Small Group Questions
Christ’s body, the church
Read Matthew 16:18, Acts 20:28 and Ephesians 5:25-27
What do these verses say about how Jesus sees the church?
Why is Christ’s view of the church an important starting point?
How can you reflect Christ’s love for the church in your interactions with fellow believers?
Consider the following quote: “The Church is founded on Christ. It is His Church, the response to His call, the obedience to His will. It is important to keep this in mind, because Christians themselves often forget and begin to view the Church as “theirs,” as an organization essentially called to serve them, to satisfy their spiritual and non-spiritual needs and demands.” Alexander Schmemann
Why is it important that we don’t start with a consumer mindset when thinking about the church?
Read 1Corinthians 12:7, 14-19 and Ephesians 4:15-16
What are some practical steps you can take to be an active member of the church body?
What does 1 Corinthians 12:7 tell us about how the presence of the Holy Spirit manifest in the church?
How can understanding the church as a mosaic of individual believers impact your view of your own identity in Christ?
Read Hebrews 3:12-13 and 10:24-25
How can we encourage unity within the church despite cultural pressures towards individualism?
What do these verse show as the danger of not being connected in the body of Christ in a deep and committed way?
Read John 17:21-24
In Jesus’ last recorded prayer before His death, how does He pray for the church and what do these verses show us about the importance of unity in His sight?
Read Ephesians 2:18-20 and Revelation 7:9-10
What do these verses show us about the universal church?
What is our connection to the universal church and why must it be lived out in local expressions of church?
Read Matthew 18:20, Ephesians 2:21-22 and 2 Peter 1:3
What do these verses tell us about the importance of the presence of God and holiness in the church?
Read Acts 2:42
What does this verse show us about the role of the apostles teaching in the early church?
What does the following quote tells us about apostolic authority?
“We must understand the apostolic sense of calling that is found throughout the New Testament… We can take Paul as an example… He writes (in 2 Corinthians) that his ministry is inspired directly by the Spirit (3:6, 8)… He even declares that “Christ is speaking through me” (13:3)… The apostles were sent directly by Christ and inspired by the Holy Spirit, and their message held a unique authority over the church—in the same way the prophets and other Old Testament writers wrote God’s word for Israel” Ryan Reeves
What does the following quote tells us about judging between essentials and non-essentials and why is it important?
“Although it is not always easy to distinguish between them, a safe guide is that truths on which Scripture speaks with a clear voice are essentials… any subject on which equally devout, equally humble, equally Bible-believing and Bible-studying Christians or churches reach different conclusions, must be considered secondary not primary.” John Stott
