Passage: 1 Corinthians 1-2
Title: Conviction 3: A New Community
Summary: Many Christians, especially those of us in the west, fail to
grasp the incredible gift we have been given in the community of
believers. Some see the local church as an optional add-on to their
already busy lives. Community is valued so long as our felt needs are
satisfied, but is easily discarded should we become dissatisfied. The
gospel has caused us to be born into something so much more glorious
than this! We have been richly blessed by God with a local community
that is meant to serve his work of making us like Christ. God has
chosen to glorify himself through the local church. This week we will
begin our study on the new kind of community that the Holy Spirit
creates when the gospel is believed.
Outline:
I. A Community Created by God (1:1-2)
a. A local community (v. 2)
b. A holy community (v. 2)
c. A global community (v. 2)
II. A Community Bound by Grace (1:3-9)
a. Grace brings peace (v. 3)
b. Grace enriches its recipients (vv. 4-5)
c. Grace is sufficient (v. 7)
d. Grace endures (vv. 8-9)
III. A Community United in Christ (vv. 10-17)
a. Appeal for unity (vv. 10-16)
b. The power of the gospel (v. 17)
IV. A Community that Boasts in Christ (vv. 18-31)
a. The apparent foolishness of the cross (vv. 18-19)
b. The wisdom of God (vv. 20-25)
c. The boast of the Church (vv. 26-31)
V. A Community of Power (2:1-5)
a. The weakness of man (vv. 1-4)
b. The power of the Spirit (vv. 4-5)
VI. A Community Taught by the Holy Spirit (2:6-16)
a. The nature of spiritual discernment (vv. 6-13)
b. The natural person (v. 14)
c. The spiritual person (vv. 15-16)
Discussion Questions:
1. How much value do you currently place on the local church? (notice
your attendance, your involvement, your attitude, your personal
investment, etc.)
2. What are you thankful for in regards to your community of faith?
3. Are you preserving unity in the church with your speech, attitude,
and conduct? How might your habits change to help build unity?
4. Is your life marked by humility (if you feel courageous, ask
someone close to you)? Where are you quick to complain, slander,
judge, etc.?
5. What are you prone to boast in other than God's grace toward you in Christ?
6. As you go to God's word, are you dependent on the Holy Spirit to
teach you "the hidden wisdom of God" or on your own understanding?
Thank God that he has given you his Spirit to give you spiritual
discernment, and that he delights to lead us into truth!
March 3, 2019
1 Corinthians 1-2
March 3, 2019 • Pastor Josh Kee
April 14, 2019
April 14, 2019 • Pastor Phil Burggraff
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 3:1–13 Theme: The Approach to Helping Others Thrive 1. Those helping others sincerely desire to see others grow in their faith. a. They see passed their own situation to the need of weaker siblings. b. They go to the necessary lengths to strengthen them for the trials ahead. 2. Those helping others find joy in life in the faith of their fellow believers (6–10). a. They gain strength in their spiritual life through God’s work in those to whom they minister (6–8). b. They rejoice and thank God for his work in other’s lives (9). 3. Those helping others continually pray that God will use them to bring others to spiritual maturity (10–13). a. They pray that God will give them time together for spiritual impact (11). b. They pray that God will bring about greater love within those to whom they minister (12). c. They pray that God will bring his work of sanctification to completion in the lives of his holy ones (13). Main Idea: God calls us as believers to invest our time and prayers to help others grow to maturity in faith. Application questions: • Describe Paul's attitude toward the Thessalonian believers in chapter 3. Do you possess this same attitude toward your fellow believers? How do we cultivate such an attitude? • What are the actions that Paul takes toward these believers to help them mature in the faith? How can you go about doing these same things with those to whom you minister? • From their description in this passage, how do trials contribute to the process of helping others thrive? • How does this passage impact the way we should pray?
April 7, 2019
April 7, 2019 • Pastor Phil Burggraff
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16 Theme: Developing others to thrive Conviction #4: Members of this community seek to develop others to thrive according to God’s design. Paul presents us here with a model to develop others through biblical leadership that results in faithful imitation. I. Church Leaders fulfill their God-given role (2:1-12). How do we fulfill this role? A. Present a message centered on God (1-4). Why? because: 1. Only this message can overcome difficulty and hardship (2). 2. Only this message truly “stays on track” (3). 3. God has approved you to deliver this specific message (4a). 4. Ultimately, you are accountable only to Him (4b). B. Avoid the tendency to elevate self (5-6). This manifests itself in 1. Flattering speech (5a) 2. greedy motives (5b) 3. seeking man’s approval (6) C. Care for others through service (7-9). How? 1. Handle the various situations that arise with gentleness (7). 2. Genuinely get involved in others’ lives (8). 3. Do the work of ministry regardless of the financial and material gain (9). D. Maintain godly integrity (10-12). 1. We maintain integrity through exemlary and fatherly behavior (10-11). 2. We maintain integrity so that others will follow our example and walk worthy of God (12). II. Church members must heed this message (2:13-16). How? A. Recognize the message as God’s (13). B. Listen to and imitate the message (14a). C. Persevere in the message regardless of life’s circumstances (14b-16). Point of the Passage: We must pursue a model of developing others—biblical leadership resulting in faithful imitation—to accomplish our mission and bring Christ glory (1:8–10; 2:19–20). Application Questions: • What progression do you see in the impact of the gospel that took place among the Thessalonians in 1:4–10 (Indicate each of the steps)? How long did Paul actually minister in this church according to Acts 17:1–9? What might this indicate about present strategies of ministry and discipleship? • According to 2:1–7, how did Paul present the gospel message and disciple these new believers? What did he do and didn’t he do? What do these actions look like in our ministry today? • What would it look like for you to share your life with other believers (2:8)? • What does Paul mean by imitation (1:6; 2:14)? According to this passage whom should we imitate and what would this look like today? • What implications can be drawn from this passage in your current ministry concerning developing others?
March 31, 2019
March 31, 2019 • Pastor Josh Kee
Passage: 1 Corinthians 14 Title: A Community Built on Love Summary: If we are to be the kind of community God intends, we must help one another identify, use, and celebrate our various gifts, recognizing that each has been given by God's sovereign choosing as an expression of his grace to his church. God's glory and the good of the church body ought to be the aim of every exercised gift. The most beneficial gifts are not those that build us up individually, but those that build up the community of faith in love. Outline: 1. Prophecy better than tongues (14:1-5) 2. The priority of clarity (14:6-19) 3. The gauge of maturity (14:20-25) 4. Worship that represents God (14:26-35) 5. Humility and submission (14:36-40) Main Point: In regards to the gathered church, corporate edification is more valuable than individual edification, and building up the body is more important that having intense spiritual experiences personally. Discussion Questions: 1. Why does Paul emphasize prophecy so strongly in 1 Corinthians 14? 2. When you gather with other believers, either on Sunday morning or in small groups, are you more concerned with what you will receive or with how you might be able to build up and encourage others? How might your perspective and motivation shift away from yourself and toward others? 3. How do you gauge spiritual maturity? Are there areas in your life where you are "a child in your thinking" (immature)? 4. On what basis do you evaluate the "success" or "value" of a worship service or small group/ ABF gathering? (I.e. What determines whether it was "good" or not in your mind?) 5. Why does Paul stress the importance of how the church worships when it's together? 6. How has our western emphasis on individualism affected the church?