MEMORY VERSE: ‘Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.’ Ephesians 4:13.
LESSON AIM: This lesson shows how the Holy Spirit works to bring the church of Christ on earth up to the stature of Jesus Christ whom we are to represent.
‘In these first disciples was presented marked diversity. They were to be the world’s teachers, and they represented widely varied types of character. In order successfully to carry forward the work to which they had been called, these men, differing in natural characteristics and in habits of life, needed to come into unity of feeling, thought, and action. This unity it was Christ’s object to secure. To this end He sought to bring them into unity with Himself.’ Acts of the Apostles, page 20.
1. What was Jesus’ desire for the believers? John 17:22, last part.
NOTE: ‘It is the will of God that union and brotherly love should exist among His people. The prayer of Christ just before His crucifixion was that His disciples might be one as He is one with the Father, that the world might believe that God had sent Him. This most touching and wonderful prayer reaches down the ages, even to our day; for His words were, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word.”’ Mind, Character and Personality, volume 2, page 797.
2. What example did He give of this unity? John 17:23, first part; Ephesians 4:4.
NOTE: ‘That which will make the character lovely in the home is that which will make it lovely in the heavenly mansions. The measure of your Christianity is gauged by the character of your home life. The grace of Christ enables its possessors to make the home a happy place, full of peace and rest. Unless you have the Spirit of Christ, you are none of His and will never see the redeemed saints in His kingdom, who are to be one with Him in the heaven of bliss. God desires you to consecrate yourself wholly to Him and represent His character in the home circle.’ Child Guidance, page 481.