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Different Gifts, One Church - Romans 12:1-14
Different Gifts, One Church - Week One of Two
November 11, 2018 • Pastor Steve Pope
Growth Group Discussion Guide Week of November 13th Q: As a teen, how did peer pressure affect the way you dressed? How you acted? Q: As a child, who was the troublemaker in your family? Who was the peacemaker? READ FIRST: Romans 12:1-13 Q: Paul warns not to conform to this world (v. 2). In what areas do you think many Christians are conforming where perhaps they shouldn’t? Q: Which command from this passage do you find particularly helpful right now (vs. 9-13)? How does love operate within the family of faith? Q: As you learn to “hate what is evil; cling to what is good,” do you find it difficult to hate evil while loving sinners? Q: The command to “be devoted to one another” is an imperative in the Greek; in other words, non-optional for those who love God. How difficult is this for you? Are you progressing toward this ideal? Q: We who are many “form one body.” Our gifts are necessary for the body to grow and mature. What gift(s) do you bring to share? Sermon Meditation for Sunday, November 11th Connect! Different Gifts, One Church Romans 12:1-8 A Basket Full of Sloths It’s official - we have a new national fascination with baby three-toed sloths. Youtube is flooded with lovable baby sloth videos, and all the action is in slow motion. They are peaceful, gentle, and unbelievably cute. But if you’ve got to pull a wagon, a sloth is not much good. When a horse is needed, only a horse will do. And when a horse shares the yoke with a sloth, you can be sure of who is doing most of the work. Regarding our mandatory service to the Body of Christ, the apostle Paul commands that we “not be slothful” in the use of our spiritual gifts. Slothfulness in Scripture always serves as an illustration for laziness. In contrast, we who follow Christ are challenged to show great zeal for serving God’s church while being empowered by love. In Romans 12:11, those who love God are directed to “work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.” (v. 11) The command to show zeal (literally “to burn hot” in Greek) is in direct contrast to the slothfulness of those who are lazy in their relationship with the church. Join us the next two Sundays as we prepare for our Ministry Faire on November 18th. It’s time to find your place and do your thing! Blessings, Pastor Steve