week of 5/26

Unit 33 Session 3

A RECONCILING GOSPEL

PHILEMON; 2 CORINTHIANS 5

 

Paul pleaded for Philemon to be reconciled with Onesimus, modeling the reconciliation Christ has extended to us.

As we've studied how the church has grown in caring for each other, despite their differences, we see that Christ is the reconciling factor. The passage today will focus on how God reconciled us to Christ and calls us now to the ministry of reconciliation. In a world with so much brokenness, so many ex-friends, and so many wounded hearts, we have a call from God to get our hands dirty (not sinful) bringing people together for the sake of Christ's kingdom. Anybody can be part of what pulls this world apart, but every Christian is called to be part of God's grace in putting it back together.

Points to consider:

✞   Reconciliation is born out of love.

     * What can we learn about 

        confronting conflict from 

        Paul's method?

     * Why is reconciliation between 

        believers important for the 

        Lord's ministry to grow?

✞   Reconciliation is achieved through Christ.

     * Though we treat everyone with 

        love and respect, how is the 

        special bond we have with 

        other believers displayed?

     * How does the ministry of 

        reconciliation play itself 

        out inside the church?

✞   Reconciliation is realized by God's grace.

     * What are some examples of 

        how we can help believers or 

        ourselves be reconciled 

        with others?

     * How does knowing Christ paid 

        our debt help us see the 

        importance of reconciliation?

week of 5/18

Unit 33 Session 2

A SENT MESSENGER

ACTS 13-14

 

The early church followed the Lord's leading to proclaim the gospel wherever He sent them, beginning a missionary movement that has not ceased.

Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He commissioned His disciples to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). His Spirit first descended upon them on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), and it expanded outward from Jerusalem to the areas just beyond. But now, beginning in chapter 13, the Gospel was rolling out from Jerusalem to the entire world. Paul was God's chosen instrument to make this happen. Paul would embark on a series of missionary journeys into all areas of the Roman world, spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles just as it had already spread among the Jews.

Points to consider:

✞   Missionaries are sent to go wherever 

     the Lord calls them.

     * Reviewing the men mentioned 

        as prophets and teachers, what 

        does this teach us about the 

        church body?

     * What can we learn from Saul 

        and Barnabas' obedience to 

        listen to God's call?

✞   Missionaries are sent to preach 

     to whomever will listen.

     * How is the gospel a word of 

        encouragement to us today?

     * Why is it hard to persevere in 

        sharing the Gospel when many 

        reject it, and how do we endure?

✞   Missionaries are sent to strengthen 

     the church however they can.

     * Where do you mostly see 

        God's general revelation?

     * How can we help believers 

        to persevere in trials?

week of 5/12

Unit 33 Session 1

A TRANSFORMED MURDERER

ACTS 9

In Saul's conversion, we see an example of the grace of God and the power of the Gospel, which is able to transform even the most hostile opponents of Jesus.

The first-century church continued to grow in the power of the Holy Spirit. Although the theme so far has been the ministry of Peter in Acts, we backtrack to chapter 9 to take a look at Saul. Saul was a Jew with his mind set on crushing the new religious fervor rising out of the synagogues and city streets in the name of Jesus. He saw it as blasphemous because he didn't yet know the true God. He sought and obtained the power from the chief priests to bind all Jesus' followers, but he did not expect the arresting power of Jesus to bind him.

Points to consider:

✞   Saul experiences mercy from the Lord.

     * What is interesting about the 

        various ways Jesus meets and 

        saves people?

     * What are ways God humbles us 

        when we need a greater glimpse 

        of Him?

✞   Saul receives a mission from the Lord.

     * What are areas in our lives that 

        Jesus might be telling us to walk 

        into that might seem too 

        unknown to us?

     * How can we specifically live out 

        our own calling to spread the 

        good news of Jesus?

✞   Saul proclaims the name of the Lord.

     * Why do you think God uses us

        in ministry even when He 

        doesn't have to?

week of 5/5

Unit 32 Session 5

UNITED IN THE GOSPEL

1 CORINTHIANS 1; 12

The church is one body, joined together by Christ and His Gospel.

As the Gospel spread, the first Christian missionaries established new churches in metropolitan areas. One such city was Corinth. Destroyed in 146 B.C. by Rome, the revitalized about one hundred years later, the "new" Corinth was a bustling crossroads filed with trade, tourism, and travelers seeking to settle in this land of opportunity. It was a strategic place for ministry, and the apostle Paul established a church there during his second missionary journey in the early AD 50s. After eighteen months of ministry, Paul left the Corinthian church. First Corinthians provides a peek into the state of the church just a few years after her birth, and the prognosis was not good.

Points to consider:

✞   The church is united under one leader.

     * How does disunity threaten the 

        growth of the church?

     * How ought Paul's rebuke in this 

        passage shape what we look for 

        and celebrate in a church leader?

✞   The church is united by one Gospel.

     * What are some "red flags" that 

        might indicate our leaning on 

        the world's wisdom instead of God's? 

     * What happens when we rely on 

        human wisdom instead of God's 

        wisdom found in the Gospel?

✞   The church is united in one body.

     * Why is it sometimes difficult 

        to celebrate the differences 

        within the body?

     * If you knew that your spiritual 

        gift would be taken away 

        tomorrow, what would you 

        do today so you could use 

        it to the fullest?