The church is an intergenerational family, where we are all equally children of God by simple faith, yet also embracing the entire church, young and old, as having a place of belonging and value. What does it mean to move beyond the frameworks of generational thinking, and rather to call us into a deeper grasp of Jesus’ prayer for unity and call to love?
SERMON OUTLINE
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1)
The Church: Existing in and Becoming like Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 4:11-16)
- A community created in Jesus
- A community becoming more like Jesus
The Church: Called to Unity and Love (John 17:20-21; 13:34-35)
- Unity as the prayer of Jesus for God’s people
- Love as the defining characteristic of God’s people
The Church: An Intergenerational Family (Galatians 4:4-6; Matthew 18:3; 1 John 2:12-14)
- Brought into God’s family by Jesus
- Marked by the Spirit for adoption into God’s family
- Living under Father God as His family
- Interdependent living as a faith family
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- When you think about the church what images in Scripture communicate most to you about what the church is all about: family of God, body of Christ, new community, people of God, or Temple of the Holy Spirit?
- These next two weekends we are looking at what it means to be the church, focusing this week on the church as an intergenerational family of God. Ask God to speak to you and then continue with the study.
- Read 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Peter 2:9-10 and Ephesians 4:11-16 aloud. What do these three portions of Scripture say about what Christ’s role in creating the church? What do they tell us about what it means to be the church?
- Now read some or all of the following series of verses and consider what they tell us about the church’s call to unity and love: John 17:20-21; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7; Ephesians 4:3, 13; 1 Peter 1:22; 3:8; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Colossians 3:14; 2 Corinthians 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; John 13:34-35; Mark 12:31.
- What do you find most challenging about the call to unity and love within the church?
- One of the most prevalent images of the church is that of family. In Galatians 3:23-4:7 the Apostle Paul discusses this image. Read that passage of Scripture. What are some of the ways that God relates to the church as a family? What are some truths about the church as family in this passage from Galatians?
- There is quite a bit of discussion today about differences between generations in our culture. What do you think it means to live as a family across generations? How might individuals of different ages grow in loving and valuing one another in Christ’s church?
- What is one specific thing that God is speaking to you through this study? If you are with a small group, discuss that with one another and pray for one another. If you are studying on your own, write it down and share it with someone.