Embracing Diversity: The Power of Friendship in Christ
Summary
Pastor Bon's sermon focuses on the theme of friendship and community within the body of Christ. He begins by drawing from 1 Corinthians 12:12-22, emphasizing the unity and diversity within the body of Christ. He highlights the importance of each individual's unique gifts and personalities, and the challenge of community lies in embracing and uniting with those who are different from us. The pastor then addresses three different groups of people who are experiencing various forms of loneliness and isolation, offering messages of hope and restoration. He believes that God wants to restore these individuals to their true selves and help them overcome the challenges they have been facing.
The pastor emphasizes the importance of community and choosing friends who bring out the best in us. He compares community to a jigsaw puzzle, where each person has unique qualities that complement one another. He shares a personal experience of feeling challenged and becoming more introverted, losing their energy and connection with others. He encourages those who may feel disconnected from their true identity to seek God's guidance and rediscover their gifts and purpose.
The pastor then discusses the importance of different types of friends in our lives, referring to Proverbs 27:17, which states that as iron sharpens iron, one person sharpens another. He identifies four types of friends: the Growers, the Energizers, the Organizers, and the Wise. He encourages the congregation to identify which type of friend they resonate with the most and to seek out these types of friendships in their lives.
The pastor also discusses the importance of friendship and how it can be challenging due to our differences in gifts, abilities, and perspectives. He suggests that God has created us differently to bring a diverse and multicolored light into the community. He proposes a quiz similar to personality quizzes found on platforms like BuzzFeed, consisting of questions that prompt individuals to reflect on how they would respond in various friendship scenarios.
Finally, the pastor discusses different types of friendships based on the choices individuals make in certain situations. He presents four options: A, B, E, and F, each representing a different type of friend. He emphasizes the importance of different types of friendships and how they can impact our lives. The sermon references biblical verses, such as Hebrews 10:24 and Proverbs 17:17, to support the idea of encouraging and challenging friendships.
Key Takeaways:
- Embracing diversity within the body of Christ is crucial for building a strong community. Each individual's unique gifts and personalities contribute to the unity and diversity of the community. ([12:45])
- God desires to restore those who are experiencing loneliness and isolation. He wants to help them rediscover their true selves and overcome the challenges they are facing. ([22:30])
- Different types of friends play unique roles in our lives. The Growers, the Energizers, the Organizers, and the Wise each provide different perspectives and support in various areas of life. ([38:15])
- Our differences in gifts, abilities, and perspectives can make friendship challenging, but they also bring a diverse and multicolored light into the community. It's important to navigate these differences and cultivate strong friendships. ([45:20])
- The choices we make in certain situations can reveal the type of friend we are. Encouraging and challenging friendships, as supported by biblical verses like Hebrews 10:24 and Proverbs 17:17, can have a significant impact on our lives. ([58:10])
Study Guide
Bible Reading:
1. 1 Corinthians 12:12-22: "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."
2. Proverbs 27:17: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."
3. Proverbs 17:17: "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity."
Observation Questions:
1. What does 1 Corinthians 12:12-22 tell us about the diversity and unity within the body of Christ?
2. How does Proverbs 27:17 describe the relationship between friends?
3. In Proverbs 17:17, what is the role of a friend and a brother during times of adversity?
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the metaphor of the body in 1 Corinthians 12:12-22 apply to the concept of community and friendship?
2. What does it mean when Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another"? How does this relate to the types of friends we should seek?
3. How does Proverbs 17:17 define true friendship and brotherhood? How does this verse challenge our understanding of friendship?
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your own community. How do you see the diversity and unity described in 1 Corinthians 12:12-22 playing out in your own relationships?
2. Considering Proverbs 27:17, can you identify a friend who sharpens you? How can you intentionally seek to sharpen them in return?
3. Reflecting on Proverbs 17:17, can you think of a time when a friend or brother stood by you in adversity? How can you be that friend for someone else in the coming week?
4. Based on the types of friends discussed (the Growers, the Energizers, the Organizers, and the Wise), which type do you resonate with the most? How can you use your unique qualities to contribute to your community?
5. Can you think of a situation where your differences in gifts, abilities, and perspectives challenged a friendship? How did you navigate this, and what did you learn from it?
Devotional
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Day 1: Embracing Diversity in Christ's Body
In the body of Christ, diversity is not just accepted, it's celebrated. Each individual's unique gifts and personalities contribute to the unity and diversity of the community. This diversity is crucial for building a strong community, as it allows us to learn from each other and grow together. [12:45]
Romans 12:4-5 - "For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another."
Reflection: Reflect on your unique gifts and how they contribute to the body of Christ. How can you use these gifts to strengthen your community?
Day 2: God's Restoration in Loneliness
God's desire is to restore those who are experiencing loneliness and isolation. He wants to help them rediscover their true selves and overcome the challenges they are facing. This restoration process is a testament to God's love and compassion for His children. [22:30]
Psalm 34:18 - "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Reflection: Are there areas in your life where you feel isolated or disconnected? How can you invite God into these areas for restoration?
Day 3: The Role of Different Friends
Different types of friends play unique roles in our lives. The Growers, the Energizers, the Organizers, and the Wise each provide different perspectives and support in various areas of life. These friendships can help us grow, energize us, keep us organized, and provide wisdom. [38:15]
Proverbs 27:9 - "Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice."
Reflection: Reflect on the different types of friends in your life. How do they support you and how can you better support them?
Day 4: Navigating Differences in Friendship
Our differences in gifts, abilities, and perspectives can make friendship challenging, but they also bring a diverse and multicolored light into the community. It's important to navigate these differences and cultivate strong friendships. These differences are what make us unique and allow us to learn from each other. [45:20]
1 Peter 4:10 - "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms."
Reflection: Think about a recent disagreement or misunderstanding with a friend. How can you navigate these differences in a way that strengthens your friendship?
Day 5: The Impact of Friendship Choices
The choices we make in certain situations can reveal the type of friend we are. Encouraging and challenging friendships, as supported by biblical verses like Hebrews 10:24 and Proverbs 17:17, can have a significant impact on our lives. These friendships can help us grow and become better versions of ourselves. [58:10]
Proverbs 27:6 - "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses."
Reflection: Reflect on a recent choice you made in a friendship. How did this choice reveal the type of friend you are and how did it impact your friendship?
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Quotes
"God has created us differently with different gifts and the ability because it brings something of the multicolored light into what it means to be a community... the biggest challenge for us as we talk about friendship isn't whether will not we need friendship how do we do this given that we are different given that we look at the world in different ways in that different abilities how do we do this really really well" ([03:26])
"Sometimes we choose friends who are the least like us because they're going to bring the best out of us. I always think that community is like a jigsaw you made with bits missing, but thank Jesus he surrounds us with other people who have extra, some of them really are extra." [29:22]
"I believe there's some people here today who feel like they've lost who they really are. I remember years ago I was in a season of my life where it was just challenge after challenge after challenge, and naturally I'm an extrovert. I'm around people and I just get more and more energy. But in this season, I started to find people harder and I started to pull away from people, and then I became more and more introverted." [30:05]
"You need the variety of friends, you need community, you need different people around you with different gifts, different abilities, different approaches. We balance each other out and that's why you should be looking around and coming to church and recognizing the amazing gift that God has given." [26:20]
"We can end up creating circles of friendship around us where we don't have certain voices. We need somebody who's going to be encouraging, there'll be light moments when what you really need is that friend just going to come along and say, 'Hey, you're doing so much better, realize you've got so many more gifts.'" [28:13]
"I find myself time and time again looking at other people and how they do friendship and wishing that I was more like them... I wish I could be louder than life, I wish I could just think V all the time." #!!22:30!!#
"We have the strong desire to find good friends... but the question, believe that question that I think we're ultimately asking is how do we have belonging, how do we have Community, how do we find a place where we can have true connection." #!!21:55!!#
"We are meant to be at the same time completely different to one another and yet completely United with one another... this might well be the biggest challenge of community." #!!02:46!!#
"I believe that God wanted to do something in those three ABS those who have lost themselves those who find themselves Lon we for connection those who have been hurt and when you've been hurt it's not really enough to say that forever sometimes there has to be healing and sometimes that healing can take time." #!!35:06!!#
"Those who Hope on the Lord will renew their strength they will store on wings like EV they will run and not grow away they walk and not go friend with pain and I believe to God healing working today he wants to restore you to you to being who he created you to be and maybe been trying and working hard to BR up and if you were never meant to be I believe he wants to restore you to be you." #!!32:30!!#
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