As women, we come in all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, nationalities, socio-economic classes, careers, churches and denominations, political leanings, opinions, and tastes that are as diverse as they can be, and yet we all have one thing in common: We are each valued and loved immensely by our Creator, and He longs for an intimate, loving relationship with each one of us. He sent His one and only Son to the earth to pay the ultimate price of His life to redeem us.

 

The value of something is determined by the price paid. Therefore, considering the price He paid for you, you must truly be a precious and cherished treasure in the eyes of God! We are all beautiful in His sight. He makes no distinction between us and shows no favoritism. My father-in-law wrote a song that says, “The ground is level at the foot of the cross.” In other words, even with all our variations as women, not one of us stands above or below another. It is this premise that will help us to learn to love and value each other as well as to love and value ourselves. This will be a foundational principle to understand in this study.

 

With all our differences, one can see why it can be difficult to live in harmony with each other and dwell in unity and love as sisters in the body of Christ. If we fixate on our outward differences and lose sight of our own worth in the heart of God, we can get caught in the trap of comparison which leads to pride, selfishness, or an inferiority complex. When our hearts are trapped here, we will never be able to achieve the unity and sisterly love that Christ intends for us as members of His body.  However, when we understand how truly valuable and loved each of us is by God, despite all our differences, our perspective can change to one of acceptance, humility, grace, and love. As He has loves us, we can love each other.

 

Looking around, however, especially lately, we see division, fighting, arguing, slander, protests, and verbal garbage being spewed all over social media. Unfortunately, this is just as prevalent among Christians as it is in the world. This should not be! However, many of us do not know how to handle this, especially when we feel strongly about an issue. Are we to conform to those around us and just keep quiet when we disagree? How can we stand up for truth yet still show respect and love toward others with whom we disagree? God’s Word has much wisdom and instruction for us to learn how to handle our differences in a spirit of unity and love, yet without compromising our values and beliefs.

 

One of the concepts that I will allude to often in this study is this principle:

 

In essentials – Unity

In opinions – Liberty

In all things – Love

 

This is the principle upon which I build all relationships. When it comes to the essentials, such as who God is, the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the principles of salvation, and issues of morality that are blatantly commanded in Scripture, we are to be in agreement. God’s Word is the foundation of all Truth, and there is no compromise.

 

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT

 

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4:3 NLT

 

Where there are vague areas that are open for interpretation, yet they do not make or break our salvation, we have freedom in Christ. Paul teaches us that even with our freedom, we are still to show consideration of others, however. This includes things like your political affiliation, eating meat, whether you believe in pre- mid- or post-tribulation rapture, wearing jeans or suits to church, or getting tattoos. There are a lot of areas for interpretation here, but we can give each other liberty to think differently than we do. We can agree to disagree without being disagreeable.

 

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. Romans 14:1 NLT

Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. Romans 14:1 MSG

 

The bottom in in all of this is to do “all things in love.” It’s that simple!

 

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:14 NLT

 

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 1 John 4:11 NLT

 

This is going to be quite a journey of learning and growing over the next few weeks! I am so excited to dive right in!

How This Works

• Purchase the book and follow the reading schedule below.
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• Join our Facebook group, Heart to Heart Women’s Bible Study, for daily interaction, activities, videos, and small group sessions. This is a closed group, and no one will be able to see our posts unless they are members of the group. This is for your safety and privacy.
• Small Groups: We will have photos posted in our Facebook group to mark the location of each small group meeting. You are welcome to attend any group you wish. There is no registration.
• Small Group Schedule:
• Follow my ministry page on Facebook, Shari Lewis Ministries, to stay up-to-date on ministry events and for daily prayers, nuggets of wisdom and encouragement for your life, photos that you are welcome to share, and faith building blog posts to strengthen your walk with Christ.

This Week’s Assignments

1. Read 1 Corinthians, chapters 1 & 2 (Read commentary in addition if you wish.)
2. Read Week 1, “In Christ Alone,” pp. 9-40
3. Attend a small group
4. Watch this week’s video on Heart to Heart
5. Work on memorizing this week’s Bible verse

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT

6. Weekly Wrap-Up, p. 41
7. Digging Deeper article, Week 1: My Town
8. Blog or journal your insights.
9. Choose one “Practical Application” idea below to implement this week.

Reading Schedule for 1 Corinthians

• January 23-29: Read Week 1, “In Christ Alone” and chapters 1 and 2 of 1 Corinthians
  • Small groups: Introduction. No need to ready anything ahead of time.
• January 30-February 5: Read Week 2, “Growing Up” and chapters 3-5 of 1 Corinthians
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 1
• February 6-12: Read Week 3, “Everybody’s Doing It” and chapters 6-8 of 1 Corinthians
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 2
• February 13-19: Read Week 4, “Beyond Ourselves” and chapters 9-11 of 1 Corinthians
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 3
• February 20-26: Read Week 5, “Living Love” and chapters 12-14 of 1 Corinthians
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 4
• February 27-March 5: Read Week 6, “Real Life” and chapters 15-16 of 1 Corinthians
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 5
• March 6-12: Discuss Week 6 in small groups

Practical Application

These are some ideas to put what we learn into practice. These are optional.

1. Think of someone you have a difficult time getting along with. Pray for this person and do or say something kind to him/her this week.
2. Find someone with whom you disagree on a particular topic. Truly listen to them and find out why they believe what they do. Learn something about that person you didn’t know before.
3. Do a random act of kindness for someone this week, such as paying for someone’s meal, filling their car with gas, raking someone’s leaves, taking an elderly person out to lunch, helping someone carry their bags, etc.
4. Volunteer for a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter.
5. Clean the bathrooms or take out the garbage in your church without anyone knowing it was you.
6. Write a letter of encouragement to a service person, a pastor, a policeman, a city official, etc.
7. Visit someone in the hospital or nursing home.
8. Journal or blog about what you have learned this week. Share with someone.
9. Call someone you don’t talk to much, such as a person from a very different walk of life, as see how much you really do have in common.
10. Pray first, and then initiate contact with someone you have had a broken relationship. Break the ice and move toward reconciliation.
11. Write or speak blessings about or to a person who usually gets under your skin. Find genuine ways to compliment this person.
12. If you are Democrat, choose a Republican, and if you are Republican, choose a Democrat, and have lunch together. Practice agreeing to disagree and learn which topics should probably be avoided. Learn what you DO have in common instead of focusing on differences. Avoid insults or arguments. Truly enjoy that person’s company.
13. Have a Bible study with someone in a completely different denomination than you.
14. If you go to a traditional church, visit a contemporary service. If you attend a church with contemporary worship, visit a liturgical church. Notice that you have more in common than you have differences. Choose to worship with all your heart, even with a different style.
15. Look for people who need affirmation and speak words of encouragement to them. Look for someone who needs a hug, and give them a tight, two-armed hug.

Discussion Questions

Here is a sneak peek of the questions we will be discussing this week in our small groups.

QUESTION 1: When Paul wrote the letter to the church in Corinth, he had to deal with much division and immorality. If you were in Paul’s shoes and had the opportunity to write a letter to the churches of today, what is something you would want to say?

QUESTION 2: One of the beautiful things about the body of Christ is the diversity. We are all different – looks, talents, spiritual gifts, opinions, nationalities, backgrounds, etc. We all complement each other with our differences, and we can bring out the best in each other when we learn to celebrate what makes us unique. What is something unique about you?

QUESTION 3: What are some ways we can achieve HARMONY in the body of Christ when we disagree on matters of preference or opinion (such as politics, social issues, personal vices, denominational differences, worship styles, etc.)?

QUESTION 4: You have probably seen the inflammatory language, arguing, and bullying scattered throughout social media, and often the worst of it can be seen among Christians. What are some ways we can change the climate of social media as ambassadors of Christ?

QUESTION 5: Our motto during this study will be “In essentials – UNITY; In opinions – LIBERTY; In all things – LOVE.” What does this mean to you?

QUESTION 6: It has been said that “You may be the only Jesus some may ever see.” What are some ways we can allow the love of Jesus to shine through us to this world?

 

I am praying that you have an awesome week of Bible study! I hope to see you in one of our small groups!

 

God bless!