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?

week of 4/28

Unit 32 Session 4

IMPRISONED FOR THE GOSPEL

ACTS 12

God responded to the church's prayers and delivered Peter from prison.

A year had passed since Peter's appeal to the Jerusalem church to accept God's salvation of the Gentiles. Luke provided a few details of this time, including the fact that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26). The stoning of Stephen caused many Christ-followers to scatter to avoid persecution. Their relocation served as a catalyst to spread the gospel message beyond the mostly Jewish religions surrounding Jerusalem. But persecution continued. Yet God remained faithful in delivering His people.

Points to consider:

✞   Praying to the Lord for Deliverance

     * How can we cultivate more prayer 

        in our lives?

     * When trials come our way, how 

        does prayer help?

✞   Following the Lord for Deliverance

     * What truths about God do you think 

        Peter clung to while he awaited 

        his trial?

     * How can we grow in our trust in God 

        that we can have peace even when 

        things don't seem to go the way 

        we expect?

✞   Praising the Lord for Deliverance

     * Why are there times when we 

        pray for something and yet doubt 

        that it could happen?

     * How can we be encouraged by 

        the suffering and deliverance 

        of God's people around us and 

        throughout the world?

week of 4/21

 Unit 32 Session 3

WELCOMED BY THE GOSPEL

ACTS 10 - 11

God confirmed that salvation had come to the Gentiles through the giving of the Holy Spirit, Who unites all who believe.

God initiated a series of events in the lives of Peter (a Jewish Christian) and Cornelius (a Gentile, soon-to-be Christian) that would result in a colossal paradigm shift for the early church's mindset and conduct. Ten years after Christ's commission, the gospel spread throughout Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. But now it was time for the truth about Christ to reach the nations. The mystery of the gospel, as Paul liked to call it, needed uncovering. Namely, God's heart is for every tribe, tongue, and nation to hear the gospel message. The good news of Jesus is for all people.

Points to consider:

✞   God accepts all people who believe 

     the gospel.

     * How ought the truth that God does not 

        show favoritism shape the life of a 

        Christian?

     * What can we learn about sharing the

        gospel from Peter's message?

✞   The Spirit's presence unites people 

      who believe the gospel.

     * What is evidence of the presence of the 

        Holy Spirit among God's people today?

     * Why is baptism important for the 

        believer?

✞   The church celebrates when people 

     believe the gospel.

     * How can I make an effort to share 

        the gospel with those who are lost, 

        even if they seem extremely different 

        from my friends in the church?

     * How have I seen God move in my 

        own story of repentance?

week of 4/14

Unit 32 Session 2

CONVICTED BY THE GOSPEL

ACTS 10

Through Peter's vision and the Lord's calling to meet with Cornelius, God revealed that the Gospel is for all people.

Acts 10 begins the longest episode provided by Luke. It still took place in Judea, but the Gospel message was about to bust through barriers in a big way. The prominence and importance of this narrative is such that we cannot overstate. If Peter did not have the teachability and obedience to follow God's lead, Christ's church may be in a quite different place today.

Points to consider:

✞   The Lord prepares people for the Gospel.

     * How can someone be a devout religious 

        person who fears God, but not actually 

        have salvation?

     * How do we know when God is giving 

        us instruction?

✞   The Lord calls His people to act in faith 

     and share the Gospel.

     * What actions do some Christians and 

        churches today think fall outside the 

        accepted Christian culture?

     * What are other ways Peter could have 

        responded to God's message and call?

✞   The Lord transforms people by the 

     power of the Gospel. 

     * How do we safeguard ourselves from

        putting the focus on ourselves instead 

        of Christ in ministry?

     * Understanding adoption, how can I 

        extend the grace of God today to 

        someone whom I consider different?