Body Life by Don Nothnagel The Gathering Place - 28th September 2014

1. Sunday Sept 28, 2014

2. BODY
LIFE

3. When we are presented with
a new concept,
or a new way of doing things,
do we usually understand it
or accept it right away?

4. What about Jesus’ apostles and the
early Jewish Christians?
Do you think THEY “Got It” and
embraced new teachings
or new ways of doing things
right away?

5. Let’s look at the Bible for the answer!
We’re asking 6 questions:
• Who did Jesus send the 12 apostles out to at first?
• Did this subsequently change?
• How come it changed?
• Did the apostles “Get It” right away?
• If not, what did it take to make one of them
understand?
• And even after HE understood, did the others
accept it right away?

6. Who did Jesus send the 12 apostles out to at first?
Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave
them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal
every kind of disease and illness.
Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these
instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the
Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—
God’s lost sheep.”
(Matt 10: 1-6)

7. Did this subsequently change?
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been
given all authority in heaven and on
earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples
of all the nations . . . .
(Matt 28: 18-19)

8. How come it changed?
What had happened between
Matthew 10 and Matthew 28?

9. Jesus had died
and had risen again.
How did this change things?

10. Before Jesus died, the Old Covenant Law was in
effect. God was dealing only with the Israelites under
the Law. The apostles were to go ONLY to them.
When Jesus died, He fulfilled the Law and the Law
became obsolete. (Hebrews 8: 13) ”By calling this
covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete . . .”
God’s New Covenant grace was now in effect.
Under God’s New Covenant grace, God’s salvation is
for ALL NATIONS. Jesus therefore told the apostles to
go to ALL NATIONS with the Good News about Him.

11. Did the apostles “Get It” right away?

12. NO!

13. What did it take to make one of them understand?
(Acts 10: 9-29)
(Remember, this is a LONG time after Jesus told His
disciples to go to ALL nations!)

14. Peter Visits Cornelius
The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the
town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about
noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being
prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open, and
something like a large sheet was let down by its four
corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and
birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter;
kill and eat them.”
“No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything
that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”
But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean
if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated
three times. Then the sheet was suddenly
pulled up to heaven.
Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean?

15. Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy
Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for
you. Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without
hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.
They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was
waiting for them and had called together his relatives and
close friends. . . . . they talked together and went inside,
where many others were assembled.
Peter told them, “You know it is against our
laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or
to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should
no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. So I came
without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me
why you sent for me.”

16. Note that at this point, Peter still thought
he was living under the Law!
But still, long after Jesus had told them
to go to ALL NATIONS with the Good News,
PETER had “Got It” at last!
The Good news was for EVERYONE!
So now, Peter understood, but did the others
accept it right away?

17. Soon the news reached the apostles and other
believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received
the word of God. But when Peter arrived back in
Jerusalem, the Jewish believers
criticized him.
“You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate
with them!” they said.
(Acts 11: 1-3)

18. Peter then explained his actions and at last,
the door was opened for we Gentiles (you and me)
to be given the Good News!
When the others heard this, they stopped
objecting and began praising God.
They said, “We can see
that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege
of repenting of their sins
and receiving eternal life.”
(Acts 11: 18)

19. • So, even Jesus’ apostles had mindsets which they
found hard to change.
• What about US?
• Let’s join them in saying, “WE CAN SEE!” and be
open to what God has been doing for 2000 years
now, in His wonderful New Covenant!
• Jesus’ death and resurrection changed much
more than who the apostles should share God’s
Good News with.
JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING!

20. Some of the “big things” that Jesus changes are:
• How God deals with our sin.
• How we may be righteous in God’s sight.
• Who God’s ministers are now.
• What is the role or job of God’s ministers.
• How we meet and what we do when we meet.
And the one that we are learning about today:
Jesus calls us to live “BODY LIFE.”

21. We were once DEAD in our sins:
You were dead in
your sins . . .
(Colossians 2: 13)

22. But God made us ALIVE with Christ!
God made you alive
with Christ.
He forgave us
all our sins . . .
(Col 2: 13)

23. The new life that God has raised us up to live is:
BODY
LIFE

24. When you hear the term “Body Life”,
what do you think of?
What does “Body Life” mean to you?

25. BODY
LIFE
What does the Bible teach about it?

26. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 12: 12-27:
One Body with Many Parts
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up
one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are
Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But
we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we
all share the same Spirit.
Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the
foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,”
that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear
says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would
that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were
an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear,
how would you smell anything?
But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just
where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only
one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye
can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t
say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

27. In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest
and least important are actually the most
necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable
are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we
carefully protect those parts that should not be
seen, while the more honorable parts do not require
this special care. So God has put the body together
such that extra honor and care are given to those
parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony
among the members, so that all the members care
for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer
with it, and if one part is honored,
all the parts are glad.
All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you
is a part of it.

28. What can we learn from this about Body Life?
• We, together, are the body of Christ on this
planet.
• Each one of us is a single part of this body.
• Each of is EXACTLY where God wants us to be!
• EVERY part is CRUCIAL to the health of the body.

29. • Some of the “weakest” parts are the most
necessary!
• Recognizing this creates HARMONY in the body.
• It makes all the parts care for EACH OTHER.
• Each part suffers or rejoices along with the
others.

30. God has given gifts to His body:
GIFTS
TO
THE
BODY

31. God has given GIFTS to each part of this body:
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is
the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but
we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is
the same God who does the work in all of us.
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each
other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise
advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special
knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to
someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives
one person the power to perform miracles, and another the
ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern
whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another
spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in
unknown languages, while another is given the ability to
interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who
distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each
person should have.

32. And God has given “people” gifts to the body:
Eph 4: 11-14:
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the
apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and
teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do
his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will
continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and
knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord,
measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t
be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching.
We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with
lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will
speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and
more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He
makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part
does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so
that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

33. Also, God has given us broad outlines of
what we should do when we meet:
Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize.
When you meet together, one will sing, another
will teach, another will tell some special revelation
God has given, one will speak in tongues, and
another will interpret what is said.
But everything that is done must
strengthen all of you.

34. Having considered all this, here’s my definition of
Body Life!
• Christians living their lives in harmony together.
• Each using their special gift to do their special
role. (EVERY SAINT BEING A MINISTER!)
• Each knowing what is happening in others’ lives
and rejoicing or sympathizing and helping out
depending on what’s happening.
• Everyone growing in unity in the faith.
• Everyone getting to know Jesus better.
• Everyone becoming mature in The Lord.

35. THOUGHTS
AND
COMMENTS
FROM YOU SO FAR

36. Where can we live
out this Body Life?

37. • Large Christian gatherings?
• Small Christian gatherings?
• A Christian lime with a few people?
• A Christian lime with 2 people?
• At home with our family?

38. Benefits of living Body Life:
• Knowing and understanding Scripture.
• Growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
• Sharing our burdens and joys.
• Praying for one another.
• Perseverance and encouragement especially in
times of trouble.
• Getting wise counsel and advice.
• The joy of using your gifts to help each other.

39. • Helping believers and unbelievers as needed.
• Building up faith.
• Growing in love for one another (“they will know
us by our love.”)
• Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit.
• Admonition.
• Growing in confidence and knowledge to share
your faith.
• Gives our lives purpose, meaning and
SIGNIFICANCE.

40. • Getting JOY + strength.
• Building unity and close relationships.
• Living ABUNDANT LIFE - life to the FULL!
• TRANSFORMATION – being transformed to be like
Jesus.
• Understanding WHO you are IN CHRIST, in God’s
wonderful New Covenant.
Is YOUR life being transformed
in these ways?

41. Can you really reap these
benefits to the full if you
only participate in
large meetings,
such as this one on
Sunday?

42. That’s why God has
appointed
The Gathering Place
to be an assembly
OF LIFE GROUPS!

43. “WE CAN SEES”
AND
QUESTIONS

44. FINALLY, TESTIMONIES FROM
THE SAINTS ABOUT
LIVING BODY LIFE.
(Now, Body Life will actually take place
HERE THIS MORNING
as some parts of the body encourage
and enlighten the other parts!)