“Fellowship” Class Nine

02/25/12: Foundations of Community: Communion, Part 3

A healthy church does not mean a perfect church. Rather, a healthy church is made up of a group of believers with a commitment to the church and a desire to keep bringing it back in line with God’s purpose.
(Francis Chan, We Are Church: Follower’s Guide)

Items for Discussion:

1. Read/Reflect on Acts 2:42. In this picture of the early Christian community, we see that the people were absolutely devoted to serving Christ with and through one another. It was their whole life. What does it mean to die to oneself, and then to one another?
2. Read Hebrews 10:19-25
3. According to verse 19-23, what should the work of Jesus lead you to do?
4. What is your responsibility to the other Christians in your life? Think about specific people and what that responsibility would look like.
5. Francis Chan and verse 25 mention that we are to not give up on meting. It is our responsibility to “stir up” the other Christians in our lives. In what specific way can you spur on other Christians in your life? How have you seen the difference between someone assured of their salvation and someone presumptuous about it? How can you develop confidence without presumption?
6. “We may be able to get a group of people excited about fellowship for a while, but if that fellowship does not have a greater purpose, eventually their interest will fade. If we remember that fellowship helps us to spur one another on to following Jesus, making disciples, and seeing God’s will done here on earth, however, then our fellowship will be lively and inspiring rather than forced” (Chan). What steps can you make to steer your group/church toward its God-given purpose?
7. What do you want out of this class, out of church? Why are you here?

Words to leave with:

The task you are pursuing is not easy. The fight will be difficult, and it will last your entire lifetime–no church is beyond the need for constant reformation. How can you play your part in making the church what He desires it to be? (Francis Chan, We are Church: Follower’s Guide)