One New Man Study #4
From Strangers to Fellow-Citizens
Ephesians 2:18-22
This month, we’ve been asking, What has God done about a broken humanity and a divided world? ANSWER: Succinctly, He sent His Son to do something on the cross, through his blood, that we could never do for ourselves. Each person’s fundamental need is to trust in Christ’s death for sin and resurrection for life. Becoming at peace with God affords the opportunity of being at peace with one another. According to Ephesians 2, God’s offer to the broken and divided is this:
- You can be raised from spiritual deadness to every day exalted life in Christ
- You can be rescued by God’s grace, then created in Christ for goodness
- You can step over dismantled walls of hostility into oneness with others in peace
- You can be transformed from an alienated stranger to a fellow-citizen as the very Temple of God
The objective of this group study: Why is the ONE NEW MAN, the Body of Christ, the hope of a broken/divided world?
GETTING STARTED: For a few minutes, discuss why the importance of the church has diminished with people. Church coach Carey Nieuwhof notes the following reasons why people have stopped attending (your) church
https://careynieuwhof.com/5reasonsmillennials/
- The church is irrelevant, its leaders are hypocrites, and have often morally failed
- God is missing in the church (people come looking for Him, have difficulty finding Him)
- Legitimate doubt is prohibited
- They are not learning about God
- They are not finding community (only 10% go to church expecting to find community)
Do you sense any of these factors in play at Christ Community Church?
What does the Word of God say about the critical importance of the Church in the world?
JESUS:
From Matthew 16:13-19, Why was Jesus going to launch the church? What could Jesus’
Church stand against? Discuss the importance of this in our world?
From Matthew 28:18-20 What were the founding leaders of Jesus’ Church to do? How important was this directive? Is it still important in the world in which we live?
PAUL:
According to Ephesians 2:18-22, why is the Lord Jesus so committed to building the Household of God?
According to Ephesians 3:8-11, what unique revelation is God making clear through Jesus’ Church?
According to Ephesians 4:11-16, what result can the Church uniquely bring about in people’s lives?
According to Colossians 1:27-29, what is Paul’s (and the Lord’s) goal for every person?
PETER:
According to 1 Peter 2:4-6, how valuable is the Church to God himself? 5:1-4 How important are good leaders?
INTO LIFE: Take some time to summarize what YOU encountered as you read and thought about the truth of these passages. Then, list the reasons why someone might argue that Jesus’ church is the most important living organism in the a broken and divided world? Finish this sentence the reasons — The Church is critical in the world because…
Reason #1 ______________________________________________________________________
Reason #2 ______________________________________________________________________
Reason #3 ______________________________________________________________________
Reason #4 ______________________________________________________________________