interact with other members in the body of Christ?
13. When have you felt like an important or insignificant part of the body?
14. What part do you serve in the body of Christ?
15. How are you able to help other Christians?
16. What has God appointed you to be in the body of Christ?
17. Why do people often assume that certain duties in the church are more important?
18. How can you honor the contributions of others in your church?
19. How can you treat the “weaker” members of your fellowship as indispensable?
20. What is one way you can show concern and love for another member of your church?
21. What would be the best way to use your unique abilities in the body of Christ this year?