Lesson 392 - Junior

Memory Verse

"For ye are bought with a price:  therefore  glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (I Corinthians 6:20).

Notes

A Need for Unity

The Apostle Paul was a very zealous preacher. He felt a burden for all people, and was one of the greatest missionaries in foreign lands that the world has ever known. He had the Spirit of God in his life, and people who heard him were convicted of sin, and prayed to be saved. There were churches established in many places.

Satan is not content to let the churches of Jesus Christ worship God in peace. When the Spirit of God begins to work among people who have a burden to win souls for Jesus, Satan also comes to interrupt.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, he spoke of the many good things that had happened among them; but he did not overlook the things that were wrong. He said, "I hear that there be divisions among you." He said that these things should not be.

The Bible tells us plainly that there must be unity in the church in order to have the Spirit of God work among us. Jesus prayed for His followers thus: "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" [JHN:17:21]). When there is unity in a church, people will recognise that Jesus is there too.

Avoiding Offenders

Sometimes the trouble that comes into a church is so great that some people have to be put out. Paul told the Romans Christians: "Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them" [ROM:16:17]). It is easy, when a person continually hears criticism about something or someone, to begin to feel the same criticism in his own heart. The best way to keep from falling into a faultfinding spirit is not to associate with those who have it.

The Good Revealed

Paul told the Corinthians that when such troubles come into the church, the children of God must take their stand for the right against wrong. He said: "There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you" [1CO:11:19]). The good ones will show up when the bad ones are contrasted with them.

One of the divisions was caused by not everyone's believing in the deity of Jesus. It is of greatest importance that we believe that Jesus is the Christ, sent from God. Anything other than a whole-hearted belief in Jesus' deity and His authority over His Church, brings division.

Roots Deep

Opposition to our Christian walk will help us to grow stronger in the faith, if we truly love the Lord. You have heard the illustration of the tree growing near the ocean, where heavy winds and raging storms beat upon it. Its roots go deep in order to keep the tree standing. Another tree is in a sheltered spot and grows beautifully; but when the shelter is taken away, the first storm blows it over, because the roots have not gone deep. If a Christian is always humoured and pampered, he may never get his roots down deep. But if he truly loves the Lord, the trials that come to him will make him stronger for the Christ who purchased him. He will be able to bear them.

The Bible tells us of Jesus: "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously" [1PE:2:23]). He did not assert His rights. He left everything in the Father's hands, who will in time punish those who cause Christ to suffer.

We are told to be like Jesus. The Apostle Paul wanted to be like Jesus, even in the things he suffered. He said: "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" [PHL:3:10]). Paul spoke often on this subject. When he wrote to Timothy, he said: "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us" [2TM:2:12]).

Pride

Other trouble had come into the Corinthian church because some people had become proud of the gifts God had given them. These gifts had been given to glorify Jesus, not man. Some were wonderfully gifted as teachers -" but only to teach about Jesus. Some were eloquent preachers -" but only to teach people how to be saved. Some had the gift of healing -" but they could do it only in the name of Jesus. They had nothing to boast of. No one can do anything for Jesus unless the Spirit of God works through him.

The Baptism of the Holy Ghost

The gift of the Holy Ghost is a wonderful blessing. Power from another world comes into the clean, sanctified heart. The Spirit of God speaks through the person receiving this experience, in a different language from any he knew. This is the crowning experience, which prepares a Christian for service for the Lord, and is glorious to receive. Yet a person never feels more humble than he does when he first receives it. He has nothing of which to boast.

True humility must be kept by those who want to work for Jesus. If we are to be successful witnesses for Jesus, we must let the beauty of Jesus be seen in us. Those with whom we talk about Jesus must be able to forget about us, and to think on the Saviour whom we represent.

When Peter and John healed the man at the Beautiful Gate, they said: "Why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?" [ACT:3:12]). They went on to explain that it was through faith in the name of Jesus that this miracle had been performed. "Yea the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all" [ACT:3:16]).

Even the Holy Ghost Himself glorifies Jesus. Jesus said: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; . . . He shall glorify me" [JHN:16:13-14]). All that we receive from Heaven is for the purpose of glorifying Jesus.

The way to glorify Jesus is to tell others about Him, and win souls for Christ's Kingdom. Our business on earth is to build up His Kingdom. If we had nothing to do for Jesus in this world, He would take us to Heaven as soon as we had received His gift.

Speaking in Tongues

Although the speaking in another language is a witness of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, this sign has been much abused. Some people have made the speaking supernaturally in another language of more importance than a holy life, or the gift of power for service. By so doing, they have become fanatical; and Satan has sometimes used this method to deceive people into believing a lie.

The Apostle Paul said that it was important to speak in the church in such a way that people could understand what was said. Paul said that he would rather speak five words, which others could understand than a thousand, which could not be understood. And yet he warned that we are not to forbid the speaking in tongues. But all must be done to glorify God and not the person speaking. Everything must be done in order. Confusion in the church brings a reproach upon the cause of Christ.

Work for All

God has given all His children something to do -" but not all the same thing. The Apostle Paul said that the church is as a body, each different member having something different to do. The eyes see; the ears hear; we touch with our fingers; we smell with our nose; we speak with the tongue. We know these things are important. But we find that our little finger is important, too, if it is injured and we cannot use it. Our hair may not seem very important, but it has its function. It is a "covering" that helps to keep our head warm; and the Bible says that a woman's hair is her "glory" [1CO:11:15]).

So if every member of our body is important, Paul tells us that every member in the body of Christ is important, too. We dare not say to anyone, "We have no need of you." The Lord will reward each according to his faithfulness in the little or much that he has been given to do. All the gifts God has given people to use for His service are important; yet Paul says that there is something more important than gifts. That is the pure love of God in the heart, as described in I Corinthians 13, the love which "suffereth long, and is kind; . . . envieth not; . . . vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things" [1CO:13:4-7]). If everyone who says he is a Christian would live by this rule, there would never be any divisions in the Church.

Questions

1. What brings the blessing of God into a church?

2. What was one of the troubles in the Corinthian Church?

3. What are we to do about those who cause division in the Church?

4. What were some of the Corinthians proud of?

5. How did Jesus react to people who wronged Him?

6. For what purpose are we given the baptism of the Holy Ghost?

7. What is one sign given when we receive the baptism?

8. How did Paul compare the church with the human body?

9. What is the business of the Christian on earth?

10. What is of greater importance than "gifts"?