Community Group Discussion Guide

Weekend of August 18 & 19, 2018The Church: Week 1

I. Starter Question this week:

Describe a part of the body that you identify with. For example, I identify with an ear because I am such a great listener. Or, I identify with the bones because I give structure to my family. If you want to get cheesy, you could bring in butcher paper and draw an outline of a body and have each member of your CG come up to draw what they identify with.

II. Discussion of Scripture:

NOTE: There are so many word pictures that can be used over the next three weeks dealing with the church. This Sermon Discussion Guide will not coincide directly with the sermon. Please listen to the sermon and spur on discussion based on the primary passages Pastor John will use. This is a supplementary resource that will aid the discussion in your CG.

Context: We begin a three-week series on the church. As school is starting back, it is wise to go back to the basic fundamentals. Pastor John referred to Vince Lombardi beginning two a days with, “this is a football.” John Wooden began every season teaching his players how to put on their socks and tie their shoes. We are going to spend three weeks looking at the following:

August 18/19 – “What Is the Church?” – This will be looking through the NT at the word pictures that illustrate the church (body, building, family, flock, etc.). It will be more application-oriented than theory-oriented.

August 25/26 – “What Is the Mission of the Church?” – Pastor John will be re-preaching his sermon from a Wednesday night in May on Love God, Love People, Make Disciples (Matthew 22, Matthew 28). It may be good for you to go to hhbc.com and watch it in preparation for this weekend.

September 1/2 – “What Is Your Role in the Church?” – This will be coming from Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12/14, Romans 12, talking about spiritual gifts, membership, and how every one of us is called to serve within the church.

September 8/9 - We start into the book of James.

1. The Church is the Body of Christ

I Corinthians 12:12-26 (ESV) - One Body with Many Members12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

For Discussion: “Jews or Greeks, slaves or free” (v.13) How does this play out in our church? Where

are we diverse? Where is there tension? Is tension a bad thing or a good thing? (v. 14-20) How do you see our church body made up of more than just eyes, ears

and feet. What if we were all alike, with only one function or gifting? How can we celebrate different giftings?

(v. 21-25) What is a weaker member of the physical body? What is a weaker member of the church, the body of Christ? What parts of the church body may seem “unpresentable”? Do we treat them with greater modesty? How do divisions rise up in the body of Christ? How can we fight off the cancer of division, disunity, and run to unity? (Look at Ephesians 4 on unity)

(v. 26) How can we empathize with each other if we have no idea what is going on in the recesses of our hearts? We suffer together, cry together, laugh together, rejoice together.

2. The Church is the Bride of Christ

Revelation 19:6-8, 21:2,9, 22:14-17 (ESV) - 6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God

the Almighty reigns.

7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;

8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

For Discussion: As the bride of Christ, how are we clothed? What does it mean to literally be the

bride of Christ? How does that make you want to worship God dwelling on this thought? How does it strike fear in what you may clothe yourself with on a daily basis?

Many people talk negatively of the church today. What would it feel like if someone talked poorly of your spouse? How can this change the way we talk about Christ’s bride, the church?

One day, He is returning for His bride. What can we do to get ready? (see Matt. 22:10-12 and Matt. 25)

III. Responding in Prayer:

1. Let’s spend time praying for unity in the body of Christ at Henderson Hills. It has been a tender week for many. Let’s pray for each other. Please pray for our elders and our deacon body. Our staff is tired from a huge summer.

2. As we head into promotion, pray for our church that we would be led by the Spirit to fully embrace the mission of our church: Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples. As Christians, we were chosen for purpose — the purpose of glorifying God, and we glorify God by loving him, loving people, and making disciples! Pray that God reveals His will and purpose to each of you in your CG.

3. Pray for the people in our Community Group who are facing difficult trials. Pray for those in

the “field” who are standing up to testify to the Truth in closed nations. Pray for our students as they enter their schools to reflect the light of Christ in their world.

4. Praise the Lord for times that He forgives us when we fail in our testimony. Praise the Lord He does not give up on us. Praise His Holy Name for loving us like He loved Peter. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. He is faithful.

Mission / Vision / Valuesof Henderson Hills Baptist Church

Our Mission:Love God. Love People. Make Disciples. Our Vision:Our vision is to become a diverse family of surrendered and transformed people who passionately love God and others. We endeavor to be a body that is overcome by the reality that this life is not about us, but all about the glory of God. We want to be transfixed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and compelled by His heart for our world. We strive to be seed-throwers and fire-starters, hope-announcers and grace-givers, risk-takers and constant-reformers, lifelong-learners and sold-out doers. We desire to be a people who gladly give our lives to free the captive, strengthen the weak, embrace the outcast, and seek out the lost. Because Scripture is our authority, we strive to be a family that serves together, studies the Word together, plays together, worships together, and lives life together. By God's grace our world will be changed because we are here. Our Values:

1. Glorifying God:

We value the passionate pursuit of knowing God and walking with Him.

2. Submitting to the Authority of Scripture:

We value the sufficiency of Scripture in every aspect of our lives.

3. Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

We value sharing the Gospel and making disciples.

4. Serving with a Kingdom Perspective:

We value living our lives focused upon what will matter most for eternity.

5. Cherishing the Local Church:

We value the essential role of the church in the sanctification of the believer and salvation of the nations.

6. Doing Life Together in a Christ-Centered Community:

We value that God uniquely uses personal relationships to sanctify and sharpen believers.