Why Church?

Part 1 | Why do we need The Church?

April 16, 2023

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Big Idea

God created the church as a community of people committed to living out their allegiance to Jesus by gathering to worship him, sharing life with one another, and carrying out his mission in this world.

Scripture

Matthew 16:13-20, Acts 2:42-47

Opening Questions

  1. How have you been able to B.L.E.S.S. someone recently?
  2. What was your favorite musical group growing up?
  3. How would you describe to someone without experience with a church, what it is, and why they would want to be a part of it?

Bible Discussion

  1. Read Matthew 16:13-20. What stands out to you about this interchange between Jesus and his disciples?
  2. In verse 18, Jesus said he would build his church (ekklesia) on this rock. The Greek word ekklesia is not a religious word but means gathering, like a gathering of people who might meet at a marketplace or public square. Our ideas about the “Church” are formed by our more formal or institutional experiences of the church in the Western world, but Ekklesia is bigger and broader than that; it has to do with the people than all the structures. How does that strike you?

Life Application

  1. At COMMUNITY, we would define the church as “A community of people on mission together where Jesus is King.” This definition contains three parts. How have you experienced “Church” according to this definition?
  • “A community of people”
  • “on mission together.”
  • “where Jesus is King.”
  1. These three parts also correspond to the three connections of COMMUNITY: God, the Church, and the World. Is it helpful to see this definition correspond to the three Connections here at COMMUNITY? Elaborate.
  • Connection with CHURCH: A community of people…
  • Connection with the WORLD: …on mission together…
  • Connection with GOD: …where Jesus is King.
  1. We call these three connections the radical minimums. They are the radical minimums for you being a disciple of Jesus. And they are the radical minimum for what makes us a church! In what ways are these radical?
  2. Which one of these radical minimums is the strongest in your life or small group? Which one could use more intentionality?
  3. In what way could we as a group and each of us as individuals grow?
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