Building A Life

January 2 - Lessons: Jeremiah 31:31-34; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Open It

1. How have you changed since you were a child?

2. Why is laying a strong foundation important in building a house?

3. What foundational truths did you learn in school?

Explore It

4. What is the foundation of the church? (1 Corinthians 3:11)

5. What is like either gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw? How? (1 Corinthians 3:12-14)

6. What happens to the person who builds in others' lives? (1 Corinthians 3:13-15)

7. What important fact had the Corinthians failed to appreciate? (1 Corinthians 3:16)

8. Why should we abandon the world's idea of wisdom? (1 Corinthians 3:19)

9. Why were the Corinthians to stop boasting about the individual leaders they followed? (1 Corinthians 3:21-23)

Get It

10. How is Christian teaching and discipleship like building a building?

11. How can a person's efforts in teaching or discipleship be like gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw?

12. In what ways can Christians be influenced by the wisdom of the world?

13. What does it mean that a Christian is God's temple?

14. How should our attitudes and actions be influenced by the fact that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit?

15. What are some implications of the fact that God's Spirit lives in every Christian?

16. How are Christians who are involved in discipleship similar to builders?

17. What responsibility do Christians not involved in formal leadership have for building up God's church?

18. What can you do to help build up the church in some way?

Apply It

19. What is one way you can point another person to Christ this week?

20. In whose life do you want to build God's Word? How can you start?

21. What need could you meet in your church over the next month to build up other Christians?

Notes

1 Corinthians 3:10-17: The foundation of the church-of all believers-is Jesus Christ. Paul laid this foundation (by preaching Christ) when he began the church at Corinth. Whoever builds the church-officers, teachers, preachers, parents, and others-must build with high-quality materials (right doctrine and right living, 1 Corinthians 3:12ff) that meet God's standards. Paul is not criticizing Apollos, but challenging future church leaders to have sound preaching and teaching.

1 Corinthians 3:10-17: In the church built on Jesus Christ, each church member would be mature, spiritually sensitive, and doctrinally sound. However, the Corinthian church was filled with those whose work was "wood, hay, straw," members who were immature, insensitive to one another, and vulnerable to wrong doctrine Corinthians 1 Corinthians 3:1-4). No wonder they had so many problems. Local church members should be deeply committed to Christ. Can your Christian character stand the test?

1 Corinthians 3:11: A building is only as solid as its foundation. The foundation of our lives is Jesus Christ; he is our base, our reason for being. Everything we are and do must fit into the pattern provided by him. Are you building your life on the only real and lasting foundation, or are you building on a faulty foundation such as wealth, security, success, or fame?

1 Corinthians 3:13-15: Two sure ways to destroy a building are to tamper with the foundation and to build with inferior materials. The church must be built on Christ, not on any other person or principle. Christ will evaluate each minister's contribution to the life of the church, and the day of judgment ("the Day") will reveal the sincerity of each person's work. God will determine whether or not they have been faithful to Jesus' instructions. Good work will be rewarded; unfaithful or inferior work will be discounted. The builder "will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames" means that unfaithful workers will be saved, but like people escaping from a burning building. All their possessions (accomplishments) will be lost.