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Building Christian Community

Three Bible Studies prepared for Duke Street Church

Contents:

Introduction 2-4

1) Affirming 5-6

2) Sharing 7

3) Serving 8-9

4) Leaders notes: Affirming 10-13

5) Leaders notes: Sharing 14-16

6) Leaders notes: Serving 17-19

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Introduction: Our present context

According to an article in the Guardian from August 2010, an astonishing 26 million
people in the UK use the social networking website Facebook to connect with friends,
family and anyone else they choose to share information with. On Facebook, this
group which makes up nearly half of the UK’s population can let people know their
age, relationship status, religion, political views, where they are, what they are doing
and create photo albums for others to browse through. Facebook’s mission statement
is to ‘give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected’.

Simultaneously however, these principles of sharing, openess and connectivity are

gradually becoming more absent from society. The following quote is from a report
on loneliness published by the Mental Health Foundation in March 2010.

Our cities and public spaces are more crowded, but more of us are living alone. The percentage of
households occupied by one person more than doubled from 6% in 1972 to 12% in 2008. More of us
live alone since our population is ageing and we’re having fewer children. At the same time, the
divorce rate has almost doubled in the past 50 years. The number of lone parent households is rising.
Because of careers or education more of us live further from our families and the communities we grew
up in. According to one survey, the number of people who die alone for whom ‘pauper funerals’ are
arranged is rising, which indicates that for many people the loneliness lasts until their final days and is
accompanied by poverty… The pain of loneliness is the sharp end of a milder feeling of social
disconnection that research suggests is widespread: a recent Emotional Needs Audit of the UK by the
Human Givens Institute, which involved 4,600 online respondents, reported that 24.1% of people did
not feel emotionally connected to others; 34.8% did not feel connected to the wider community and
35.4% felt they did not receive enough attention.

Is it at all surprising that in such an environment, social networking websites like

Facebook flourish as they offer a sense of connectivity to a disconnected society?
Sadly however, they are a poor remedy. Rather than providing a social space,
Facebook requires one to sit facing a computer screen rather than a person. The
information we learn about others is often more of an insight into how that person
wants you to think of them, rather than what you should actually think about them.
Also, any real communication through this medium consists of expressionless words
read on a computer screen, void of tone and gesture.

In reality, there is no good alternative for real personal, intimate community and no
remedy for its absence, other than a fostering of its presence. So where, in the bleak
societal situation described in the MHF report, can genuine community and social
connection be found and fostered? In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul
gives us a picture of how the Church should operate as a connected, unified community:

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though
many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body
—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I
am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the
body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that
would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be
the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But
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as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a
single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I
have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are
indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honourable we bestow the
greater honour, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more
presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honour to
the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may
have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member
is honoured, all rejoice together.”

Notice in this passage, how a Biblical church should exhibit the following marks of a
well connected community:

- Race and class transcending acceptance: ‘For in one Spirit we were all baptized
into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one
Spirit’.

- Variety and distinction, combined with unity: ‘there are many parts, yet one body’

- Inter/intra-reliance:  “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor
again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.””

-  Affirmation: ‘the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on
those parts of the body that we think less honourable we bestow the greater honour,
and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more
presentable parts do not require’

I recently read of a South African philosophy of life called ‘Ubuntu’. Ubuntu affirms our
need for one another, it can be summarised as ‘a person is a person through persons’.
In 2008 Archibishop Desmond Tutu described it this way “It speaks about our
interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself…We think of ourselves far
too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are
connected and what you do affects the whole world”. The model of Church life
described in 1 Corinthians 12 is in effect Christian Ubuntu.

The model is also expressed in a major part of our great heritage in the Reformed faith
as the ‘Priesthood of all believers’, based on 1 Peter 2:9. That is, in the words of the
Southern Baptist Convention’s positional statement ‘Laypersons have the same right
as ordained ministers to communicate with God, interpret Scripture, and minister in
Christ's name.’ However, often the emphasis on this teaching is on the first of those
two things (communicating with God, interpreting scripture – the ‘vertical’) and we
miss the latter (ministering in Christ’s name – the ‘horizontal’). Eugene Peterson
comments:

‘One of the severely crippling misunderstandings of the Reformation assertion of “the

priesthood of all believers” is to assume (or worse, insist) that each of us can function
as our own priest – “I don’t need a priest, thank you, I can do quite well on my own,
me and Jesus.” But that is certainly not what Martin Luther intended when he
included the priesthood of all believers as a fundamental tenet for reforming the
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church. He meant that we are all priests, not for ourselves, but for one another: “I need
you for my priest, and while we are at it, I’m available for you as your priest’

Individuality is important, but individualism is not an option for the church. We need
one another for our own sake – to help us grow in Godliness and maturity in the faith,
and we need one another for other people’s sake – to commend the Gospel to the
outside world. As Francis Shaeffer put it - observable love and oneness among true
Christians is ‘the final apologetic.’ Or in Jesus’ own words ‘by this will all men know
that you are my disciples, if you love one another’. Gospel shaped love and
community will inevitably commend the Gospel to an often lonely, disconnected
society.

The aim of these Bible studies is to look at how we as a church can be a ‘connected’
community, motivated by the God who has reconnected with us through Jesus. The
material will provide a Biblical foundation for what a community shaped by the
Gospel should look like, which I pray will stimulate thoughtful discussion, purposeful
prayer and active application of the Biblical teaching.

Each study will be comprised of four sections:

1) The Biblical basis: Bringing together what different parts of the Bible have to
say about each theme
2) Case Study: Looking at a particular passage of scripture in-depth
3) Bringing it home: A discussion over the specifics of how these principles
could be applied practically in our lives.
4) Prayer: Time to pray about anything that has come up during the Bible study,
particularly with regards to application.

Recommended reading:

If you or anyone in your fellowship group would like to explore these themes in
greater depth, here are some of the books I have been using to prepare these studies.

Fellowship of the King Liam Goligher (out of print but available in ‘used and new’
from Amazon.co.uk)
‘Self Understanding and Self Giving’ - Chapter 11 of The Cross of Christ John Stott
‘Fellowship: The Implications of Kononia’ – Chapter 5 The Living Church John Stott
‘Why Community?’ Chapter 2 of Total Church Tim Chester and Steve Timmis
Instruments in the redeemers hands Paul David Tripp
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1) Building Christian Community: Affirming

“Where should people in all the world be affirmed but in the body of Christ? If
you are not being affirmed in the church, you are being short-changed”
Liam Goligher ‘Renewing Pastoral Care’
(Preached at Duke Street Church 08/08/10)

The Biblical basis:

A) We affirm and accept one another, primarily because God
affirms and accepts us:

Romans 15:7 ‘Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you’
1 John 4:11 ‘Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another’
1 John 4:19 ‘We love because he first loved us’
Ephesians 4:32 ‘Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as
God in Christ forgave you’
Colossians 3:13 ‘as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive’

B) Affirming one another’s strengths, gifts and abilities:

Romans 12:10 ‘Honour one another’

James 5:9 ‘Don’t grumble against each other’
1 Corinthians 12:21: ‘The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor
again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

C) Affirm one another through visible affection

Romans 16:16 “Greet one another with a holy kiss”

James 1:19 “Be quick to listen, slow to speak”
Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another”
1 Thessalonians 3:12 ‘[May] your love increate and overflow for each other’

Case Study: The Church in Rome: Romans 15:1-7

1) Paul instructs the believers in Rome to aim to please one another rather than
pleasing themselves (v1,2). How does he describe the strength of relationship
between the strong and the weak in the first part of verse 1? What are the
implications of this for dealing with internal problems and divisions in the
church?
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2) What is the end purpose of aiming to please our neighbours (v2b)? If we bear this
in mind, how will it shape the way we challenge or encourage a struggling
Christian?

3) Where should we look primarily for an example of selflessness?

What particular aspect of Christ’s work demonstrates this? (v3)

4) What means has the church been given in order to grow in unity through
instruction and encouragement? (v4)

Paul says that we will have hope ‘through endurance and the encouragement of
the scriptures’ how should we combine learning from the Bible and learning from
life experience?

How do these things promote unity in the church?

5) What is the end purpose of church unity (v6,7)?

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2)Building Christian Community: Sharing

The Biblical basis:
A) Share one another’s space, goods, and time.

 Romans 12:10: “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show
hospitality.”
 1 Peter 4:9: “Offer hospitality to one another”
 Galatians 6:10: “As we have opportunity, let us do good”

B) Share one another’s needs and problems.

 Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”
 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Encourage one another and build one another up”
 Hebrews 3:13: “Encourage one another daily”

C) Share one another’s beliefs, thinking, and spirituality.

 Colossians 3:16: “Teach and admonish one another”

 Ephesians 5:19: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual
songs”
 Romans 12:16: “Live in harmony with one another”
 1 Corinthians 1:10: “Agree with one another”
 Titus 2 – The older believers teaching the younger.

Case Study: The Church in Jerusalem Acts 2:42-47

1) What are the 4 main characteristics or activities of the church in verse 42?

2) In verse 42 Luke writes that the church in Jerusalem ‘devoted themselves to

the apostle’s teaching’. How might we do the same today?

3) Verse 44 and 45 describe the way in which the church shared their material
possessions (compare with Acts 4:32-37). Discuss the scope of their sharing
with regards to:
- who they shared with:
- what they shared ‘

4) How should we apply a passage like this to ourselves? Are we commanded to

emulate their sharing?
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5) What was the heart attitude of the people, which motivated their way of life?
(v 46-47)

Building Christian Community: Serving

The Biblical Basis
Serve one another’s interests rather than our own.

 Mark 10:44-45: “And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even
the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many.”
 Romans 15:1-2: “Don’t please yourself but please others”
 Galatians 5:13: “Serve one another”

Serve one another through accountability

 James 5:16: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other”
 Galatians 6:1: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual
should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”
 Hebrews 10:24: “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good
works”

Serve one another through forgiveness and reconciliation

 Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in
love”
 Colossians 3:13: “Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another”
 Galatians 5:26: Don’t provoke or envy one another
 James 4:11: “Do not slander one another”
 Matthew 5:23-24; 18:15: Reestablish broken relationships with one another

Case study: Paul’s instructions to the church in

Corinth. 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

1) What is the ground of our unity, or ‘oneness’ in the church, according to verse
13?

2) One of the major issues in the church in Corinth was their divisions over
‘personality cults’ (see 1:10-17). What does Paul’s understanding of the objective
grounding of church unity (12:13) have to say about those whose attitude is divisive
in 12:14-16?
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3) How does the imagery of a body preserve both unity and distinction in the
church? (v14,17-20?)

4) Bearing in mind the context of 12:1-11, the emphasis of Paul’s teaching in

12:21-26 is on mutual service in the body of Christ through spiritual gifts. What is the
problem Paul is addressing in 12:21?

5) In verses 22-25 how does Paul describe the way in which the ‘weaker’ should
be served? How then, will those who serve them be served in return?

6) For what purpose has God given a distinction of parts in the body? (v25) What
should this care look like? (v26)
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Building Christian Community: Affirming (Notes

for leaders)
“Where should people in all the world be affirmed but in the body of Christ? If
you are not being affirmed in the church, you are being short-changed”
Liam Goligher ‘Renewing Pastoral Care’
(Preached at Duke Street Church 08/08/10)

5) The Biblical basis:

D) We affirm and accept one another, primarily because God
affirms and accepts us:

Romans 15:7 ‘Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you’
1 John 4:11 ‘Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another’
1 John 4:19 ‘We love because he first loved us’
Ephesians 4:32 ‘Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as
God in Christ forgave you’
Colossians 3:13 ‘as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive’

The church exists because God has loved us and reconciled us to himself. As a
response to his action, we are called to replicate his love and grace in the way we
treat one another in the church.

Suggested questions for discussion:

How is the Christian command to love one another unique in comparison to similar
commands in other religions or world-views?
Where should we go first in understanding how we should treat one another in the
church?

E) Affirming one another’s strengths, gifts and abilities:

Romans 12:10 ‘Honour one another’

James 5:9 ‘Don’t grumble against each other’
1 Corinthians 12:21: ‘The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor
again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

Suggested questions for discussion:

Do you ever stop to consider the strengths, gifts and abilities of the people around you
in church/fellowship group? Do you ever consider your own gifts and how you could
better employ them to build up the church?
Why, in light of the verses above, would it be a worthwhile thing to do?
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F) Affirm one another through visible affection

Romans 16:16 “Greet one another with a holy kiss”

James 1:19 “Be quick to listen, slow to speak”
Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another”
1 Thessalonians 3:12 ‘[May] your love increate and overflow for each other’

Suggested questions for discussion:

What might be a more culturally appropriate way of applying Romans 16:16 in

our context?
How does James 1:19 shape the way we might counsel a brother or sister in
Christ?

2) Case Study: The Church in Rome: Romans 15:1-7

To understand Paul’s exhortations in Romans 15:1-7, it is essential that we pay
attention to the wider context from chapter 14. Read through chapter 14 whilst
preparing, so you can briefly explain the context to the rest of your Fellowship Group.
Below is a helpful summary of the situation, adapted from Christopher Ash’s book
‘Teaching Romans: volume two’.

Two groupings in the church:

The weak: 15:1; 14:1,2

The strong: 15:1

The issues:

1) Food: The ‘strong in faith’ would ‘eat everything’ (14:2,3) including ‘meat’
(14:6) and are sure that ‘nothing is unclean’ (14:14). They allow no religious
considerations to restrict their diet. The ‘weak’ ‘eats only vegetables’ (14:2),
‘abstains’ from meat (14:6) and considers some foods to be ‘unclean’ (14:14).
2) The religious calander: The ‘weak’ ‘considers one day more sacred than the
other’, while the ‘strong’ ‘considers every day alike’ (14:5,6)
3) Drink: In 14:17 there is a reference to ‘eating and drinking’ and in 14:21 ‘to
eat meat or drink wine’

The resulting disharmony:

1) Those ‘strong in faith’ looked down on the weak (14:3,10)

2) Those ‘weak’ passed judgement on the strong (14:3,4,10)
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Note: Be warned that even the best commentaries can’t give an all-encompassing
explanation of the situation – we only know as much as the text says! Therefore, don’t
spend too much time trying to guess what was going on. The emphasis in the text is
on the fact that the church is divided over something it shouldn’t divide on, and Paul
is calling them to be reconciled and united for the sake of the glory of God.

Bible study: Romans 15:1-6

5) Paul instructs the believers in Rome to aim to please one another rather than
pleasing themselves (v1,2). How does he describe the strength of relationship
between the strong and the weak in the first part of verse 1? What are the
implications of this for dealing with internal problems and divisions in the
church?

Paul says the strong have an ‘obligation’ to bear with the failings of the weak. This
means that patience with other Christians is not an option but obligatory for those
who are united in Christ.

6) What is the end purpose of aiming to please our neighbours (v2b)? If we bear this
in mind, how will it shape the way we challenge or encourage a struggling
Christian?

The end purpose of pleasing our neighbours is that they would be built up. This means
that we don’t seek to embarrass, humiliate or put-down struggling Christians but
lovingly desire and work for the best for them.

7) Where should we look primarily for an example of selflessness?

What particular aspect of Christ’s work demonstrates this? (v3)

Many men and women throughout history could exemplify selflessness but the
greatest of these is Jesus Christ. It is particularly through his self-giving sacrifice on
the cross, where Jesus received the ultimate expression of mankind’s hatred of God.

8) What means has the church been given in order to grow in unity through
instruction and encouragement? (v4)

The Bible

Paul says that we will have hope ‘through endurance and the encouragement of
the scriptures’ how should we combine learning from the Bible and learning from
life experience?

The Bible’s content encourages us as we endure through life’s difficulties and

thus confirms its own effectiveness in giving us hope. We mustn’t struggle
through life without leaning on God’s wisdom revealed in scripture and we
mustn’t study the Bible without reference to applying its teaching in our lives.

How do these things promote unity in the church?

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Primarily because the Bible teaches us to how to treat one another and live in
unity. This is how Paul uses the O.T. quote in verse 3.
It could also be said that the foundation of church unity is unity in God’s truth.

5) What is the end purpose of church unity (v6,7)?

The glory of God and the outward demonstration of the gospel when we accept one
another as Christ accepted us.

3) Bringing it home
Below are some suggested questions for discussion. Feel free to use them but
please don’t be restricted by them. The point of this part of the Bible study is to
deal with any issues which have been raised throughout the above sections and to
think through how your group can specifically apply the Biblical teaching. Please
encourage the group to feel free to be honest about their experience of
affirmation, of a lack of it, in the church.

Can you think of any areas of church life where you don’t see these principles being
played out? Are there any groups or members of the church who are not being
affirmed or accepted as they should? What can you begin to do in order to change
this?

When dealing with a particular situation of division or disunity, how does the Gospel
motivate us to behave? How can we make sure we are gospel-driven as opposed to
being moralistic?

How can we, in our fellowship groups, ensure that we are being mutually affirmed in
our gifts and strengths? In doing so, how do we avoid the extremities of giving zero
affirmation or outright flattery?

What are the differences between the Bible’s teaching on acceptance and affirmation
and what is often called ‘tolerance’ in society?

G) Prayer:

Spend some time praying about the ways in which your fellowship group, and
Duke Street Church as a whole can apply the Bible’s teaching on affirmation.
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Building Christian Community: Sharing (Notes for

leaders)

6) The Biblical basis:

A) Share one another’s space, goods, and time.

 Romans 12:10: “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show
hospitality.”
 1 Peter 4:9: “Offer hospitality to one another”
 Galatians 6:10: “As we have opportunity, let us do good”

Suggested questions for discussion:

What does it mean to ‘show hospitality’? Look up Galatians 6:10 and discuss the
scope of ‘doing good’ with regards to when and to whom we should do so.

B) Share one another’s needs and problems.

 Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”
 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Encourage one another and build one another up”
 Hebrews 3:13: “Encourage one another daily”

Suggested questions for discussion:

What is ‘the law of Christ’ referring to in Galatians 6:2? What does this say about the
importance and prominence of ‘bearing one another’s burdens’?

C) Share one another’s beliefs, thinking, and spirituality.

 Colossians 3:16: “Teach and admonish one another”

 Ephesians 5:19: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual
songs”
 Romans 12:16: “Live in harmony with one another”
 1 Corinthians 1:10: “Agree with one another”
 Titus 2 – The older believers teaching the younger.

Suggested questions for discussion:

In what sense should believers ‘teach one another’? How is Christian unity, outlined
in the above verses, different from general tolerance?
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7) Case Study: The Church in Jerusalem Acts 2:42-

47
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe [4] came upon every soul, and
many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who
believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling
their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had
need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in
their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising
God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day
by day those who were being saved.

6) What are the 4 main characteristics or activities of the church in verse 42?

The apostle’s teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, the prayers

7) In verse 42 Luke writes that the church in Jerusalem ‘devoted themselves to

the apostle’s teaching’. How might we do the same today?
We have the apostle’s teaching in the New Testament, and their ‘Bible’ in the Old
Testament. There are a number of ways in which we can ‘devote’ ourselves to it, but
the emphasis in this passage is on the corporate nature of this teaching. Therefore, for
us at Duke Street it is primarily through the preaching of God’s word as the church is
gathered on a Sunday, then through fellowship groups in the week.

8) Verse 44 and 45 describe the way in which the church shared their material
possessions (compare with Acts 4:32-37). Discuss the scope of their sharing
with regards to:
- who they shared with: ‘all who believed’ (44), ‘distributing the
proceeds to all, as any had need’ (45)
- what they shared ‘all things in common’ (44), ‘their possessions and
belongings’ (45)

9) How should we apply a passage like this to ourselves? Are we commanded to

emulate their sharing?

This passage is part of Luke’s wider narrative describing the life of the early church in
the first century. Therefore, along with Acts 4:32-37, this passage is descriptive of
what happened then, but not immediately prescriptive to us. The reader is not
commanded to do the same. However, this doesn’t mean we have nothing to learn or
apply here! Firstly, Luke obviously speaks of the life of the church very positively, as
if to commend them as exemplary. Secondly, the life and activity of the church in
these passages are clearly the result of the work of the Holy Spirit, coming just after
Pentecost in ch2, and after the Holy Spirit filled the believers in 4:31. Finally, the
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generosity exemplified in this passage is commanded in other places in the New

Testament, eg. James 2:1-7, 1 John 3:17 (see also section 1A above)

10) What was the heart attitude of the people, which motivated their way of life?
(v 46-47)

Gladness, generosity, praise.

8) Bringing it home
Below are some suggested questions for discussion. Feel free to use them but
please don’t be restricted by them. The point of this part of the Bible study is to
deal with any issues which have been raised throughout the above sections and to
think through how your group can specifically apply the Biblical teaching.

What are the challenges to generous hospitality that we face in our culture and context
in South West London? What can we do practically to change this for ourselves?

What forms of hospitality do you find most difficult to offer? Sharing of possessions?
Space? Time?

Which ministries at Duke Street are geared up to offering hospitality and support to
those in need? Are there ways in which you could support them?

Are there ways in which you could be applying section C practically? If you are a
mature believer, are there young believers who you could be encouraging and
teaching in the Christian faith? Are there people around who could be teaching you?
Consider what format this could take: eg. 121 Bible studies, reading a book together
and meeting up to discuss it.
.

4) Prayer:
Spend some time praying about the ways in which your fellowship group, and Duke
Street Church as a whole can apply the Bible’s teaching on affirmation.
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Building Christian Community: Serving (Leaders notes)

1) The Biblical Basis
Serve one another’s interests rather than our own.

 Mark 10:44-45: “And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even
the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many.”
 Romans 15:1-2: “Don’t please yourself but please others”
 Galatians 5:13: “Serve one another”

Suggested questions for discussion:

In Mark 10: 44-45, how is service modeled and exemplified? (See also Philippians 2:4-11) What
are the social priorities of Christian service in Romans 15:1-2? Look up Galatians 5:13, what
does Christian freedom look like in the context of the Church community?

Serve one another through accountability

 James 5:16: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other”
 Galatians 6:1: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual
should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”
 Hebrews 10:24: “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good
works”

Suggested questions for discussion

What are the positive and negative elements of Christian accountability outlined in the verses
above? In what manner should a challenge to a Christian who is in sin be done? How might a
person be ‘stirred up’ to love and good works by another?

Serve one another through forgiveness and reconciliation

 Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in
love”
 Colossians 3:13: “Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another”
 Galatians 5:26: Don’t provoke or envy one another
 James 4:11: “Do not slander one another”
 Matthew 5:23-24; 18:15: Reestablish broken relationships with one another

Suggested questions for discussion:

According to the verses above, how should Christians respond when others in the
church are difficult, even hurtful? What behaviours should we avoid? Look up
Matthew 18:15-17, what are the three stages Jesus outlines in attempting
reconciliation?
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2) Case study: Paul’s instructions to the church

in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

1) What is the ground of our unity, or ‘oneness’ in the church, according to verse
13?

Our being ‘baptised’ into one spirit. That is – every Christian is indwelt by the
same Holy Spirit.

2) One of the major issues in the church in Corinth was their divisions over
‘personality cults’ (see 1:10-17). What does Paul’s understanding of the objective
grounding of church unity (12:13) have to say about those whose attitude is divisive
in 12:14-16?

Just because they say they do not belong to the body, does not make them any
less a part of the body objectively.

3) How does the imagery of a body preserve both unity and distinction in the
church? (v14,17-20?)

Unity is preserved because we are one body. Distinction is preserved because

that one body is made up of parts which work together, yet are different from one
another.

4) Bearing in mind the context of 12:1-11, the emphasis of Paul’s teaching in

12:21-26 is on mutual service in the body of Christ through spiritual gifts. What is the
problem Paul is addressing in 12:21?

The problem is a lack of recognition for one another’s spiritual gifts and the way
in which they may be used for the benefit of the church.

5) In verses 22-25 how does Paul describe the way in which the ‘weaker’ should
be served? How then, will those who serve them be served in return?

Honour should be bestowed on the apparently weaker, lesser and dishonourable

members of the church (v23) This will not only build up the ‘weak’ but will work
towards unity and mutual care in the whole church (v25)

6) For what purpose has God given a distinction of parts in the body? (v25) What
should this care look like? (v26)
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To promote (the aforementioned) unity and mutual care in the body of Christ. Care in
the body of Christ should be expressed in a common sharing of life’s experience, in
the bad (“if one suffers all suffer”) and the good (“if one member is honoured, all
rejoice together”).

3) Bringing it home

Below are some suggested questions for discussion. Feel free to use them
but please don’t be restricted by them. The point of this part of the Bible study is
to deal with any issues which have been raised throughout the above sections and
to think through how your group can specifically apply the Biblical teaching.

How does Paul’s teaching on the objective oneness of the body of Christ through
the Holy Spirit affect how you think of your responsibility to serve in the church?

Paul clearly teaches the importance of there being a variety of distinct gifts
employed in service of the church. In what ways are we susceptible to emphasising
the importance of some gifts above others in the church?

How can Paul’s teaching on honouring the weaker members be applied in our
Fellowship Group or Church contexts? What can be done to make sure those with gifts
we might think are ‘lesser’, use them for the service of the church to the glory of
God?

Reflecting back on the whole series of bible studies on Building Christian

Community, what have you found most challenging? What have you done to apply the
teaching up till now? Looking to the future, how to you intend to continue to serve,
and (as is easy to miss) be served to build up the body of Christ?

4) Prayer:
Spend some time praying about the ways in which your fellowship group, and Duke
Street Church as a whole can apply the Bible’s teaching on service in the body of
Christ.