Bible Study for Nov. 8: Committed to His Church

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Bible Studies for Life 
Romans 12:3-16  
David Kirkland, campus minister 
Georgia College and Georgia Military College, Milledgeville 

When I was younger, I went to many softball games to watch my dad play. The most entertainment for me was chasing foul balls. Back then, if you took the foul ball to the concession stand you got a free Coke. I was fast, so I got lots of free Cokes back then!  

I remember chasing one as it rolled across a gravel parking lot. I was running quickly because there were other kids in the same “get-a-free-coke” business. As I ran, I stumbled and fell, and my knee landed on a piece of glass.  

I didn’t realize it in the moment. I jumped up quickly and began to run again, but I knew my knee was hurt. When I looked down at my knee, I could see a deep gash and blood running down my leg! Immediately my WHOLE BODY went into action to help my knee. My hands reached down to hold and comfort my knee. My left leg took on more weight as I lifted my right knee up. My neck turned my head so that my eyes could find a place to sit down. And my mouth yelled, “Help!”  

It’s amazing how our whole body reacts to help an injured member.  

The Church, as the Body of Christ, ought to be as responsive to each other. When one member is injured, it affects all of us. When one member is hurt, we all have a responsibility to assist in helping that one.  

Romans 12:3-5 
Believers are one body in Christ.  

Paul makes it so clear here that we are not to be Lone Ranger Christians. Those of us who are believers all belong together in the Body of Christ, and therefore belong to each other. You may not have signed up for that. Maybe it was in the fine print when you gave your life to Christ. However, it is true, and it is an incredibly important truth!  

We all have a function in the body, but the bigger truth is we need each other. I need you and you need me. There is a dependence that we are to have on each other. God designed it that way.  

Romans 12:6-8 
Believers are to use their gifts to support the body.  

You have been given a gift by God. And you are called to use that gift to serve the Church, the Body. It’s easy to get into the comparison game and think that my gift(s) are either inferior or superior to your gift(s). But God doesn’t want us to think about it in either of those ways.  

Your gift, whatever it is, was given to play a vital role in what the Body of Christ is doing. So, find ways to utilize your giftedness in serving the church and celebrate the gifts of other believers around you.  

Romans 12:9-16 
Believers are to love each other as they serve the Lord together.  

Unfortunately, I’ve seen God’s people not treat each other very kindly at times. Imagine this scenario. I’m running again and I fall on that same piece of glass, but my body reacts in a very different way this time.   

My hands are disgusted by my knee and won’t touch it because they don’t want to get blood on them. And then my right foot starts griping about my knee because it is getting blood all over it. My other leg is complaining because it’s having to carry more body weight for the moment. And my mouth is so upset with my knee because it’s not going to be able to get a taste of a free Coke!  

Too often that can be reflective of the response of God’s people to each other. But we are encouraged to live differently as the Body of Christ.  

Living out our faith often goes against our natural inclination and first response, especially when it comes to dealing with people. We need to take a lesson from how our own body responds and more importantly how Scripture teaches us to treat others. How we respond to the rest of the Body of Christ can show how faithful you are as a disciple. After all, Jesus said “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). 


commitment, unity