Together (Session 2)

Intro

• Remind students that in the first Large Group session they learned what it means to be the Church and to be called

“Together.”

• In their first Small Group session, students looked at Ephesians 2:11-22. They learned that they are together as a church

because togetherness is God’s plan for His people.

• Explain to them that in their second Small Group session, they will be taught that being together is more than physically

being with each other. It’s emotionally investing in one other.

• Explain that in this Large Group Session, students are going to see that being together means being part of a family.

Teaching Point 1: When we come to faith in Jesus, we are adopted by God into His family.

Over the next two sessions we are going to look at the church as a family and the church as the body of Christ. Understanding these two concepts will better help us understand how we should act in the church.

• First, have students turn to Galatians 4. While they are finding it, remind them that this is a letter from the Apostle Paul to

Let’s read (Pause while people turn there).

Galatians 4:1-5(NKJV)

Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Let’s dissect a little bit of what this passage mean so we can understand what Paul is saying here. This is a continuation of the thought we looked at from the last session. Remember when talked about how now Christians are part of Abraham’s Spiritual family. I really want to focus on verse four and five but we need the other verses a little bit for context. Understanding the verse before four and five help us understand better what four and five mean. Paul is talking about how we are heirs of the promise of Christ. An heir is someone who is next in line to be king a decedent of the King. As believers we are heirs of the promise of Christ. Before Christ we were “in bondage” as Paul says to the world. It is in verses four and five that we really see how the church is like family in verse five Paul says that those who believe in Christ receive adoption as sons.

What does it mean to be adopted? When someone is adopted they don’s have a family and when they are adopted they are given a family. In a spiritual way all those who don’t know Christ are the same. Those who have faith (as we looked at in our last session) are part of the church. Jesus gave us a way to be adopted in the father. Look at the wording of verse four! Jesu came at just the right time as one of us as a human as a Jew to give us adoption into the church. That is something that is easy to take for granted but we should be thankful for it!

Paul also talks about this idea of Adoption more in Romans 8:14–17 “14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

According to this verse what is the sign that believers are adopted into the family of God? The Holy Spirit. Paul also talks about in Ephesians how the Holy Spirit is the sign of our inheritance to the Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit is not only our guid in living the Christian life but the Holy Spirit is also what tells us that we are in the family of God.

Paul says that God Himself verifies that our adoption is true! We can be confident in this, and not fear anything

the world throws at us. Not only are we “heirs” to God’s Kingdom, but Paul says our position in God’s family is

secure alongside Jesus Himself! What an amazing truth. THIS is what we are ushered into when we come to faith

in God through Jesus. This is the together we’ve been talking about. The “together” family of God.

Teaching Point 2: We are joined together with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. •

Have students turn to 1 Timothy 5. Remind them of the context surrounding 1 and 2 Timothy. Say:

o These were letters written by the Apostle Paul to his young protégé, Timothy.

o By this time, Timothy was leading a church. But Timothy was apparently a little young for this job. Paul spent a lot

of time encouraging Timothy and guiding him in how to function as a church leader.

• Then, read 1 Timothy 5:1-2

1 Timothy 5:1–2 NKJV

1 Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity.

o T What can we learn from this passage? Other than glimpsing Paul’s advice to young

Timothy on how to manage his duties as a pastor, we see the relationships between church members

mentioned. How does Paul position these? As members of a family. Older men are to be treated as fathers,

younger men as brothers.

Paul tells Timothy to treat other members of the Church as family. Sure, we are no all pastor’s and leaders like Timothy, but we are all members of the church, through faith, like Timothy. All church members are in the family of God after all, right? Treating each other like family is a the way we should seek to treat our fellow church members. Now let me ask you, what are families supposed to do for each other? Families care for one another and support one another. The kids learn from their parents. So we should be seeking to care from each other and learn from each other. Let’s be honest here is ever family perfect? No Is every church perfect? No Is that the point of what Paul is trying to say? No Paul like Moses from our first session is trying to give believers an ideal to live up to.

• Jesus also made the connection between His followers and a family relationship. Look at His words in Matthew

12:49-50: “And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever

does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Let’s go back and look at this passage in it’s full context. Turn to Matthew 12:46-50

Matthew 12:46–50 NKJV

46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

Does Jesus abandon his family? No Jesus was trying to show people in this passage that he had a spiritual family that was made up of the disciples. Different families act different ways right? Some families have different and sometime weird rules and some families have different traditions, beliefs or behavior. Based on this verse? What does Jesus’ family look like? Jesus’ family “does the will of His father.” Jesus was saying that we are in his family if we do his will and that for our life our spiritual family should guide what do more than our physical family.

Believers as a family. And while this is true for all Christians, it becomes even more important when you

consider the relationships you have with the people in your local church. These are people God has specifically

placed in your life as your church family. This should change the way we look at each other, shouldn’t it?

Teaching Point 3: Being together as a family means showing love to each other as we would our own family.

• Have students turn to 1 John 3. While they are finding it, remind them that

1 John was written by John the Apostle, one of

Jesus’ original 12 disciples who also wrote the Gospel of John and Revelation.

1 John talks about the love of God.

• Then, read 1 John 3:16–18 and say:

1 John 3:16–18 NKJV

16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

o John starts by comparing the sacrifice we should make for one another with the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

Sound pretty extreme? It is! Jesus gave His life for us. And John says we should be so selfless with our

lives as to always be willing to put others before ourselves. John is helping us see the kind of attitude we should

have toward our Christian brothers and sisters, our family.

Not only did Christ die for us Christ suffered for us. Christ was beaten bruised and then nailed on the cross with nails driven through his wrists and foot. On top of all of that Jesus was separated from His own Father God because he wore all of our sins. Jesus did all of this for because he obeyed God laying down His life for us. What does it mean that we should lay down our lives for our brethren? In our time we don’t often have to lay down our lives for other people but we should be willing to and more than that we should be willing to give our time and effort to serve out brothers and sisters in Christ.

o It’s easy to say we love God and to go to church, etc. But our actions toward others will show whether or not our

hearts have been moved by the Gospel or not. Being together as a church family means showing love to each

other as we would our own family. It’s the way God intended us to interact with one another. If you had to rate

yourself on how well you have demonstrated love to those in your church family lately, how would you rate

yourself? Is this an area you can grow in? What would the impact be if everyone in your youth group and even

your church took on this attitude?

Love is a very important part of the Christian faith in fact we have a whole chapter dedicated to it, 1 Corinthians 13 the love chapter. Let’s turn there and read it together.

Love is the greatest among all the spiritual fruits. It is important for each of you to look within yourselves and see if you reflect the words of this chapter as we read this chapter together.

1 Corinthians 13 NKJV

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

What was just described in that chapter is how believers in the church should be treating one another. It is easy to say we love other people and that we love Jesus but our lives should show it. The old adage “actions speak louder than words” is very true when it comes to living for Christ. Remember how we talked about faith in session one as being what gives us access to the church. Well we show our faith in Christ ultimately by what we do. These verse In 1 John and 1 Corinthians should serve as a challenge calling us to treat each other in the church and those around us with more love and care. Remember the body of Christ is a family and that family should show love.

Conclusion

We have looked out now the foundations of the church and the church as a family. I hope understanding the church as a family will serve as a challenge to treat each other more like a family and to see your brothers and sisters in Christ as a family.