a wise sage wrote on the board of the beloved Bible 12 classroom:
"if you have a denomination
denomi do it"
Today you are to study the branch of the greater church that you are in some way connected to. In other words, you are to learn about your denomination.
But first, I want you to read some Scripture that I think is important to the lesson.
Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
and
Eph. 4.11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
and finally this
1 Cor. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it...
Okay, I wanted you to have read these Scriptures to get a biblical basis for this statement: I think we (the church) should be busier about understanding one another than in seeing whose right and whose wrong. And, that my friends is the philosophy of this project. "We're one, but we're not the same" "One" -U2 lyrics at bottom, ask me and I'll play it in class.
Now, you may surf the web to find information about your denomination. I would start with the website of my individual church which will tell you the exact denomination. I might be able to help you.
I will expect you to integrate your findings into your Beliefs Thesis individually, but I hope you will present to the class as an individual or as a group. Let me know when you are ready to present to present to your class. But don't put it off, our available days are shorter than you realize.
This is one of those days that, now that you have read this entire post, if you need to get something else done and wish to work on something else, you may. But if you wish to use the laptop for something else, clear that through me.
http://www.google.com/
Lyrics "One": (*)
Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same
Will it make it easier on you
Now you got someone to blame
You say
One love
One life
When it`s one need
In the night
It's one love
We get to share it
It leaves you baby
If you don`t care for it
Did I disappoint you?
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well it`s too late
Tonight
To drag the past out
Into the light
We`re one
But we`re not the same
We get to carry each other
Carry each other
One
Have you come here for forgiveness
Have you come to raise the dead
Have you come here to play Jesus
To the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much
More than a lot
You gave me nothing
Now it`s all I got
We`re one
But we`re not the same
We hurt each other
Then we do it again
You say
Love is a temple
Love a higher love
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can`t be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt
One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we`re not the same
We get to carry each other
Carry each other
One
One
(*) Please note: Lyrics are currently published under a provisional licence granted by Universal Publishing. All lyrics listed on this site are owned by their respected owners. U2 titles published by PolyGram International Music Publishing BV, except: Blue Mountain Music Ltd. (UK), Mother Music (IRL)/Universal Music Publishing Ltd. U2 Recordings owned by Universal International Music B.V. exclusively licensed to: Island Records (Rest Of The World), Interscope Records (USA).
source u2tour.de/discographie/lyrics/One.html