Leadership in the Body

Bill White | May 12, 2019

Study Guide

In the body of Christ, we are responsible for honoring those in spiritual leadership over us and for pursuing good. Relationships lived in biblical community are face-to-face, peaceful, challenging, and long-suffering. God draws us into this community to carry out what he is doing in the world—are you engaging with this type of community and leadership?
Application

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

  1. Who in your life is working hard alongside you and giving you spiritual guidance? How can you show them wholehearted love and respect? Who are you in spiritual leadership over?

  2. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:14. Paul gives us three diseases and their prescriptions for the church body to care for one another (listed below). When thinking of each of these, in what situation might you need to give a different “prescription” for someone’s “disease”? In what ways have you done this well? In what ways have others done this for you?

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  3. Always keep in mind your concerns versus your responsibilities. We are not responsible for setting things right and doling out justice by correcting people—we are responsible for pursuing good. What offenses are you carrying around that you need to let go of and accept that they are not your responsibility? How can you move towards freedom to pursue good instead of being crushed by the weight of others who have done wrong to you?

Key Points

  • If you are in biblical community, you should have specific people you meet with face-to-face who are giving you spiritual guidance. If you don’t, you are too disengaged from the work of God and need to reorient your life around this kind of community.

  • We have 765 people leading our biblical community and 988 leading our students and children; this call is not just for staff members of a church.

  • Live peacefully with one another.

  • The context through which we care for one another in warning, encouragement, and tender care is through long-suffering.

  • As we love one another well and bring the right medicine out for diseases, we will get tired, we will feel alone, and sometimes it won’t go well; it is part of the long-suffering.

  • We need to be busy doing the good God has called us to do and stop filling our minds with the wrongs that have been done to us.

  • Rather than devoting your life to critiquing God’s sovereignty and fixating on offenses that have been done to you, captivate your life with doing good and living on mission with him.

  • God will take revenge and set everything right; we can trust in him.

  • If you're not suffering for other people, you're not following Jesus.

Scripture References

Romans 12:17-21

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15, Romans 12:17-21

Topics: Community, Justice, Long Suffering, Patience, Peace, Revenge