Use these for group work, or to assist your personal reflection.
- Are there apostles today? Discuss in your group what you mean by the word and job title ‘apostle’.
- How can God’s people be united today? What will it take for people of faith to overcome the barriers that exist between churches?
- What do the words ‘grace’ and ‘peace’ mean to people today, particularly those outside the church. Should they be used as a greeting today?
Use the programme which can be found on the link ‘discipleship challenges’. The ‘worksheet’ will help you follow through anything you feel is right to take up. The following notes are for your interest and consideration.
Personal comment:
I have often written about the subject of Christian unity, because I find it hard to write about the Bible and not find myself constantly coming back to this theme. I can easily avoid it in any individual text I may choose, for the sake of preaching, for example, and I have even heard others preach on the ‘body of Christ’ in 1 Corinthians 12 and find enough within it to try and defend the existing divisions between Christians in today’s world! However, what I cannot do is to persist in ignoring one of the major themes of the Bible, which comes up in almost every significant theological statement found in the Bible; that God’s people are one. Now if this is so; when will we act like it?
Ideas for discipleship programme
- Try attending the meetings and worship services of some other churches, not to try and make a point to others, but to try and face yourself the important issues of church unity. What, in your opinion, will help people work together for the Kingdom of God?
- Talk to people you know who do not go to church, and ask them what they think about the fact that there are different churches and denominations, and ask them whether they would be interested if there was in fact only one church. See where the discussion takes you.
Dear Lord and Father of all, forgive Your people their sins, in particular their sins of ignorance and selfishness. Help us to yield our passions and interests to You, so that we may become true servants of the Kingdom, and not slaves to our own church structures; through Jesus Christ we pray: AMEN
