Group Notes | January 8
A New Heart For A New Church
January 8, 201
Pastor Jonathan Falwell
Open:
Retirement: it conjures up many different expectations, depending on the age of the person thinking about it. Yet when it arrives, some thrive on such a busy schedule. They wonder how they had time to work. Others sit in their recliner and vegetate, comfortable and without ambition! How do (or how did) you envision that period of your life?
Last week we began the new year by examining our individual lives as Christians, to be certain we are walking as Christ would have us to. This week we are going to focus on the church we attend—or the one you attend—to see that it is adhering to the standards which Christ set forth for His church. We will look at two of those listed in Revelation to see the progression from “losing one’s first love,” to one where the members have become comfortable and complacent within the church.
Focal Passages: Revelation 2:1-7, 3:14-22.
Discuss:
Doing the good things doesn’t always equal doing the right things.
- Read Rev. 2:2,3. What were some of the good things the church in Ephesus was doing? Do you see these things being done in churches today?
- What was wrong with the busyness of this church? When the church was originally organized, what was its heartbeat?
The right things always spring from the heart.
- Read Rev. 2:4. What was the main problem Jesus had with this church? Someone read Matt. 28:19-20 and Mark 12:29-31. What are the “marching orders” Christ gave to the Christian as well as to the church?
- Whose duty is it to evangelize? Was this listed as happening in the Ephesian church?
- Read Rev. 2:5. What were they told to do?
Lacking the right thing will always turn your heart the wrong way.
- Read Rev. 3:15, 17. What was the mindset of the members of the church in verse 17? How is that like many people in today’s churches?
- What value to Christ is a church like this? You can probably think of churches that don’t want to bring in new people who will disrupt the routine. How is this an example of a lukewarm church?
- What happens to the hearts of these comfortable Christians? Does this sound like those in retirement who decide to get settled in with no goal?
Make the right thing the main thing.
- Read vs. 20. What is God giving this church at Laodicea? How many times has He given you a second chance?
- What is our priority as Christians (back to question 3)? Why did God create us?
Close:
Were any of the issues dealt with in these two churches something that you are familiar with, in your life or a previous (or current) church? We must look at the Gospel as a whole to realize our first priority in our walk with Jesus Christ is to bring those to Him who do not know Him. We are not fulfilling the commandment to love Him and love our neighbor if we are not concerned about their eternal life. If we love them as much as we love ourselves, we won’t want to see them go to hell. Many—despite how impossible it seems—of our neighbors have never heard the gospel. Pray for opportunities to share your story this year. That’s all you have to do: just tell someone what God has done for you, and what He did for them when He came to this earth. It could be the most wonderful thing they’ve ever been told!
Memory Verse: Ephesians 4:30: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Focal Passages: Revelation 2:1-7, 3:14-22.
Think On: Rev. 2:5: 1) Reflect 2) Repent 3) Restart