Large group - The Seemly and the Unseemly (1 Corinthians 12)

Note that we are back to meeting at 8:45pm.

Tonight we will be talking about 'seemly' and 'unseemly' members of the Body of Christ. What's the difference between the two, how does it affect our relationships with each other? What are pitfalls to watch out for? How do we cover each other? How do we give greater honor to the 'unseemly' members (e.g. 1 Corinthians 12:23)? What are our strengths and weaknesses?

This will be an introduction to the topic.  For more insight into this important (and often neglected) concept I highly recommend coming to the CCF prayer meeting that happens every other week (next time: Saturday, July 5).

Faith, hope, and love,

Peter

Discussion Questions:
(Large group discussion summary in blue.)


1. Some people are difficult to love, work with, or even talk to. Surprise: they may feel the same way about you! Why might this be? Read 1 Corinthians 12. Is it okay to feel awkward or uncomfortable at first? Is it okay to ignore the person you feel awkward around? Read Matthew 25:31-46. Do you need to be best friends? Read Romans 12:9-16.

• Feeling awkward at first - yes. Ignoring - NO!
• J mentioned that we do have some friends who we naturally gravitate towards, who we treat differently from the average person. That's totally fine. P gave an example of inviting an outsider to go to Disneyland with your group of friends. It takes sacrifice and energy to include the outsider (it would be more fun if you were free to hang out only with your friends), but love is about sacrifice. 
• It's not bad to be seemly in and of itself. Seemly and unseemly people both have their place in the body. Rather, you should be wary of being an immature seemly person, like the Pharisees were. They look deceptively good on the outside, but Jesus exposes the emptiness in their hearts.

2. Read 1 Corinthians 12:21-26. Do we act as if this is true? Is it important to grow in understanding of yourself and of God? Why? Read Ephesians 4:11-16 and Romans 12:3-8. What are your gifts, what are the gifts of the person sitting next to you? How can you help each other to grow and mature?

• We need to have a good understanding of God and ourselves in order to know our place in the body.

3. 1 Corinthians 12:22-25. What does it mean to be seemly? What does it mean to be unseemly? Are there people that everyone likes to love and help and others that everyone wants to avoid? What fruit comes out of behaving according to that impulse? Does the eye say to the hand, “I don’t need you?” Read John 6:37.

• Seemly - leaders, good at speaking, nice appearance
• Unseemly - insecure, unattractive

4. Consider modern church culture. Does it emphasize outward appearance or inward character? Read John 7:24. Which is important? Is modern church culture distinguishable from modern American culture? Is how we ourselves live our lives distinguishable or special? Read 1 Peter 2:12.

• We talked about how the prosperity gospel can be dangerous and cause us to look down on unseemly people. If we believed that sound faith necessarily resulted in outward and material blessings, then we would judge those who are in worse circumstances (in the eyes of the world), thinking that they lack faith. Of course, prosperity gospel is also bad because it's just not true (you can easily examine the lives of Jesus and the disciples and realize that it wasn't all smooth sailing).

5. What role does seemliness have and what role does unseemliness have in the Body of Christ? What does it mean that the ‘unpresentable parts are treated with special modesty, while the presentable parts need no special treatment?’ And, ‘the parts that we think are less honorable are treated with special honor?’ How are those put into practice? Why does it make sense to follow these teachings (besides the fact that they are God’s word to us!). What are good aspects of being seemly/presentable—what does that look like in a mature form? What are pitfalls (think Matthew 23:25-28)? What are the unseemly aspects important for? What might a person who is ‘unseemly’ be able to see that a ‘seemly’ person would not? Could they act as a compass? How does seemliness and unseemliness come together to point to Christ?

• If the unseemly parts are not "treated with special modesty," then they will be much more prone to feeling unneeded and may stop doing whatever their role in the body is. However, every part, whether seemly or unseemly, has an important function in the body. 
• Good aspects of being seemly - being a good influence on a lot of people. Seemly people have a lot of power with this respect, but it can easily be abused. 
• Practical ways for the seemly to help the unseemly - publicly encouraging and praising the unseemly members; bringing up points/ideas that unseemly members have but may not be able to share effectively (it's easy to ignore or immediately disregard things that unseemly people bring up)
• Unseemly helping seemly - the unseemly often have a different vantage point, so they can help point out things that others would not notice.

Additional passages suggested by Luke:

I highly suggest the following as foundational texts. The two evidences that Jesus gives the world to know (a) that some group of people are his disciples; (b) that God sent Jesus into the world, is for Christians to love people not similar to them and to be unified: this means much more than just 'tolerating' other weird Christians who think and act and look different from what you consider 'normal' or 'acceptable'. If someone cannot bring himself or herself to do this, then "what reward do you have?"

Matthew 5:43-48

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

John 13:34-35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 17:20-23

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.