Lesson 04.5 - Discussion on Gospel Community

Introduction
  1. Welcome to our Wednesday discussion night on the concept of gospel community.
  2. On Sunday, we began to explore the concept of why in the world we do church - coming on the heels of our event at the Meriwethers for Saturday, it’s appropriate that we understand the idea of doing life together.
  3. Gospel community is critical for all of us to grow, not only to grow in our relationship with the Lord but also to be a witness for the world of what real community is supposed to be.
    1. Now, our walk in community is built on the foundation of our individual walk.
    2. It’s not like you have a community walk with the Lord in isolation from your individual walk, but rather that your community relationships grow out of your relationship with the Lord.
  4. So let’s review briefly about Sunday and then we’ll discuss these things.

Review of Sunday

  1. First, we talked about the idea of wrong ideas for why to come to church.
    1. We don’t do church just because of the Biblical command about not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
    2. We also don’t do church for donuts and coffee, although those are wonderful things.
    3. We don’t do church because our parents make us come.
    4. We don’t do church because it’s just what you’re supposed to do on Sundays, or because it’s a habit.
    5. We don’t do church so that we can hang out with our friends.
    6. And most of all, we don’t do church to make God happy with us.
      1. For so much of us, it’s easy to assume that we should be doing church because we have a test, or we don’t want to get a flat tire, or we want things to go well for us.
      2. But a proper gospel understanding of life recognizes that our approval before God is not based on what we’re doing or not doing.
      3. Jesus perfectly satisfied God for everything we’ve ever done or not done, and he has purchased that redemption for us.
      4. Now, we stand in the Lord Jesus Christ only - we’re saved by grace through faith plus nothing else, and we’re sanctified by grace through faith plus nothing else.
        1. We still have to do something, just like we have to place our faith in Jesus in order to be saved, but our growth in our relationship with the Lord Jesus is based on our standing with him, not to try to earn that approval before God.
      5. God is so concerned about our hearts - we stand in the Lord Jesus.
      6. But if we’re growing in our relationship with God, that will be showed by growing in our community.
        1. We’re told by John that the measure of our love for God can be shown by our love for other Christians.
        2. So if we’re growing in our relationship with the Lord, we’re going to be growing in our community, being involved in the church, being involvd in the lives of people.
  2. So let’s look briefly at the nine things we talked about on Sunday based on the “one another” verses in the New Testament.  There are three primary areas - affirming one another, sharing with one another, and serving one another.
  3. First, we affirm one another’s strengths, abilities, and gifts
    1. Romans 12:10 - honor one another; James 5:9 - don’t grumble against one another; Romans 12:3-8 - confirm the gifts of one another.
    2. We’re quick to praise each other when things are going well, when we see people working well together, when we see strengths.
    3. We’re also deliberate about this - we all know people who are good encouragers, but it’s something we all should be focused on doing.
  1. Second thing is that we affirm one another’s equal importance in Christ
    1. Romans 15:7 - accept others as Christ has accepted you; I Corinthians 12:25 - have equal concern for one another; I Peter 5:5 - Clothe yourselves with humility; James 2:1 - Don’t show favoritism
    2. The new believer who has just come to know Jesus stands just as redeemed at this moment as the person who has known Jesus for years.
      1. So we gather together as Christians to affirm that we all stand equal and are equally important to the work God is doing in this world.
    3. This is also why we don’t make distinctions based on class, income, people group.  We stand against racism, classism, favoritism because we all stand equal before God.
      1. And in order to affirm each other’s equal importance in Christ, we intentionally should build relationships with other believers across those cultural and racial and class barriers.
      2. We show the world the fellowship and equality we have in Jesus when we’re intentional about building a gospel reality.
    4. The gospel shatters those divisions that we often try to draw.
  2. Third thing, which can be awkward or can be seen as a license is that we affirm one another through visible affection
    1. Romans 16:16 - greet one another with a holy kiss; James 1:19 - be quick to listen, slow to speak; Ephesians 4:32 - be kind and compassionate to one another
    2. But think about what this meant culturally.  There was a visible expression, which in their culture was a kiss.
      1. What is it in our culture?  Think about a handshake, a hug, a hand on the shoulder - not awkwardly but naturally.
      2. It’s also listening - when someone has a challenge or a problem, we listen to each other and affirm each other that way.
  3. The first three involved affirming each other.  The next three involve sharing with each other.
  4. So fourth, we share one another’s space, time, and goods
    1. Romans 12:10 - be devoted to one another in brotherly love; I Peter 4:9 - offer hospitality to one another; Galatians 6:10 - do good as we have opportunity
    2. This really involves doing life together.  We get together as a church and we share space, we share time together at youth ministry events and fellowship times, we share goods with each other.
      1. We listen to Alex’s stories together.
      2. We study together, eat together, pray together.  
      3. We slide down the hill at the Meriwethers’ together.
      4. We’re sharing life together.
    3. We share practical things like helping each other out, we make meals for each other when someone is sick, we get together and walk together.
    4. So we’re walking through life together, sharing life - and that doesn’t just mean sharing “spiritual” type moments.
      1. There’s also the fact of doing life together and walking through the normal things.
      2. So it’s fine to hang out and talk about school - we’re deepening our walk together, sharing life even if we aren’t necessarily doing a devotional together each time.
  5. Fifth thing is that we share one another’s needs and problems
    1. Galatians 6:2 - bear one another’s burdens; I Thessalonians 5:11 - encourage one another; Hebrews 3:13 - encourage one another daily
    2. We share with others our grief and weaknesses, and we allow them to give us their love and support.  We find people who are hurting and minister to them.
    3. Galatians talks about carrying each other’s burdens.  What that in essence means is that we should be living in a community where we are helping other people carry loads that are too heavy for them, and we’re letting others help us carry the loads that are too heavy for us.
      1. This is a tough one for me, but it’s hypocrisy for us to help other people in their weaknesses but then hiding our own weaknesses or saying we don’t have any.  
      2. It takes a gospel-changed heart to give help unselfishly to others.
      3. It also takes a gospel-changed heart to receive help unashamedly from others.
  6. Sixth, we share one another’s beliefs, thinking, and spirituality - teaching and preaching.
    1. Colossians 3:16 - each and admonish one another; Ephesians 5:19 - speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; Romans 12:16 - live in harmony with each other; I Corinthians 1:10 - agree with one another
    2. This is where preaching and teaching comes in.
      1. Often, we think of church as just a preaching and teaching time.  But it’s only one part of the unity that we should have as a church.
      2. If we’re well-trained, and Pastor TP does an incredible job in teaching us, we become of one mind when it comes to the Bible and the gospel and have a unity of heart - sharing beliefs, thinking, and spirituality.
      3. Challenging and confronting ourselves with the truth of the Bible and the gospel helps us grow.
    3. It also means we work together to grow - we discuss, we challenge, we make reasoned arguments together so that we come to know the Lord in a deeper way with more and more unity of mind.
  7. So we’re affirming each other, we’re sharing with each other.  Last areas involve we must serve each other.
  8. Seventh, we serve one another through accountability
    1. James 5:16 - confess your sins to each other and pray for each other; Romans 15:14 - instruct one another; Ephesians 4:25 - speak truthfully
    2. We have to share our problems, but another part of living in community involves walking in accountability.
    3. We work out in community what the Lord is doing in our lives.  But in order to have this, we have to be willing to let our Christian friends into our lives deeply enough to see our weaknesses and help us grow into the the likeness of Jesus.
  9. Number eight, we serve one another through forgiveness and reconciliation
    1. Ephesians 4:2 - be completely humble and gentle, be patient; Colossians 3:13 - forgive whatever grievances you have against each other; Galatians 5:26 - don’t provoke or envy each other; James 4:11 - don’t slander each other
    2. Matthew 5:23-24, 18:15 - reestablish broken relationships with one another
    3. It’s our responsibility to reestablish broken relationships in our community.
      1. God holds us responsible for that.  We must be reaching out, never giving up on each other, not holding grudges.
      2. Jesus tells us that one of the key ways that the world tells that we’re Christians is by the love we have for each other.
    4. So we don’t let broken relationships hang out without resolving them.
      1. Instead, we focus on growing in forgiveness and reconciliation with each other.
      2. Our community then becomes an example of how life is supposed to be lived instead of the grudges that people hold in the secular world.
  10. Last thing is that we serve one another’s interests rather than your own
    1. Hebrews 10:24 - spur each other on to love and good works; Romans 15:1-2 - don’t please yourself, but please others; Galatians 5:13 - serve each other
    2. Our mindset should always be to put the interests of other people in our community ahead of our own.
      1. It’s having a servant heart.  We look for needs, and try to meet them as much as we can.
    3. We don’t exist in community to satisfy our own needs and desires.  There are plenty of places to go if you need to be connected with people.  You can hang out at a gym or coffee shop if you just want to feel like you belong somewhere.
    4. Instead, we put the needs of others ahead of our own.
    5. Sharing love with each other as believers is critical to our walk together.

Votes on Which Ones We Do Well

  1. So let’s take a vote.  I’ll give you three choices (really well, sort-of well, or not so well) for each and let’s do this by raising hands:
  2. First, we affirm one another’s strengths, abilities, and gifts
    1. Does our church does this really well?
    2. Sort-of well?
    3. Not so well?
  3. Second thing is that we affirm one another’s equal importance in Christ
    1. Does our church does this really well?
    2. Sort-of well?
    3. Not so well?
  4. Third thing, which can be awkward or can be seen as a license is that we affirm one another through visible affection
    1. Does our church does this really well?
    2. Sort-of well?
    3. Not so well?
  5. So fourth, we share one another’s space, time, and goods
    1. Does our church does this really well?
    2. Sort-of well?
    3. Not so well?
  6. Fifth thing is that we share one another’s needs and problems
    1. Does our church does this really well?
    2. Sort-of well?
    3. Not so well?
  7. Sixth, we share one another’s beliefs, thinking, and spirituality - teaching and preaching.
    1. Does our church does this really well?
    2. Sort-of well?
    3. Not so well?
  8. Seventh, we serve one another through accountability
    1. Does our church does this really well?
    2. Sort-of well?
    3. Not so well?
  9. Number eight, we serve one another through forgiveness and reconciliation
    1. Does our church does this really well?
    2. Sort-of well?
    3. Not so well?
  10. Last thing is that we serve one another’s interests rather than your own
    1. Does our church does this really well?
    2. Sort-of well?
    3. Not so well?

Discussion Topics

  1. So we ranked ___________________ as what we do well.  What are the ways we can tell we do this well?
  2. We ranked _______________________ as something we don’t do well.  What are the ways we can change in this area?
    1. What can we as young people do in particular to build this area?
  3. Is gospel community something attractive - something you think we need more of?  Why or why not?
  4. Does it make sense to walk in community after you’ve built a personal walk?  Or can you have one without the other?
  5. Why is this so hard for us as a church?
    1. Distance, time, size?
  6. Do the youth ministry activities help build community, or can we do that better?
    1. What can we do differently?
    2. What can we do more of?