2,4,6,8: "Church"

Appreciating the church can sound like a command. One that some of us obey with joy, while others of us bristle. But understanding the value of this thing- this people- dubbed the church has much to do with sorting through our preconceived notions and past baggage, and seeing what it is Christ is leading.

Use this discussion time not just to sell Crosspointe to ourselves, but to really appreciate what it is we are all part of and participating in, round the world and through time. What it does for us, and for the world through us.



Thaw

• What is your earliest church memory? Do you remember your impression? Share.

• What most stuck with you from Sunday?

Read

• Ephesians 2:8-10
• Thoughts?
• Describe the balance Paul portrays between what we receive from God and what God does through us.
• How have you seen this balance, in yourself or others?

Read

• Colossians 1:15-20
• Thoughts?
• There are some pretty lofty ideas in this passage. How do you see the church's role in it?

Discuss

• Read this passage from Fearfully and Wonderfully Made:

Jesus departed,leaving no body on earth to exhibit the Spirit of God to an unbelieving world … except the faltering, bumbling community of followers who had largely forsaken Him at His death.  We are what Jesus left on earth…not a book or a doctrinal statement or a system of thought.  He left a visible community to embody Him and represent Him to the world.  The seminal metaphor, Body of Christ, hinted at by Christ and fully expanded by Paul could only arise after Jesus Christ had left the earth. The world knows an invisible God mainly by our representation, our “enfleshment,” of him. Where is God in the world?  What is He like?  We can no longer point to the Holy of Holies or to a carpenter in Nazareth.  WE form God’s presence in the world through the indwelling of His Spirit.”

• Thoughts?
• To what degree do you feel a part of this Body, or to what degree do you feel separated from it, observing it? Explain.

Apply

• An "Ochlos" is a gathering of observers (such as in Matthew 5:1).  An "Ecclesia" is an assembly drawn together to further their society, to be the Body of Christ to do the work of Christ (such as in Colossians 1:18). Which one better describes how you see your role in the community of faith?
• In what ways is this group a function of faith, balancing a life of giving and taking?
• Do you personally feel like you spend more time near "give" or "take"? Why do you think this is and how can this group help you better balance?
• How can this group participate more, not just in the event we've come to call "church", but in the church as Body of Christ, at work in the world?

Leader note: Often, when ending a group, we close in prayer and then slide back into our routines. Generally speaking, there's nothing wrong with this. But if ever there were a moment where, as the leader, you could give your group a vision of what could be, this is it. From volunteering in the church, to putting rest on the calendar, to serving neighbors and associates at work, to accepting help for an issue that's been swept under the rug, etc. etc.....there are tons of ways the people we lead need led into a lived, experienced appreciation for what the church is, and how it blesses within and without! Don't miss this moment to tie a step.