Main Thought
Scripture describes the church - the people of God - as a body with Christ as its Head. He alone holds the place of highest honor and authority. Everything we need for spiritual life flows from Him. We’re also united by Him. The Christian life was never meant to be lived independently. We are joined together and sustained by our shared connection to Christ.
In this body, every believer is essential. God has intentionally placed each member where they belong so the whole church can grow in health and strength. Every role is significant. Every person is valuable and necessary. As each part functions in unity, the body is built up toward a single goal: love. We’re made to experience God’s love individually and in community. If we experience His love, then we will also be enabled to extend it.
Main Passages
16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
- Ephesians 4:16
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
- John 15:1,4-5
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” '
- John 13:34-35
Discussion Questions
God calls us to experience His love and extend it to others, both within the church and outside it. Which of these things comes most naturally to you?
How does knowing that God placed each person in the body shape the way we see our own role and the roles of others?
Things like hyper-individualism, pride, comparison, and more can make it hard to love others. What’s one thing that makes it hard for you to love the people around you at times? How can God help you move beyond that limiting factor, so that you can learn to live and love a little more like Christ?