Made Alive in Christ

CrossWay Community Church

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Made Alive in Christ

March 10, 2024 • Josh Mathews • Ephesians 2:4–7

Discussion Questions:

Scripture Memory

Our church-wide scripture memory this year will be selected passages from Ephesians. This is a great opportunity to dive deep into the goodness God has for us from Paul’s letter.

Sermon Overview

The main idea of this week’s sermon reminded us that God makes the spiritually dead alive. The passage describes God’s method (vv. 5-6), God’s motivation (vv. 4, 7), and God’s masterpiece (v. 7) in making the spiritually dead alive.

Digging Deeper

Read Ephesians 2:4-7

The first two words of verse 4 (“But God….”), are perhaps among the most precious words in all the Bible. We were dead. We were utterly incapable of making ourselves alive. But God! But God made us alive!

How might it change our perspective on the challenges of life if we were to wake up each morning utterly shocked that God has made us alive in Christ?

What habits might we want to put in place to remind us often of this precious truth?

According to verses 4 and 7, what aspects of God’s character were the driving force in his making us spiritually alive? Why do you think God wants us to know this? How should this affect us?

In your own words, what does it mean to be “united with Christ”?

We all define our lives by something. We all create an identity. What are common ways you observe people defining their lives by?

In this passage, Paul unpacks an identity people can have when united to Jesus of being made alive, raised, and seated.

Why is this way of defining our lives far better than any other way? What makes it distinct from any other way of finding our identity?

[there’s a wide range of answers here, but could include that: it’s given to us, not

earned; it’s dependent on what Jesus did, not what we can do, etc.]

Anyone who is a follower of Jesus has been raised up and seated with Jesus in the heavenly places now. How does that change your life now?

Part of being united with Jesus means being raised and seated with him. The implication is that we have power, through Jesus, over our own desires, over the influences of the world, and even over the devil.

How does Christ’s power in you help you live for him this week? What is an area of your life you want to increasingly tap into that power?

Verse 7 tells us that God has made us alive so that he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace toward us in Christ. Is it selfish or loving for God to want to display to us and the world the riches of his grace? How so?

Prayer Requests

Become Who You Are

May 12, 2024 • Brett Wendle • Ephesians 4:17–24

Discussion Questions Sermon Overview: Those who are new creations can and should live as new creations. 1. No longer be who you were (vv. 17-19) A. The lifestyle of non-Christians is the product of a futile mind (v. 17) B. Their hard hearts have led to dark minds, separation from God, and a surrender to impurity. (vv. 18-19) 2. How to become who you are (vv. 20-24) A. Remember how you learned (and learned from) Christ (vv. 20-21) B. Keep putting off your corrupt old self, being renewed in mind by truth, and putting on the godly new self (vv. 22-24) Digging Deeper: 1. Chameleons are an Amazon species of lizard that can adapt their appearance to match their surroundings in order to stay camouflaged and safe. How might Christians live like spiritual chameleons? 2. Why might Christians live like spiritual chameleons? 3. How can we tell if we are living like spiritual chameleons? 4. Pastor Brett helped us see that this passage is a call no longer to “be who we were” but instead “be who we are." What is meant by this? 5. Pastor Brett said that we who are new creations can and should live like new creations. Where in this text do we see that we can live as new creations? Where in this text do we see that we should live like new creations? 6. How might God want to use the description of the condition of unbelievers in vv. 17-19 to grow deeper compassion for unbelievers in our hearts? What might be the fruit of that in our interactions with unbelievers? 7. In vv. 18-19, hardness of heart lies at the bottom of the other realities mentioned. Why is this significant to see? 8. How does remembering how we learned Christ (and from Christ) (vv. 20-21), enable us to “be who we are”? What might that look like, practically speaking? 9. Our lives (how we “walk”) are profoundly shaped by our thinking. What are you bringing into your mind and heart that are helping you think rightly about God and who he has recreated you to be in Christ? 10. Are there inputs into your mind and heart that tempt you to think in ways that do not align with God’s truth? If so, what are those things? How are they not helpful? http://10.if you’re a follower of Jesus, how is your life different now compared to before you knew Jesus? http://11.in what ways is your life now countercultural to the rest of society because you are a Christian? http://12.how does the gospel motivate you to live distinctly? http://13.how is the old life without Christ different from a new life with Christ according to verses 22-24? Prayer

Building the Body to Maturity

May 5, 2024 • Brett Wendle • Ephesians 4:7–16

Discussion Questions Sermon Overview: Jesus gives what we need to build his body to maturity. 1. Jesus has given gifts to every Christian (vv. 7-10) 2. He has given leaders to equip us to build one another up (vv. 11-12) 3. The goal of building is unity and maturity (vv. 13-14) 4. The way we build is speaking truth in love (vv. 15-16) Digging Deeper: 1. According to Eph. 4:7, who is the giver of the gifts? Who (all) is on the receiving end of what is given? 2. Encourage one another by sharing gifts from Christ you see present in other members of your Gospel Community. 3. How does this passage address a possible false humility (“I have nothing to offer.”), which can exist among us? 4. How should knowing that each of us has received a gift(s) for the building up of the body motivate us when we gather together in Gospel Community, Sundays, and informally? 5. As we saw last week, Ephesians 4 starts out with an emphasis on the unity we have in Christ. Within that unity, there is a diversity of gifts. According to this text, what is the goal of using our varying gifts? 6. Among God’s people, there can at times be a misconception about who is called to “do ministry” and who isn’t. How does this passage address that? 7. According to this passage, leaders are “gifts” to the church. What is their role (4:11-12)? Do you see this happening at CrossWay? How so? 8. How does this undermine the idea that the full-time, paid pastors are there to do “ministry” for the rest of the church to “receive”? 9. According to vs. 12, who does the work of ministry? http://10.if you’re a follower of Jesus, do you see yourself as a minister? Why or why not? http://11.as Christ uses us and the gifts he’s given us to build up his body, the result will be that we will no longer be “children” who are “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine.” Are you now or have you ever experienced being tossed around by ideas or beliefs that were contrary to God’s way? http://12.we are called to “speak the truth in love”. What might that look like among us? Have you been on the receiving end of a brother or sister in Christ “speaking the truth in love” to you? Did God use it in your life? How so? Please share. http://13.we are not meant to be consumers of our church, but contributors to our church. Why is it so easy to have a “consumer” mindset? In what ways do you see this in your attitude towards CrossWay? Prayer

Guarding Unity Through Love

April 28, 2024 • Brett Wendle • Ephesians 4:1–6

Discussion Questions Week of: April 28, 2024 // Sermon Text: Ephesians 4:1-6 Sermon Overview Guard the unity God has given through love. 1. We have unity in and from God (vv. 4-6) 2. We are responsible to guard our unity through love (vv. 1-3) Digging Deeper: 1. What is the “therefore” in Ephesians 4:1 there for? How is Paul now transitioning to a new section in this letter? 2. As you look at your own attitudes and actions towards your church, how are you encouraged to see humility, gentleness and patience (vs. 2)? How could you grow in these areas? 3. If someone experienced our Gospel Community, what kinds of observations do you think they’d make positively? Would they sense humility, gentleness, and patience? 4. If we’re being honest, what observations could someone make critically? Would they pick up on traits like being: a. Exclusive: it’s hard to meet and make friends here b. Religious Show: people seem to have their lives figured out. c. Snobbery: people here thinks they’re better than me. d. Other: ___________________ 5. What is the difference between seeking to “create” unity, and seeking to maintain the unity (4:3) that already exists among us? 6. What are some reasons division could occur among individual believers within a church? What are some reasons whole groups within a church could divide from other groups within a church? What do such divisions communicate to a watching world? 7. How can you, individually, contribute to “maintaining the unity” in our church? How can we do that as a Gospel Community? 8. There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. How should these realities breed unity among God’s people? 9. Have you experienced the goodness of dwelling in unity with God’s people (see Psalm 133)? How so? Please share. What observations can you make from what God was up to in the midst of that situation? Prayer