Report: Sunday Evening, Oct 8, 2006

Another week has come and gone and with it another discipleship meeting.  As before, we lifted our hearts in praise to God with congregational and special singing.  Even without a church program, the worship time ran smoothly as ones shared in song, testimony or a word of exhortation as God gave them inspiration.  We were happy to have visitors with us again tonight. 

The subject for the bible study was Birds of a feather, flock together: Lessons From Canadian Geese.  Using   1 Corinthians  12:12-18 as his text, Bro. Dale Rude compared how the body of Christ, though made up of different individuals, works together to accomplish its goals just like Canadian Geese.  As we can see in Romans 1:20, God gave us the natural world so we can understand how it operates and thereby draw spiritual connections to understand how God and His spiritual (or invisible) world functions.  For the invisible things of Him (God) are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. 

Geese travel in formation and the flapping of their wings gives uplift to the one behind.  By drawing on one another’s strength, they can travel longer than going alone.  Likewise, God has designed His body, His church, to be like a family where all members work together to accomplish a goal.  Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth.  For he hath not another to help him up.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10   As the song says “We need each other brethren.  For only love will carry us through; Let us stand by each other brethren, Take courage, be faithful and true.” 

Geese encourage one another by honking from behind while in flight.  So we should be there to encourage our fellow Christians in their walk with God, acting as their spiritual cheerleaders.

When a goose is wounded and falls to the ground, another goose drops from formation to take care of it.  What a marvel that God created such instinct in a mere bird.  How much more should we as Christians offer that same love and concern to people that are suffering.  In fact, we aren’t even identified as a Christian because of the way we look or the “sinful deeds” that we don’t do.  But “by this shall all men know that you are my disciple, if you have love one to another” – meaning deeds of love (I John 3:18). 

Finally, the front goose rotates back in formation when it gets tired, allowing another to take its place. Everyone in God’s church is important and each has talents and abilities to offer to the whole body.  We definitely need each other to get where we need to go. 

These were just some of the points brought out during the lesson. Let’s take the lessons learned from geese and operate as the body that Christ intended for us to be.

You can view the lesson outline by clicking here. Each family present was given an 8 X 10 picture of the highlights of the lesson. You can also view or download the Lessons Learned from Geese poster by clicking here.