Large Group # 3 - Everyone is different!

This week we will be discussing what it means to be a Body of Christ.  The Christian walk is not a solitary one and many of the commands and exhortations we have received through the bible are corporate (for example, most of the “you”s translated into English in the New Testament are really “you all”s). We are called to live together as a body in preparation for becoming the bride of Christ, made perfect through the sacrifice of Jesus.

So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. (Romans 7:4)

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. (Revelation 21:9-10)

As a Body of Christ we are called to live close with one another and, as sinners with lots of rough edges, we are likely to irritate each other (a lot). This leads to conflicts, misunderstandings, and general discord because we are different and we do not understand each other or each other’s perspectives, and our roles in the Body of Christ are all distinct.  Therefore I encourage us all to grow in understanding of ourselves (so that we may understand our own part in the Body of Christ) and of others (so we can better understand the complete picture of the Body of Christ and increase our appreciation of each other). Let us encourage each other to greater unity.

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

My hope is that this week we can discuss and appreciate what makes each one of us unique in the Body of Christ, how we can better understand each other, and how we can take ownership of loving others for who they are as we are grown by the Holy Spirit.  One of the tools we have at our disposal is personality tests, like the Myers-Briggs test you can find at this link: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp. When you’re done you can read about your personality type here: http://www.typelogic.com (I recommend this site over others). Although personality tests are limited tools, they are good at helping to diagnose broad patterns that you might encounter in your life and for helping to understand the pitfalls that your fellow workers in Christ might face based on their personality types.  I have found the Myers-Briggs test and the descriptions to which I linked to be quite accurate and helpful. I hope that they are also helpful for you!

Loving each other for who we are is time consuming and takes much effort, but it is most highly commendable. Let us continue to grow in love, understanding, and maturity because we have received good news.

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

Love in Christ,

Peter

P.S. I have attached the discussion questions for this week below.  If you would like to answer or discuss any of the questions, please feel free to reply all and start a conversation!

Large Group #2 - What does it mean to live as a believer in the Body of Christ?

During the course of the year we will be exploring many of the practical aspects of living as the Body of Christ. To do this we will usually be breaking into small discussion groups during Large Group so that we can each grow in our maturity as Christians by taking ownership of our faith, our understanding of scripture, and how we live our lives as a testimony to the good news we have received.  I see my role in leading Large Group as that of a guide who will prepare some structure for scriptural study and the facilitation of fellowship, but we are all old enough now that it is up to each and every one of us to choose how we will live as followers of Christ. That is, I will not be telling you how to live because, although I am a tad bit older, I have my own sins and prejudices—instead, we will be led by the Spirit as we study scripture together.

The Caltech Christian Fellowship is far more than a club; it is a community of believers, with all of the privileges and responsibilities that entails. The CCF is also unique in that it is entirely led and governed by undergraduates, under the mentorship of some older folks, particularly Mr. John Skidmore, who has been with the CCF for nearly 40 years now.  This gives us a freedom to be grown by God through our works as a group, a privilege not afforded to many college Christian groups, where curricula are decided by youth ministers and pastors. This is exciting(!), and I look forward to living, learning, and loving with you all as we strive toward maturity and our mutual sanctification in preparation for becoming the bride of Christ.

As it says in Ephesians 4:11-16, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

I have been quite impressed already by the Christians in the incoming freshman class, even from the limited interaction we have had, and I look forward to getting to know you all better as we share our time here at Caltech.  I am pleased to welcome you into a community with upperclassmen who care about you and are here to help you as older brothers and sisters in Christ.  I have been away for a year and truly I can say of these upperclassmen, “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:4-6). I exhort us all to continue to grow in love for one another, being confident in the security and promise that Christ has furnished for us.

This week in Large Group we will begin our year with a broad overview of what it means to be a Christian living in the Body of Christ, and touch on a number of topics pertinent to this life.  The week-by-week outline of what we will cover in Large Group this year is given below.  Obviously this list is not exhaustive and all of the themes are tied together.  Please email me or let me know at Large Group if there are any topics not explicitly mentioned that you would like to talk about over the year and I will be happy to fit things in and reorganize the schedule a bit!

Love in Christ,

Peter

Terms 1 & 2 (Life as a believer in the Body of Christ)

1. Welcome
2. Introduction – What does it mean to live as a believer in the Body of Christ?
3. Everyone is different! (take a personality test and interact/discuss)
4. Honesty and Openness (creating a safe, supportive environment)
5. Dealing with conflict
6. Specific challenges at Caltech
7. Supporting each other
8. Discipleship
9. Church and the larger community
10. Prayer and faith

1. What does it mean to run after God?
2. Balance (the well-rounded life)
3. Stewardship
4. Group resources
5. Corruption (and pitfalls to avoid!)
6. Marriage and sexuality (Valentine’s day panel)
7. Non-romantic relationships
8. Sabbath and humility
9. Charismatic things (panel)
10. Leadership (incl. Family Business Meetings--the way we )

Term 3 (Life in Babylon, USA)

1. LIVING a testimony
2. Tackling challenging personal questions (for your own benefit and for your testimony)
3. Easter and Holy Week
4. Supporting and counseling non-Christians
5. Theological Apologetics 101
6. Apologetics concerning believers in other faiths
7. Ask a scientist! How does one live a testimony as a scientist? (Invited Christian faculty speaker)
8. Veritas Forum recap (whichever week Caltech’s Veritas Forum takes place)
9. Historical Apologetics
10. Senior Send-off