"Image Messaging"
TEXTS: 1 Cor. 10:14-22; Exo. 20:1-7; Exo. 23:13
TRUTHS:
1. How can you discern what local body of Christ you are a part of and belong to? It comes down to where you regularly participate in the sacrament of communion.
2. Following the commands of God does not put one in bondage—it brings freedom. We can often have a “shallow” view of sin that reduces our understanding of iniquity down to what we do and refrain from doing. Although the commands of God definitively direct us towards what to do and what not to do, the full picture of sin is much more vast. Sin is a failure to image Christ and portraying that wrong image to the world.
3. There is no promise in the Word of God that all suffering will be relieved during our earthly lives. But God does make this promise concerning eternity. Believers will be rewarded in eternity for the suffering they walked and persevered through during their earthly lives.
4. God understands the power of the words that are put into our minds. Those words direct our thoughts towards specific concepts and worldviews. If the wrong content is deposited into our minds, it can lead us to the acceptance and practice of realities that mar the image of God.
5. Believers must care about broken people if we desire to rightfully portray the image and heart of God.
6. We cannot take something that is meant to produce life and use it in a way that brings death. God desires that His Word bring life but we can use it in such a way that it brings death.
TALK TO EACH OTHER:
1. Why do you think communion plays such a big role in revealing what local expression of Jesus' Church believers belong to?
2. How can someone discern what words and phrases are okay for them to allow into their minds?
3. What is your personal routine for depositing the truth of God into your mind? What practices have worked well for you and is there anything you have tried that did not seem to work for you?
4. If there is no biblical promise concerning the relief of all our earthly sufferings, how should we approach and view our personal struggle with pain, suffering, and difficult circumstances?
5. In what ways can the Bible be used to bring death rather than life?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray as you feel led concerning the following area(s):
- That we are wise about what we allow into our minds and into the minds of the next generation
- That we personally and corporately care about and serve the broken people we come in contact with
Comments