DEVOTION TO ONENESS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST

DISCIPLESHIP TEACHING SERIES

Devotion to the oneness of the body of Christ

INTRODUCTION:     

In the last study, we discovered one thing that made God to move with the disciples of the old and to manifest His power through their lives the way He did, was their devotion to God’s word. They devoted themselves to search and study scripture, to obey it and live by it and also teach it and preach it. As a result, the word of God increased and disciples multiplied so greatly that many cities and nations were affected by their lives.

Here we shall press on to look at their devotion to the oneness of the body of Christ and to fellowship. Our prayer is our commitment to the Lord in this respect will not be less than that of the disciples of the old; but indeed it shall be greater so that we may experience God’s move even better than the way they did in Jesus’ name.

1.    

  The disciples of the old devoted themselves to the Oneness of the body of Christ.

• a    What does it mean to be devoted to oneness of the body of Christ? Eph.4:3; Act.6:1-5.
• b    What is the scriptural basis of unity of the body of Christ? Eph.4:4-6; Col.3:11; Col.1:27.
• c      Discuss the seven dimensions of oneness raised in Ephesians 4. How does it affect our devotion to the oneness of the body of Christ?

From our previous study on the meaning of devotion, we saw that the word ‘devotion’ means to have constant love for, and loyalty to something or somebody. So to be devoted to the oneness of the body of Christ means to constantly love and be loyal to the oneness of the body of Christ; to be committed to it and to spend a lot of time and effort on ensuring oneness in the body of Christ.

Note how the twelve Apostles handled the division that was beginning to brood in the midst of the disciples in Act.6:1. Being committed to the unity, they delegated part of the work to other disciples, the fire of division was quenched, unity was restored and the Lord continued to move mightily among them. Revival stops when there is division among God’s people; but unity enhanced the move of the Spirit.

We have a reason to be united in the body of Christ. The reason or basis of oneness of the body of Christ is the fact that there is only one body, not two. There is one Spirit and we all share in that one Spirit; one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God who is the father of us all and He is in us all. Christ in you and Christ in me, is the hope of unity because Christ cannot disagree with Christ; Christ is not divided. It is the flesh that brings division (1Cor.3:1-4). This understanding of indwelling of Christ in you is very important and it is what to pursue as a lifestyle, in order to be able to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

 Worship with us on Sundays at Calvary Is Real Bible Church.

VENUE: #13 Ukwansi Street Abakaliki Off Water works Ai

TIME:  8:00 AM prompt.