Unity in Christ
Read Romans 10:12-13
- What do these verses tell us about God’s attitude towards different groups?
Read Ephesians 2:11-22
This passage emphasises that all people can have equal access to God. His peace affects our relationships with other people. The Jewish people took pride in their circumcision, which was a sign of God’s covenant with Israel. The Ephesian Christians were not Jews by birth.
- What assurance does Paul offer the Ephesians in verses 11-13?
- What do verses 14-18 say about hostility between Gentiles and God, and Gentiles and Jews?
- What is the unifying force?
- How are the Ephesian Christians described in verses 19-22?
- What vital role does Jesus play?
- How does this passage challenge you in your relationship with other Christians and with those from a different culture?
Read Colossians 3:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
- What do these verses mean for us today?
Replace words such as ‘Greek’ and ‘Jew’ with the names of groups in our community.
Read Romans 15:5-6
- Why does Paul emphasise the need for unity?
- Discuss the phrase ‘unity in diversity, rather than uniformity’ in the light of the Bible passages you have just read.
One body with many parts
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 and Romans 12:3-8
There is much we can learn from these passages about how a group works together. In any group there are a variety of people, but they form one body and, as such, have a commitment to, or belong to, one another.
- What does this mean in practice for your group?
Each member of the group has a gift to use. In this passage, several dangers are highlighted when thinking about our own gifts and those of others.
- What warnings do we read about in Romans 12:3 and I Corinthians 12:21-25?
- What happens when we overvalue or boast about our own gifts and undervalue those of others?
Valuing each other’s gifts
Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-15
- What problem is there in this church?
- What does Paul suggest is the proper attitude to different workers?
Only God can make things grow and can make our work prosper (Psalm 127:1). He wants us to be his ‘fellow-workers’, each achieving the part of the work he has assigned to us and using the gifts and qualities he has given us. Jealousy and quarrelling cause division. If a project is to succeed, we need to value every person’s gifts – our own and those of other people – and work together.
- What is the foundation that Paul says he has laid in verses 10 and 11?
There is no other foundation that will endure forever. We must also be careful how we build.
- What will eventually happen to all our work? (verses 12-15)
- How will what you are ‘building’ look in the ‘light of day’?
- What could Paul have meant by the fire in verse 13? Will our work survive this?
One in heart and mind
Read Philippians 2:1-4
Is there someone in our lives who has treated us in a way that has been a great encouragement, comfort or support to us? Such people help us to realise the value of unity and love. Paul tells the Philippian church to be ‘one in spirit and purpose’.
Likewise, Acts 4:32 says: ‘All the believers were one in heart and mind.’
- What happens if a group does not have a vision or purpose, or if the members do not all agree and share the vision?
- How should we decide on the central vision of our group so that all the members are fully behind it?
It is important in any group to consider everyone’s opinions, to ensure that each person in the group feels valued and is contributing in a positive way.
- Are we listening to everyone’s view in our group?
Read Philippians 2:5-11
Christ Jesus is, of course, our greatest example.
- According to this passage, who is Jesus? Yet what was he prepared to do for us?
- How far will you forego your own position to encourage others?
Read Philippians 2:12-13
- Is God achieving his purposes through our group?
Working together
Read Exodus 17:11-13
These verses give examples of what can be achieved if we work together as a team.
- What would have happened in this situation without cooperation?
- Can we think of any similar situations in the present day?
Read Judges 20:11 (If you have time, read the whole of Chapter 20.)
- What happens when people unite behind a common purpose?
- How can our group help to unite people in times of peace?
Read Matthew 18:19-20
- Why are the prayers of several people more pleasing to God than one person praying alone?
- How often do we discuss situations and pray about them in small groups?
- How could we do this more effectively?
Sharing our resources
Read Acts 4:32-37
This passage describes a very successful ‘cooperative’. Verse 34 tells us, ‘There were no needy people among them.’
- What helps it to work?
- What were the believers sharing?
- What were the consequences of their behaviour?
The group is united by a common vision and their deep commitment to one another.
- What is the source of income here?
- What is the agreement between the members of the group?
In our group, our agreement and situation will be different from the one here. What is important is that everyone who is part of the group clearly knows how the group is to function and keeps to the conditions we have agreed upon.