C.A.C Sunday School Manual For November 13th, 2020 The Unity Of Brethren. Lesson Eleven / Division two : Topic – REWARD OF UNITY

By | December 13, 2020

C.A.C Sunday School Manual For November 13th, 2020 The Unity Of Brethren. Lesson Eleven / Division two : Topic – REWARD OF UNITY

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CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH WORLWIDE

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
THEME: THE UNITY OF BRETHREN
UNIT THREE: NOW AND IN ETERNITY
LESSON ELEVEN / DIVISION TWO
December 13th, 2020
II. REWARD OF UNITY (Luke 11:17; Acts 4:23-31; Romans 12:5; 16:17; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; 6:6; Ephesians 4:13)
Reward of the gain a thing bring to you when you embrace or embark on it. Every trader knows there is gain or reward when they invest their money on a profitable venture, despite the risks involved. Unity is highly rewarding. If we can embrace it.


A. DISUNITY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES (Lk. 11:17; Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 3:1-3; 6:6)
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I felt you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able (1 Cor. 3:1-2).
i. Eccl. 12:14: Makes it clear that there is reward for every of our actions, whether good or bad. Reward is usually given in recognition and appreciation of someone’s deed (Psa. 91:8; Jer. 40:5; Mich. 7:3; 1 Tim. 5:18).
ii. The righteous Judge will bring every work into judgment, hence the need to allow unity thrive, and jettison disunity in Christ’s fold.
iii. Rom. 16:17: Those who take pleasure in, or feed fat on the disunity in the body of Christ are to be noted and avoided. Their works cannot promote unity in the body of the Christ, but weaken it.
iv. Division is a sign of carnality, and throws Christ’s body into disrepute. It strengthens the enemies of the gospel against the body of Christ (1 Cor. 3:3).
v. Lk. 11:17; 1 Cor. 6:6: Disunity makes a kingdom to divide against itself, tear apart in purpose, even causing brethren to institute lawsuits against one another (1 Cor. 1:10, 11; 3:3; 11:18; 2 Cor. 12:20; Phil. 4:2).
vi. So much efforts, time, energy and resources have been wasted today due to division and disunity. Most especially, our enemies use the cracks in our walls to fight and plunder us. May God rebuke disunity in our fold, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
B. UNITY IS HIGHLY REWARDING (Acts 4:23-31; Rom. 12:5; Eph. 4:13).
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another (Rom. 12:5).
i. Acts 4:23: they went to their own companions… Nothing is as good as when brethren are one in the spirit. Our diversity does not mean division, or disunity. Because these disciples were one with their brethren, they could go back to them when faced with challenges.
ii. vv. 24-30: they raised their voice to God with one accord… Quick and speedy answer usually accompany prayers said in holiness and unity (cf. 1 Tim. 2:8; Jas. 5:16). The result on the Pentecost day was awesome due to perfect unity (Acts 2:1,2).
iii. v. 31: This is wonderful! Their prayer instantly got powerful effects, simply because the prayer was made in unity.
iv. Rom. 12:5: When we no longer discriminate against one another but consider one another as members of Christ’s body, irrespective of race, colour, language, age, etc., we will begin to reap the gain of unity. Of course, in Christ’s body, there is no Jew or Gentile, male or female. That is why Christ is not separated and the body is not divided (1 Cor. 10:17; Gal. 3:28).
v. Eph. 4:13: The unity of the members of the body of Christ is a means to the perfection of the body. Believers are made perfect in unity.
vi. Our differences as human beings — racial, status, financial, spiritual, educational, language, etc. should not constitute disunity among us. It is important we harness these differences to form a formidable force for Christ and His gospel. There should be unity in our diversity, even as diversity spices up the activities in life.
LESSONS DERIVED
1. God has shown us how important unity is among the brethren. He is not joking with this issue at all.
2. There is reward for us when we strive and work hard to see that the church is united.
QUESTIONS
1. According to James 4:1-5, identify some of those things causing war among brethren, today. Is there solution?
2. Discuss the idea of unity in diversity, in the light of Romans 12:5. How can we harness our differences to foster the furtherance of the gospel?
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
ANSWER TO QUESTION 1:
There are many factors causing war among brethren In Christ, according to James 4:1-5. These include but are not limited to:
i. Selfish tendencies
ii. Lust: desires to have, even at the expense of other people and God.
iii. Position-seeking: we seek position and do everything humanly possible to secure it. Many even kill, and bribe their way through.
iv. Undue power demonstration or domineering tendencies: power demonstration, which is the tendency to dominate others, is generating problem among the brethren.
v. Pressure to make money ahead of others.
vi. Show of preference and favoritism.
vii. Tribalism and ethnocentrism: “I belong to Paul, you belong to Apollos”
viii.Show of ego.
ANSWER TO QUESTION 2:
i. Refers to division II B (iv)
ii. Unity in diversity, according to Roman 12:5, simply means we are different people with different backgrounds, perspectives, opinions, even as believers, yet we are to positively harness these. When we do this, we exhibit unity in diversity. A good examples is when a football team play with another team from a difference to pull support for their darling team.
iii. Christ is not divided. Though, we are many members of His body, we are one body. We must jettison discrimination, division and disunity in our ranks and file.
LIFE APPLICATION
Lizard enters any crack on the wall of any building without permission. One of the strategies usually employed by the enemy is to discover any loophole through which he can attack his target. As church, we must understand this and be very careful. We should not allow our differences and use them against us to tear us apart. When we are united, we can achieve a lot for God, and that is good for all of us. One will chase a thousand but two will chase ten thousand (Eccl. 4:9-14). That is a multiplier effect.
CONCLUSION
We have reached the end of this lesson, the second to the last in this Holy-Spirit-inspired series. It has been made clear the reward that accrues when we are united. The believers therefore need to jettison those things that generate wars among them, having discovered them through the Scripture. May the Holy Spirit bring us to the level where we no longer see ourselves as individuals labouring, but a body, the body of Christ, saddled with the responsibility of showing Christ’s holiness and righteousness to the aching world. Amen.
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READINGS FOR WEEK TWO
Mon. 7: Mark Them That Cause Division (Rom. 16:17)
Tue. 8: Move Along The Same Direction (1 Cor. 1:10)
Wed. 9: Motivate Brethren Against Divisive Tendencies (Lk. 11:17)
Thur. 10: Salvation Unites God’s People (Jer. 50:4,5)
Fri. 11: Stand Fast In One Spirit (Phil. 1:27)
Sat. 12: Segregation Has Been Removed By Christ (Eph. 2:14).

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