Session Four: Family

In this session, we’ll explore:

• What is the Church?

• What is it for?

• What is it supposed to be like?

‘The whole work of redemption has this in view: a vast family where all the members look increasingly like their older brother.’

Megan Hill

1. Reflect

In the last study we spoke about being adopted into God’s family. What would you expect that family to be like?

2. Read

1. Read Acts 2:41-47 (New Living Translation)
   
   What were the key features of the first Church?
   

2. Now read 1 Corinthians 12:12-28 (New Living Translation).
   
   What attitude should we have to other members of God’s family and how do we express this?
   

3. What is our significance in the Body of Christ?

4. These two passages point to our life together as a community not just a group of individuals. How important do you think community is and why?

5. How does this picture of the community of God’s family match up with the vision of the Kingdom of God that we looked at in Week Two?

6. It has been said that the Church is the hope of the world, what does he mean?

7. What picture does this all build of God’s family?

Need help? Here are some hints…

1. This is a really important passage for our understanding of how the Church looked in the beginning:

• Baptism was the sign of belonging to the church (verse 41)

• They met to learn more about Jesus (verse 42)

• They shared community – fellowship (verses 42 and 46), met each other’s needs (verse 45), shared communal meals (verse 46)

• They worshipped together (verses 42, 46 and 47)

• They served others through the things that God did through them (verse 43)

• Every day people came to know Jesus through the life that they shared (verse 47)

• From this we identify the five purposes of the Church to be

  • Worship

  • Discipleship

  • Fellowship

  • Outreach

  • Service

2. We need each other

• We are all equally valuable whatever our background, race, education etc.

• We have different abilities and gifts that need to be used

• We should honour each other

• It would be absurd if we were all the same so our individuality and our communal life are both important

3. We occupy a unique place

• We have a unique set of abilities, gifts and experiences

• No one else can take our place exactly

4. God creates us not to be alone (Genesis 2:18)

• We need encouragement and fellowship (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12)

• We can achieve things together that we cannot achieve apart (Ephesians 4:11–13)

5. When we looked at the Kingdom we saw God’s plan to transform the world

• This new community is to model the transformed world

6. This new community is to minister God’s healing and grace to the world. The Church is God’s plan and purpose for mankind.

‘The Church is the Church only when it exists for others. It must tell men of every calling what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others’

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

3. Act

• What do you think you should be doing to be an active part of God’s family?

4. Pray

• Pray for the church and for everything that it is meant to be

• Pray for ways in which you can be involved in the life of God’s family

• Pray about anything significant that is happening in your life (either for yourself or someone else)