Group Notes | June 12
The “Following” Church
June 12, 2016
Matt Willmington
Open:
Families who do “life” together seem so very happy, compared to those who occupy the same home but all have different lifestyles. Can you give an example?
Last week we looked at what a real Christian should be, and we each asked ourselves, “Am I a Christian?” This week we want to focus on the characteristics of a Christ-following church, and what it looks like in the community. Is your church a happy “carpool” of Christians on a mission together, loving and serving?
Discuss:
What Does a Church Look Like?
- What are four non-negotiables that were in the early church (and should be in today’s as well)?*
- What do you know about Rome’s society during the rise of Christianity? How is that different from today’s world?
- These early Christians had no vote and no voice, yet they increased daily. What were some of the traits outsiders saw in these believers?**
- How should you live, so that men may not bring an indictment of hypocrisy against you? Romans 12 is a great self-examination chapter.
Today’s Church
- Read Acts 1:22, 4:13, 22. Why was the early church so powerful? What verse do you know that tells you this should be the heartbeat of today’s church?
- Read Acts 1:8. What had Jesus told His followers to expect? Read 2:1; when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers, what kind of change occurred in their lives? Do we have this same power?
- Read Acts 1:14. What was another characteristic of these early believers? Read Ephesians 6:18. What did Paul instruct all believers?
Close:
As you break up into small groups, take a moment to discuss the terrible persecution the early church went through, and liken it to today’s world. You must never forget that you have all of the power of the Holy Spirit within you, giving you strength to overcome evil. Talk about some of the problems you encounter daily, and see if others can give you suggestions how to let the world see your joy and peace. As you pray before leaving, ask God for boldness and love to serve those whom you meet daily, so that you can be a living testimony of the love of Christ.
Focal Passages: Acts chapters 1-7; Acts 1:14, 22; 2:1, 37, 47; Acts 4:13, 21, 31-33: 5:11, 7:54.
Memory Verse: Acts 4:32: “And with great power the apostles gave witness of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.”
*Question 1: The church should be believers working TOGETHER in unity with a common mission, as a FAMILY of God, living out the WORD of God, under the AUTHORITY of God, on the MISSION of God.
**Question 2: The lives of the early believers were seen as: Convicting by their lifestyle (2:37), Favored by God (2:47), Amazing in their love, life, and the change that had resulted (4:13), Bold in speaking of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (4:13, 33), Glorifying to God (4:21), Generous to each other and outsiders (4:32), filled with Grace (4:33), and Power (4:33).
Memorable Quotes:
The Epistle to Diognetes, AD 130: “They [believers] display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life… They marry, as do all others, they beget children, but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and restored to life. They are poor yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things and yet abound in all; they are dishonored, and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of and yet are justified; they are reviled and bless; they are insulted and repay the insult with honor; they do good yet are punished as evildoers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners and are persecuted by the Greeks, yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred. To sum it all up in one word—what the soul is to the body, that are Christians in the world.”
Timothy Keller: “The early church was strikingly different from the culture around it in this way—the pagan society was stingy with its money and promiscuous with its body. A pagan gave nobody their money and practically gave everybody their body. And the Christians came along and gave practically nobody their body and they gave practically everybody their money.”